While it was quiet around SÓLSTAFIR, their frontman Aðalbjörn „Addi“ Tryggvason was productive elsewhere: After BASTARÐUR, the Icelander has now already founded the next side project with ISAFJØRD. What the album title „Hjartastjaki“ means, what he takes away from the creation process and which „Spinal Tap“ moment shaped the album, the Icelander tells us in this interview.
Your new project is called ISAFJØRD, named after the town Ísafjörður, where both your fathers come from. First of all: Why not „Ísafjörður“ then? One could think: The more Icelandic it sounds, the better?
Well, we wrote the album in Norway, Ragnar lives there and has been for a few years and i went for a visit for a week and we stayed in the forest for a week where Ragnar has a little home studio. And i used to live in Norway back in 1997 as well so we both speak Norwegian, so whole project had a Norwegian feel to it. Also naming it „Ísafjörður“ would be too direct.
The reference to origin in the band name, but also the cover suggest a strong homeland reference of the album – would you subscribe that and does this also apply to the lyrics?
Yes we both have a strong heartful connection to that place, even though it’s been a very long time since either of us lived there. The whole idea of writing an album together came when we were both there in the summer of 2018 with our families, Ragnar had a solo acoustic gig booked there and invited be to join, so we did our first show together, doing covers. Knowing how beautiful this town is and with such a rich history it was a no brainer to explore the archives of the old photographers from Isafjörður and we found so much cool stuff that we have artwork ready for 20 albums or so.
I have the impression that various Icelandic musicians have a strong connection to their homeland, especially to the Iceland of their parents or grandparents time, which they process in their music. What fascinates people of your age so much about the Iceland of bygone days?
I can only speak for myself, but yes i am very much interested in my ancestors and the life they lived. My great great grandfather for example lived in New York in 1910 and sailed from there with his at the time new wife who happened to be German, all the way to Isafjörður. Imagine living in NYC at that time and moving to Isafjörður where 2000 people lived. Later they got arrested by the Brits during WW2. Crazy story.
Is a sense of homeland and heritage on an island, where you never had to separate yourself from your neighbors, less relevant or, on the contrary, even more relevant than on the mainland?
Not sure, but isolation thru centuries does certain things, keeps a language closer to origin, and our horses and pretty unique today, they are pretty much the same brand since the year of 1000.
The album itself is titled „Hjartastjaki“ What does the title mean, and how does it relate to the picture?
It means heart stick, a place to put your heart on, or even an impaled heart. If you go to Ísafjörður, that view, those building are right in the heart of the town. And the photo is almost shot from the place my family ran a bakery there for 100 years.
When was this picture taken, and why does this picture perfectly capture the spirit of your music on this album from your point of view?
Well the building on the left, beautiful wooden one burned to the ground in 1946, so sometime shortly before that. The photo captures the weather, the winter, the desolation, the mountains, the life, the beauty of the buildings.
ISAFJØRD was born out of the cooperation with Ragnar Zolberg. His real name is Ragnar Sólberg Rafnsson and he is also Icelandic, but he doesn’t live there. When did the idea for a joint project mature and what was the trigger to realize it?
Yes like i said before, by pure coincidence we were both in Isafjörður same weekend the summer of 2018 and the ball started rolling after that. But we had know each other for 10-15 years, in the music scene in Reykjavík, and when Ragnar was in Pain of Salvation we would bump into each other on the road. But yes, he moved to Sweden 10 years ago or so, and then over to to Norway.
Interestingly, the album actually sounds more „Icelandic“ than anything you’ve released so far. I’d say one can hear a strong influence of Sigur Rós as well. Would you agree with that, and if so, how do you explain such an „origin-typical“ style when it comes to melodies and harmonics? Is there a relation to traditional (folk) icelandic music from Iceland?
Sure, its pretty raw, very old school and simple way of recording, things are not too over analysed, the moments are very captured. Organic album. This is not too much planed. We both like bands such as Sigur Rós, the Beatles, Cardigans, Neil Young, so we are just pressing print of whats in our blood.
On the other hand, post-rock bands like Godspeed You! Black Emperor would be a suitable comparison, I’d say. Is this music you listen to privately, or which albums would you yourself consider as inspiration or formative for your post-rock love?
