It was obvious from the moment it appeared that Teitur Magnússon’s wonderful solo début LP, 27, was something really special—and in the year or so that has passed since, our appreciation for it has only grown. On 27, Teitur—a mainstay of the 101 scene—brings forth a fully-realized artistic vision, the result of years of thoughtful development and experimentation, unique in both sound and approach. It’s also damn catchy. Good vibes.
We are happy and honoured that he chose this venue to début his latest music video, to 27 tune Kamelgult (“Camel Yellow”). The clip is good, too, and has an interesting backstory. Look!
Kamelgult was directed by Sigurður Möller Sívertsen (you might know him from his work drumming with Grísalappalísa), who shot the video in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, where he’s currently studying to be a director under the guidance of Béla Tarr. Sigurður’s chosen medium for the project was 16mm film, which he developed in a bathroom that same day.
“It was all very spontaneous,” says Sigurður. “I had the camera and some film. I had an hour to shoot. Teitur had offered me a chance to make a video for the tune, so I just went out and shot these characters. Gave them a cigarette and hit record. I’d had the song on repeat—it’s a great song. After the shoot, I didn’t need to edit it or fix around at all. All ready.
For 27’s lyrics, Teitur collaborated with his cousin Skarphéðinn Bergþóruson, who had the following to say about Kamelgult when we interviewed the two last year:
RGV: What was your role in the making of the record?
SÞ: I just came here [to Teitur’s house] and had about twelve beers and had a few words kicking around in my head, a phrase or a joke or something. Meanwhile Teitur was playing around with the guitar. I’d sort of give a ‘go’ or ‘no go’ to his ideas. We did this weekly or so for a bit. But the end result has nothing to do with what I heard during those nights. Mike and Arnljótur and Silla and Teitur and Maggi created something completely different and much better. But I wrote some of the lyrics, I guess. Like, I happened to be reading a book that mentioned camel-yellow coats. I thought that was a great description of a colour: camel-yellow. So I looked at my camel-yellow fingers. Camel-yellow. Funny, right?
Check out Teitur’s upcoming show with dj. flugvél og geimskip at Húrra, on December 17!
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See also:
One Can Always Be Bothered To Dream
The track, ‘Nenni’, a wonderful slice of ‘60s psychedelia (complete with sitar and flute) bread with tropicalia is a serious contender for single of the year in this humble writer’s opinion. The title is an Icelandic verb often cited as ‘untranslatable’ (into English at least) but the meaning is pretty close to ‘being bothered to’, i.e. needing or even wanting to do something but simply not mustering the energy or willpower to do it.
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