Ever since Ásgeir Trausti shortened his name and released his debut album from Icelandic to English the songwriter has been catapulted from homegrown fame to international tours and world-wide recognition. He’s none more so popular than here in Australia, probably the furtherest you could get from his Scandinavian home, where he enjoyed packed out Splendour sideshows.
The fact he’s back so soon for Falls Festival and more sideshows is no surprise, it’s a testament to the strength of his debut album, which was first released in Icelandic back in 2012. We phoned the singer who was now safely at his snowed in home of Reykjavík after finishing another European tour. We asked the man about the record’s that had changed his life and while Ásgeir was both articulate and generous with his explanations the call was unfortunately and randomly cut short without notice.
The four albums that the musician did list for us though are all masterpieces in their own right and provide a snapshot into the makings of Ásgeir.
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Nirvana – ‘Nevermind’
“The first album that changed my life, that probably got me into music or like at least having interest in playing guitar was Nevermind by Nirvana. When I was six and it was the first band that – I didn’t get obsessed with another band like that when I was that young. I didn’t listen to anything else for two years and Nevermind was the first album that I heard.
Then I started collecting all of their albums and covering all of their songs and trying to play like Kurt Cobain and sing like Kurt Cobain. Which definitely didn’t work out, but I tried my best when I was young (laughs). So that’s definitely an album that I would consider one of the main albums that changed my life.”
Jeff Buckley – ‘Grace’
“In my teenage years I started listening to Grace. I got kind of obsessed with that. His voice and his guitar playing, I’ve played guitars since I was six so that’s my main instrument and my main interest and I didn’t really used to be a singer until I was 14 or 15.
I started playing and writing songs and singing melodies with it, but mainly a guitar. That was what mainly influenced me at the time, his way of singing and playing.”
Sigur Rós – ‘( )’
This is all from the top of my head. I would consider this as the album where I think it was the first that I got by Sigur Rós when I was 13 or 14. And I remember I bought the album a few days or a few weeks before I went to Sweden where I was competing in javelin throwing there and I went with my family there driving around. It was my first trip outside of Iceland and so everything was spectacular and everything was so new and something I hadn’t seen and I was listening to this album non-stop the whole drive for a week.
So when I hear that album I always think of that trip, but the influence from the album is definitely the band as a whole and also their other albums, everything builds up on using his (Jónsi) voice as an instrument rather than telling a story or a lyric like usually and just the soundscape and the atmosphere of every song. The build ups and all that was, when I heard it the first time was really new and so impressive and something that I dreamt of making something like that in the future. You can never get bored of it.
James Blake – ‘James Blake
James Blake’s first album which I listened to just when it was released a few years ago and that changed my life in a different way because before that I hadn’t really been thinking of electronic music as something that was – I always wanted to play everything live like instruments like guitars and drum instead of using a computer and stuff.
But after hearing that album everything changed in my mind in terms of like writing music and making songs and I started taking influence of that to my music. I was usually writing folk songs and melodic folks songs. So I kept on doing that, but I started to use electronic elements with my music after I heard that album and sounds using drum samples and programming drums, using synthesisers and all that.
Ásgeir Falls Festival 2014 Sideshows
Wednesday 7th – Sydney Opera House, Sydney
Tickets on sale Friday October 3 via www.handsometours.com
Friday 9th – Forum Theatre, Melbourne w/ support by Jane Tyrrell
Tickets on sale now from www.handsometours.com and www.secret-sounds.com.au
Asgeir will also perform at Falls Festival, Field Day and Southbound festivals.
