Words by

Jóhannes Bjarkason

Photo by

Supplied by Sævar Jóhannsson

Composer Sævar Jóhannsson shares his thoughts on Where The Light Enters

Where The Light Enters by composer Sævar Jóhannsson was released August 22. On it, Sævar draws inspiration from meditation and 13th century poet Rumi. Sævar shared the stories and inspiration behind his recent work.

Inhale
This track is inspired by meditation. I was going through a tough period during the recording. One way of dealing with that was meditating. That helped a lot. It’s probably the brightest song on the record.

The Wound
It’s an emotional piece. This is the first record I’ve made without click-track and I allowed things to be fuzzy at times. I let the counting be imperfect, rather trusting the feeling of whether to speed up or slow down.

Einfari (Loner)
This track came to me when I was experiencing heartbreak. But it’s also a speculation on my story. I moved eight times when I was a kid, sometimes between countries. I always felt like a guest and constantly had this feeling of, “We’re going to leave either way.” I had a difficult time connecting with places when I was younger and I was sort of a loner. I think this song captures that.

Where the light enters
I feel this song is dedicated to a person that’s dear to me and has shown extreme perseverance. The first half of the song is meant to signify that struggle and the latter half is the harvesting of those hard times.

Noting
Noting is a meditation technique based on the premise that the thought is not what hurts us, rather how long we dwell on that thought. This exercise is just letting things come and go. On this record, there are parts that are written and parts that are improvised. I hadn’t really finished all of the songs when I started recording, to allow for improvisation. It connects to the idea of not judging yourself for what appears, transferring that mediation to the creation itself.

Non-factual-truth-teller
That’s just a nonsensical title I came up with. I always get a Ludovico Einaudi vibe from this track.

Caveman/inner critic
This a rumination on the artistic side of the brain and the survival side. I can’t remember which one is which. I always think this track is three songs in one, which represents a sort of overthinking.

In light of recent events
Probably one of my favourite songs on the album. In my view, it has two unique parts, representing the absent-minded and the overthinking. The title comes from a dancer, Thea Atladóttir. We were in the same artist residency which had the theme “The Light.” So it was sort of perfect.

Passing by
The most minimalist song on the record. It’s very meditative and simple. It’s nothing more than thoughts passing by.

Rest sweet prince or I’ll break your bones
This track is inspired by a night out, where I witnessed a stark example of toxic masculinity. There was this guy who acted chivalrous, but became very violent when confronted.

Reykjadalur
I wrote this song in one day on June 17 (Iceland’s Independence Day). I was playing around trying to write the most Icelandic song ever.

Exhale
This is in direct correlation to the first track. I always try to make the first and last track of my albums talk together.