It´s been long since Hallur Ingólfsson started making music. Having composed and produced scores and original soundtracks for dozens of theatre plays and films and produced music for contemporary dance shows, Ingólfsson has also made his mark on the Icelandic rock/metal scene with bands such as XIII and the more recent, Skepna.
“Öræfi” is Ingolfsson´s second solo album and follows up on his “Disaster Songs” of 2009. The sophomore album invites a little more complex songs into Ingólfsson´s arsenal and the material is now strictly instrumental.
Harpa´s, Kaldalón, was the scene for Ingólfsson second performance of “Öræfi”. Accompanied by fellow Skepna member, Hörður I. Stefánsson on bass, Jóhann Ingvason on keys and Halldór Lárusson on drums, Ingólfsson walked on stage, introduced his band and thanked his guests for showing up. The feel was of a rehearsal space, opened up to an audience. A personal and warm aspect that was welcomed by a, what seemed to be, a pretty tired crowd.
“Hamrar” was the first song to be played and put to images of rocks and the highlands of Iceland (Öræfi) it gave way to an awe-inspiring musical set of brilliance. The night´s strongest track was without a doubt the epic “Eyði” and one could not help but think of a particular genre being put forth; Icelandic psychedelic desert rock of some sort. Still something different. But it tasted good!
The set went on to include every single track of Ingólfsson´s “Öræfi” and beside a couple of hick-ups, the band really took off. The audience could have showed a little more enthusiasm and the images, put to the music, could have been more fluid and interesting, but all in all, “Öræfi” is a breathtaking trip through the influences and the elements of Iceland´s vast beauty and desolation of the highlands. Ingólfsson led his band through lava fields and ridgy and frightening mountain tops with grace and the complex beats, played by Lárusson, the thundering bass of Stefánsson, Ingólfsson´s smooth guitar painted over by Ingvason´s keyboards, all made this special night at Kaldalón a night to remember.
After about an hour of play, Ingólfsson thanked his guests and decided to revisit a previous performance of the night that left his audience even more blown away and grateful and finally, their enthusiasm blew up and they were left satisfied but wanting more. The perfect combination.
Daníel Hjálmtýsson
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