UN
NUOVO ARTISTA IN CASA ERASED TAPES RECORDS.
VOCE
DELLA BAND ISLANDESE HJALTALIN E MEMBRO DEI GUSGUS,
IL
CANTANTE E COMPOSITORE HOGNI EGILSSON
PRESENTA IL SUO PROGETTO SOLISTA
HÖGNI
“TWO TRAINS”
il
disco in uscita il 20 ottobre per Erased Tapes Records/Audioglobe
ascolta in esclusiva
per The Line Of Best Fit il brano 'Komdu Með':
album pre-order link: http://phonofile.link/two-trains
Amidst destruction on the mainland, the two
locomotives Minør and Pionér transported wagons full of rock and gravel to the
Icelandic seaside during the construction of the Reykjavík harbour in
1913-1917. The two metallic giants ushered in a new age in Iceland. However, soon
after construction ceased the two trains were parked and have never driven
since. Now they only serve to remind us of the grandeur of a bygone future.
They are the only trains ever to have graced the Icelandic landscape.
The music in “Two
Trains” embraces the spirit
of the original European avant-garde and invokes these concepts in its chugging
rhythms, metallic clangs and brooding choral arrangements (men's choruses are a
distinctly Icelandic phenomena related to the national/romantic politics of the
19th and 20th century) while the lyrics speak of ominous clouds on the
war-ridden eastern horizon and freight cars filled with gravel and dreams.
Words from Högni, July 2017:
“The music on Two Trains is a blue-print of a
period in my life where I collided with my own self, and at that point I felt
the indifference between the personal and the universal, the absolute
consciousness of life’s unconsciousness. Perhaps it’s a feeling that cannot be
conveyed, like watercolours that just seem to wash off into the sea. But
also a flashing mirage that you can enjoy before you arrive at your last
destination."
As time went on, the two trains also began
to bear a psychological implication to Högni
and came to represent the different incarnations of his persona during a
difficult period in his life. As a society we are also quite often faced with a
fork in the road and a decision to make, and most importantly the acceptance of
one’s self.
Today,
the real Minør and Pionér are unemployed, mere relics. Minør is on display near the
Reykjavík waterfront and Pionér is parked in an outdoor museum on a hill. But for Högni, with this release, the two
trains have ushered in a new chapter in his own life.
The cover art incorporates a distorted
portrait photograph taken by Anna Maggy with the help of Sigurður Oddsson’s art
direction, using projected features to reflect the
idea of duality.
……………….
In his native Iceland, Högni Egilsson is one of the best known
contemporary singers and songwriters. Importantly and interestingly, his music
and performance style is equally loved by music aficionados and less serious,
commercially inclined listeners.
Growing up, Högni learned to play the violin, but it was only in his
late teens that he taught himself how to play the guitar and developed an
interest in performing and writing pop songs. Mastery of the piano soon
followed and complemented an extended course in improvisation and the harmonies
of jazz, while a long stint in his high-school choir helped train his voice.
Before enrolling in composition at the Iceland Academy of
the Arts at 21, Högni was already known as an extremely talented musician among
his peers. With the 2007 release of Sleepdrunk Seasons, the debut album
by Hjaltalín - an indie rock group fronted by Högni - that notion went national
and within months his voice and compositions were seemingly everywhere in
Iceland; on television, on the radio and on stages around the country.
Still, Hjaltalín’s second album Terminal (2009) proved a much
bigger hit - winning ‘album of the year’ at the Icelandic Music Awards and its
five singles spending a combined 44 weeks on the National Radio’s Top 20. If Terminal
is Hjaltalín’s most popular set of songs yet, 2012’s Enter 4 marks
the height of their critical acclaim. It is a sparer and darker album and
without a doubt Hjaltalín’s best.
A chance encounter that revealed a shared interest in sailing
brought Högni and President Bongo from the famed electronic group Gusgus
together. By 2011 Högni was a full-time member of the band and featured prominently
on Arabian Horse - by many considered Gusgus’s finest album to date. His
voice and fingerprints are all over Mexico (2014) as well, not least in
lead single ‘Obnoxiosly Sexual’. With Gusgus, Högni has toured extensively in
Europe and North America, gaining a strong personal following, particularly in
Eastern Europe.
While fronting two touring bands, Högni has made time to score
numerous theatre pieces, most notably The Heart of Robin Hood (dir.
Gísli Gardarsson), staged by The Royal Shakespeare Company in 2011 and Angels
of the Universe (dir. Thorleifur Örn Arnarsson), the Icelandic National
Theatre’s 2013 adaptation of a well-known and loved novel and film of the same
title.
He has also written music for film and television, including a
well-received score for short film Víkingar (dir. Magali Magistry, 2013)
which won the Golden Rail award and was nominated for the Discovery award, both
at the Cannes Film Festival.
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