Ásgeir: move over, Björk and Sigur Rós

(© Vera Palsdottir)

A star in the land of volcanos, Ásgeir Trausti has achieved the feat of taking a higher spot on the prestigious podium of Icelandic pop than Björk, Emiliana Torrini, and Sigur Rós: his Dýrð í dauðaþögn holds the record for sales of a first album. He has now re-issued his best-seller in English.

Translated and reworked with the assistance of the US singer-songwriter John Grant, the elegant melodies of Ásgeir’s songs can now be heard on In the Silence, an album that fans of Ben Howard and Bon Iver absolutely have to listen to – and are sure to fall in love with.

Your album has been an enormous success in your own country. Listening to your songs, one really feels one is travelling through the landscapes of Iceland. Does that owe something to your own life story?
Ásgeir: I was born on a patch of land called Hrísey, a little island off the coast of Iceland. I stayed there until I was six years old. After that, I moved around a lot. My parents were teachers and moved to different parts of the country, depending on teaching opportunities. Those constant moves never bothered me. Each stage was an opportunity to meet people. I learned to play the guitar in the village of Laugarbakki. Most of the inhabitants of the village are retired, old people who enjoy the landscape and the tranquillity there. I was the only child of my age living in the village. These days, I live in Reykjavik. The atmosphere that emanates from the album results, no doubt, from moving around the country so much.

The acoustic guitar is prominent on the album. Did you train as a guitarist?
Ásgeir: Yes. I took classes with a 19-year-old guy. During the day, he trained me to throw the javelin and after school he taught me to play acoustic guitar. When I was starting off, however, I used to dream of having an electric guitar like my pals. But my mother wouldn’t hear of doing things differently: first the traditional guitar, then the electric! In the end, that path had repercussions for my career: I have always composed my music on an acoustic guitar.

Originally, In the Silence was an album sung in Icelandic. Could you tell us a bit about how it came about?
Ásgeir: If you translate the original title into English literally, you get something like Glory in That Silence. I didn’t think that sounded great, so that’s why we went for In the Silence. The original version of the album relied on my compositions: pieces written at the piano and to the guitar. It was my father who took on to write the lyrics of the songs. For me, composing music and writing words are two totally different things. I’m capable of looking after the musical aspect, but not the literary side.

At 22, you are one of the biggest sellers of albums in Iceland. The local population has really succumbed to the charms of your songs. How do you explain that incredible success?
Ásgeir: With difficulty... One day, I performed on national television. I played a piece at peak viewing time. Before that, nobody had ever heard of me. And then, from one day to the next, my music started to be played on the radio. Then people in Iceland rushed to buy my album. In recent times, there has been a lot of stress in Icelandic homes, largely linked to the economic crisis. People are looking for comfort, for a certain tranquillity. Those are words that come up often in Iceland when people talk about my music. Maybe that explains my success.

ÁSGEIR • 3/12, 19.30, €11/14, Botanique, Koningsstraat 236 rue Royale, Sint-Joost-ten-Node/Saint-Josse-ten-Noode, 02-218.37.32, www.botanique.be