Track By Track: Á Floti By Gosi

Gosi’s latest album Á floti  puts the ‘sea’ in ‘catchy’

On his latest album Á floti, Ísafjörður-based musician Andri Pétur Þrastarson shares his musical odyssey. Zooming in on the adventures of a sailor, the album explores a whole host of adversaries — namely monsters, bureaucracy, and climate anxiety. Sporadic and eclectic, Á floti includes bossa-nova muzak, Mac DeMarco-style indie sleaze, and traditional accordion arrangements straight out of an old-timey Icelandic ball.

ATAT

“ATAT” is a groovy song about how we often set ourselves up for disappointment by placing unrealistic expectations on ourselves and others. And if we put the blame on others, we might trip over it, like a silly ATAT with a cable wrapped around its feet.

Árabátur

A reggae-tinged lullaby with Lynchian influences. Dedicated to all the parents who have found themselves sleep-drunk in the middle of the night trying to rock a baby to sleep.

Ófreskja

“Ófreskja” is a catchy song about anxiety. Ófreskja personifies anxiety as a monster that bites your nails and bullies your thoughts. Marta Sif joins in on vocals.

“I found it inappropriate to sing the line, ‘I have no feelings for you,’ to my wife Marta.”

Á floti

“Á floti” refers to a point in the early stages of writing a song, when the melody finds its right place. It sort of floats or hovers above and between the harmony. Then, sometimes, all the other pieces start fitting into place — lyrics, arrangement, etc. You can then begin the process of navigating the balance between staying grounded in reality and taking off into the stratosphere of your artistic vision.

Máninn

Icelandic sailor songs, or sjómannalög, have a long tradition in Iceland, often serving as light-hearted sing-along songs. But in my version, the ship sinks. Rúna Esradóttir joins in on the accordion, evoking the haunting loneliness of the open sea.

Anda klaka

This song is about the last Inuit, global warming, and how he’d rather be known for drinking his igloo than going extinct. I hope Daniel Day-Lewis will come out of retirement to star in the movie based on this song. Eiríkur Örn, Baldur Páll, Friðrik Margrétarson, and Valgeir Skorri put on their tank tops and helped Gosi rock his way through climate anxiety.

Seiðkarl

I wanted to mix sweet folky vocal harmonies with some fragile chaos. I like to call this Irish Folk Metal, but that’s probably already a genre, and I don’t want to step on any toes. It’s about a sorcerer doing some questionable magic to uncover the secrets of the world.

Draugar

You are stuck in an elevator with a ghost suffering heavy FOMO (fondness of material occurrence), and he won’t shut up about how awesome his life used to be. Sara Hrund adds haunting vocals, and Madis Maekalle’s trumpet breathes life into the ethereal arrangement.

Ekki spurning

“Ekki spurning” is a song about how life is one continuous transformation and capitalism sucks.

Tilfinningar

I found it inappropriate to sing the line, “I have no feelings for you,” to my wife Marta, who customarily lends her voice to Gosi’s songs. The song’s future was in jeopardy until Salóme Katrín stepped in to save the day. It’s completely sincere in its sarcasm — a melancholy indie romp fit for any occasion.

Hafið

Hold up… This is track number 11, and Hafið translates to The Ocean… If you happen to hear rumours that this album perfectly syncs up as the soundtrack to Ocean’s 11, I definitely didn’t start them. The final track, like the ocean, is a poetic journey of flowing buildup from low tide to good times, as is the sea’s nature. Eiríkur Örn flows on the bass, and Baldur Páll pours his heart out on the cajón.