Luistertip week 2: Snorri Helgason (IS)

Posted by: Carmel , 7 januari, 2013

Rewind one week and Icelandic folk melody king Snorri Helgason (he’s not really a king by the way) was helping me ease into this year of 2013 (I was listening to his lovely rendition of ‘Auld Lang Syne’ you see, available for your ears also right here). Then, if we fast forward to later in the week, I will be enjoying Snorri’s dulcet tones at the Eurosonic in Groningen. So all of that is a good reason to share with you his album Winter Sun.

Winter Sun is his second solo album and it was released in Iceland way back in the summer of 2011 (on Gogoyoko), gaining a release in Germany, Austria and Switzerland in October 2012 (through Pop-Up Records). Now I’m not really sure what that all means because people of the Netherlands and Belgium (and anyone else reading this article), please do not fear – you can also buy the lovely vinyl or CD via Snorri’s own webshop here or digitally via Gogoyoko here. And buy it you should, because it is a gloriously lovely platter.

Full of feel-good vibes and catchy melodies, Snorri’s silky voice is at the forefront on all the tracks with his singer-songwriter skills creating a magnificent soundscape that is finished off with a touch of indie sheen. A few notable Icelandic musicians lend their talent on Winter Sun: the album was produced by Sindri Már Sigfússon (of Sin Fang and Seabear) and has Mr. Silla on backing vocals, Sóley on piano and Guðmundur Óskar of Hjaltalín on bass.

Three of my favourite tracks of the album are shared here, with three equally lovely videos. The first, for ‘Mockingbird’ (directed by Elisa Vendramin, Claudio Gasparollo and Tim L. Schafer), was premiered by KEXP and you can read an interview with Snorri all about it here. The next is for the opening ‘River’ (directed by Máni Sigfússon) which we first shared with you last year but I love it so much, we are airing it again. The final video was filmed in London and is a cover of the traditional folk song ‘The Butcher’s Song’.