Iceland Airwaves is fast approaching. The line up is complete, so now
it is time to start planning what to see and what to skip. The
Grapevine is always willing to lend a helping hand, so as a part of our
effort to preview the festival, we present an Airwaves artist to watch,
a band that you should make every effort to see this year.
Last year, the post-rock foursome For a Minor Reflection released their
debut album, Reistu flig vi›, sólin er komin á loft…, an instrumental
ode to the sun presumably, that was widely regarded as one of the
finest releases of 2007.
Like so many bands before them, FAMR begat its life in a garage.
And like so many other bands, they are bound together by their love of
Pink Floyd and improv blues. “The guys had been playing together for a
while, and then I met [guitarist] Kjartan [Hólm] at a high school
dance and we were drinking and talking and he invited me to come to jam
with them in the garage,” says Gu›finnur Sveinsson, the band’s other
guitar player. “We were just jamming to Comfortably Numb and
improvising some blues to begin with.”
It was a modest beginning by all accounts, but things progressed
fast and soon the band was head over heels in the process of recording
an album. The hour-long instrumental opus was well received by the
music press and fans alike. “We don’t really try to define ourselves,
we don’t really think of ourselves as a post-rock band, but we won’t
get mad if someone decides to call us that,” Gu›finnur says about their
perception from the music press.
The success of their debut album has led to bigger and better
things for the young band, and next up for the youngsters is a tour
through Europe in support of Sigur Rós. “That’s like going from the
first division to the premier division,” Gu›finnur says. “It is a big
step for us, and I just hope we’ll be able to prove we are worth it.”
The band has already started work on their follow-up album, which
should see the light of day in the not too distant future. “There will
be lesser blues influence on it,” Gu›finnur explains. But there is
still room for some improvisation. “Kjartan usually brings in the basic
idea and then we improvise around it. Then the songs continue to take
shape while we play around with them in rehearsal.”
“But right now, we are just focusing on the tour. Airwaves is just
a warm up for the tour. If we do well there, then that’s just an added
bonus.”
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