Icelandic melodic-pop/rock band Ampop recently released its fifth album Sail to the Moon which has been praised by critics. Last summer the band played at several venues across Europe to promote their last album My Delusions and next year Ampop is scheduled to play at concerts in New York and Los Angeles. Now the band is on the brink of world fame, but this time last year it was still struggling. Read IR’s Adam Key Raney’s article about Ampop, featuring a band trying to make it.
Iceland Review Number 43.04.
Adam Key Raney.
Photo by the famous Icelandic photographer Páll Stefánsson.
What does a band from Iceland have to do to break into the international market? Ampop is one of dozens of bands trying to break out of the country’s spirited but small scene. With a new single release in the UK this winter, the ambient band has discovered the age-old dilemma of entering the world of pop: trying to walk the fine line between making catchy music and not selling out.
Birgir Hilmarsson, the vocalist and guitarist for Ampop likes sounds – all kinds of them.
“I remember how my mother used to take her lipstick from her purse and it would make a beautiful sound,” he said. “I used to say, ‘Can you do that again, Mom?’ She used to laugh at me and tell me I was strange.”
For the better part of the last decade, Hilmarsson, aka Biggi, has been plugging away at all kinds of sounds while being plugged into his band Ampop. He started the band in Reykjavík with his longtime friend and collaborator Kjartan Fridriksson while still in high school. The musicians, both 26 now, made up a song at one of their first meetings and called it “Ampop” because it had a touch of “ambient” sound mixed with a “pop” music feel.
The name stuck to more than the single. Sitting in the smoky shadows of Reykjavík’s ashtray of a hangout, Kaffibarinn, the musicians explain what a relief it was to get that first hurdle out of the way. “I am glad it ended up that way because you usually spend forever doing thinking of a band name only to come up with something pretentious,” said Kjartan.
But the obscure, moody music that the band began to create wasn’t as catchy as their name. Even though their electronic tunes had a certain melodious and engaging sound, it was hard to make a big name for themselves in the crowded Icelandic music scene. They only sold 1,000 copies of their previous album in Iceland.
So Ampop has done what any band with big plans would do. This year, they made a conscious decision to change their musical identity in hopes of attracting more listeners abroad. They teamed up with a manager, Francisco García, who has worked for various small labels in the UK. The Spanish expatriate who calls London home, had heard some of their early music and was convinced they could go far. He knew the band needed to figure out how to appeal to a wider audience.
“This is called the music industry, and it is a business,” said García. “If you want to play songs just for the sake of playing what you like, you’re probably going to find you sell very few copies. You have to be true to yourself, but still understand what people want to hear and get your message across without selling your soul.”
For more than a decade, Icelandic bands have been known for drawing worldwide attention without compromising their homegrown sound. The 2005 Iceland Airwaves music festival, started as a way to showcase Reykjavík’s music scene, was one of the biggest in the festival’s seven-year history. Nearly 200 bands played over the course of five days, including Ampop, who played the festival for the third time.
But for García, the point is to get the band to see beyond its island shores and take them in the direction that Sigur Rós, Gus Gus, Múm, the Sugarcubes [link] and Björk have gone before them. Interestingly, Ampop’s propensity for ethereal electronica has worked for most of these big acts. The international stars of the Icelandic firmament have made their mark with a heavy electronic influence.
Ampop wants to keep some of their ambient roots, while turning up the volume on their pop music.
Ampop’s new release, My Delusions, is already available in Iceland on Sena Records. A single of the same name was released in the United Kingdom on the small label Relentless Records on November 28. Halfway through the recording of the album, the duo picked up a charismatic and talented drummer, Jón Geir Jóhannsson, and they are starting to make a splash on the international circuit. Last summer, García helped the band score a gig at one of the most important music festivals in the United States, South by Southwest in Austin, Texas. From there they went on to play shows in Canada and the States with a stop in New York. Not much press was generated from their North American sojourn, but they made a big enough impression on Relentless scouts to secure the deal for their single in the UK.
Although they have been working for years to generate buzz, the shy Icelanders started to feel like small town boys in the big city on their tour.
“New York was overwhelming,” said Biggi. “We almost had two crashes in a taxi. I have never been in a place that big.”
“It was pure energy overload. It was like ten cups of coffee,” said Kjartan.
The tour and the new album have pumped a newfound energy into the band. Kjartan said, “This is the kind of departure from our previous work, after years of relying on and believing in technology,”
Biggi said, “These are songs that people can remember, learn the words and hopefully sing along to.”
Biggi and Kjartan both live in the UK and are learning about the business side of the music industry with their manager’s help. García said, “At the end of the day you are selling a brand. Sigur Rós is a perfect example of that. They combine fantastic songs with a fantastic image.”
And he thinks Ampop’s brand is starting to catch on. “They understand pop music more now. They have learned a lot about harmonies and concentrated a lot in writing lyrics and making the melodies work.”
Árni Einar Birgisson manages Iceland Airwaves and thinks the Icelandic brand is still a powerful force. He called
García says crafting a new sound and image is just the first step in getting more attention. “We are building it up in a small and safe way. The plan is to get their video some airtime, get them up on iTunes and create a buzz throughout 2006.”
And the band, like their manager, is as serious about their business as they have been about their music. “Being from Iceland is still considered hip and cool,” says Biggi. “As for how long that will be, who knows?”
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