We both listen to a lot of metal music, along with pop or singer songwriter stuff, so we have a big varity of influences, but we always knew that we were not gonna do a metal album together, although you can hear some little early Priest stuff here and there.
„Hjartastjaki“ was written, I read, in the freezing cold in an old house with a broken piano. Why do that to yourself?
Don’t write music in your comfort zone. Ragnar just got the old piano a day before i arrived to Norway, and the damn piano would not fit into the studio door, so we had to remove the front door, freezing cold, total darkness outside, standing in the snow. Very much Spinal Tap moment. We loved that piano when it made it in finally.
Some of the songs should have been written in a very short time, supposedly in a single day. Is that the secret of the songs, does perfectionism ruin music?
Yes we set out to write a song per day. Starting early, ending late, and thats what we did. Two did not make it to the album, but the rest is there. Writing a song, recording it, writing vocal lines and lyrics, its an unusal way of writing for me, but worked very well on this album. You are really hammering the iron while its hot.
Do you also work like that at SÓLSTAFIR – or is the songwriting process completely different there?
That’s way different. More time spent, more heads, more discussion, i write the vocal lines after the songs are done.
Interestingly, the BASTARÐUR debut, the last album you released, was musically completely different. How do you switch in your head when you focus on new music, a new project? There are enough musicians who can’t do that, whose projects all sound similar…
Yeah that’s a completely different mindset. BASTARÐUR was just me channeling my love for Entombed basically. Along with Disfear, Wolfbrigade and Motörhead. Writing riffs along on a downtuned Gibson via Boss HM2 is like being on some drug. Highly recommended. The HM2, not the drugs.
What experience do you take with you from this album production that will influence your further musical work – be it technically or in terms of approach or whatever?
Its a good reminder of how you can make a good album with minumum gear, and little time.
You have started not only one but two new projects since the last SÓLSTAFIR album – which I think had rather mixed reactions. Is this a kind of creative time-out for you from this ever faster and bigger cycle of albums and touring with SÓLSTAFIR?
Well i kinda write the BASTARÐUR album alone in a garage in 3 months, week of studio with drums and rest. Pretty fast album as well. The ISAFJØRD album was written in a week in January 2019, and we mixed it and mastered this year, no pressure really, as no one was waiting for it. Very freedomlike feeling. With SÓLSTAFIR it’s different, you have a record label waiting, tour planing has to follow and such. More planing. We are writing a new SÓLSTAFIR album now, and thankfully no other album is in the making as well.
So, will we hear from SÓLSTAFIR again first, before there will be new music from the other projects … or were BASTARÐUR and ISAFJØRD just set for one album
anyway and put to rest again?
No both BASTARÐUR and ISAFJØRD will do more albums. BASTARÐUR has evolved into a full band now, 5 guys playing live. So next album will be a band effort. Isafjord, not so fast. Talk to me again in 3 years about that, lets at least this one come out before. SÓLSTAFIR is main priority now, album and touring wise.
If the projects are to last: Do you plan to bring one or the other to the stage sometime?
BASTARÐUR is tour ready, we have already done 4 shows in Iceland. Isafjord is a bigger question. The songs have never been performed as a band, only recorded while written. We however have mentioned it, if the right offer came, for an interesting show, we would for sure look into it. And we already have two guys in mind what we would get to help out.
Finally again our traditional brainstorming. What is the first thing that comes to mind when you think of the following terms:
Gas prices: pretty cheap, compared to that people try to sell you a liter of water for 5 euro.
Björk: Genious, godlike genious. Do i like all her stuff? Fuck no.
Winter in Iceland: No such things as seasons in Iceland, prepare for hailstorm 365 days a year, or plus 5 celcius warm days during summer.
Mötley Crüe: 80’s good, rest not so good. Book was good, movie was bad.
Fifa World Cup in Qatar: All teams should dress up like Rob Halford and give stupid homophobes a hard day.
ISAFJØRD in 10 years: album 3 maybe? And a concert in Ísafjörður.
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25. November 2022 Moritz Grütz
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