Track By Track: ‘Allt í Einu’ by Andi

Andi is an Icelandic electronica producer whose self-titled debut album won him a Grapevine Music Award in 2017. Here, he talks us through the follow-up, “Allt í einu.”

“In Icelandic the title of the album has a double meaning,” says Andi. “‘All at once’ and/or ‘all of a sudden.’ In my own mind it occasionally happens that everything changes all at once as well as it can change all of a sudden.”

“For me, titles in wordless music are a great way to create a mood, and the only chance to express what a particular song is all about,” he says. “This commentary is about unveiling the true meaning of the album by describing how the titles of the songs correlate to the music.”

“The songs on the album have been put together in a certain order to support the concept of circles and circulation. These circles I refer to describe my own personal mental and spiritual journey. A trip always heading to its end stop—only to be repeated again and again. The circles are also found in the repetitive circular 4/4 rhythms.”

1. Viðgerð / Repair
This song has gone through a lot of changes or repairs, since it was released on the very first Myrkfælni compilation in 2017. Naturally I repaired myself in the process.

2. Hringiða / Whirlpool
This song describes the main theme of the album, going round and round in your daily routine and learning to live life in a better, deeper or a more proficient way in order to prepare yourself for the things to come.

3. Út að borða / Eating Out
Everybody needs to eat, and I love going out to restaurants to eat a good meal. For me, the experience can almost be the equivalent of a good holiday.

4. Túristi / Tourist
The title of this song came from my friend Baldur Baldursson and I take it as a reference to the whole tourist boom that has been happening lately in Iceland. Furthermore it’s connected to being a tourist in your own mind, and this whole psychonaut thing—being an astronaut in your own head.

“It’s connected to being a tourist in your own mind, and this whole psychonaut thing—being an astronaut in your own head.”

5. Fánablár himinn / Flag-Blue Sky
This song and it’s title might seem to a have a political meaning and I don’t deny it. The title hints to nationalism although the song itself is inspired by the 70s and 80s Icelandic punk scene. The title came from my grandmother. She calls the crisp midwinter sky during the magic hour a flag-blue sky and says it’s a very special color only to be seen in Iceland, and I believe her.

6. Ástarljóð á sumri / A Summer Love Poem
This is the cover song of the album, originally composed and played on the recorder by Gísli Helgason. Love can be dark, mysterious and, above all, beautiful, especially in the endless brightness in the summertime.

7. Á döfinni / Topicality
Now we’re almost at the end, time to consider and go through the past, evaluate things and eventually to move on. And to start showing interest in the present.

8. Seyði / Broth
In Icelandic there’s an old saying, that when one takes a sip from the broth (“súpa seyðið”), they have to bear the consequences of a given experience and face the music.

‘Allt í einu’ is out now on Skýlið. Get it at andimusic.bandcamp.com.