Biography
Catchy melodies and euphoric compositions constitute Stafrænn Hákon´s
sixth album, Sanitas. The songs are yet intense and powerful and an
adventurous continuation of Stafrænn Hákon´s last release, Gummi that
Gaz – eta described as a wild ride the band again took the listener on.
Stafrænn Hákon has through the last years been described as a mix of
post-rock, lo-fi, ambient guitar & electronica which still holds
true to some extent though he with each album takes a giant leap and
keeps growing as a musician. On Sanitas, Stafrænn Hákon travels to the
other side of the sound spectrum, gradually moving further from
electronica, subtle compositions and soothing melodies towards more
straight forward, rock orientated compositions which the artist himself
often describes as Power-Ambient, currently only audible to left handed
polar bears. On Sanitas, Stafrænn Hákon continues his explorative
journey, this time by taking another daring but natural step towards
more pop oriented and singalong melodies, something that a few years ago
sounded unlikely for the ambient post-rock/electronica band.
Stafrænn Hákon continues sliding a comic or surreal twist
to the songtitles as in previous records, challenging the epic and
dreamy connotations his music has always been ascribed with. Humour in
combination with sincerity has long been some of Stafrænn Hákon´s
driving forces, a twisted combination that reflects a personal nuance
for those curious to dig deeper into the mindworld of the man behind the
band.
The songs on Sanitas build on certain elements from
Stafrænn Hákon´s last album, Gummi, songs like "Second to none" with
heavy guitars, layers of instruments and vocals that this time are
further explored, thickened and hardened. Stafrænn also takes a step
into a more darker place where elements of doom metal can be heard on
the track "Val Kilmer" who was a huge inspiration for the recording
sessions of Sanitas. The last album, Gummi, was described by Angry Ape
as "a grandiose statement from an immensely talented musician. Rich in
instrumentation and choc full of gorgeous, chiming melodies", and "stuff
so wonderfully blissed out, I'm not sure how it could be improved upon.
This stuff is way beyond quality", by Black and White magazine". On
Sanitas, the compositions move from subtle background music towards more
aggressive and up front music with popular references and a faster
tempo. The melodramatic atmosphere has stepped aside for upbeat songs
with sloppy guitar solos and a sharp focus on the songs´ structures,
again inviting the listener on a new and most rewarding journey.
The Icelandic born Ólafur Josephsson has been recording
music since 1999 and is the mind behind Stafrænn Hákon. Since his first
release that created a hype around it´s lo-fi DIY production in 2001,
Olafur has travelled from Iceland to Scotland, to Denmark with his
mobile home studio and is to take another journey in the following
months, resettling in Iceland where ...
Samuel White and Olafur Josephsson continue their close
collaboration – a childhood friendship, that developed into a creative
partnership keeps growing and developing. Samuel composed 4 tracks on
this record that are in line with his former compositions, but this time
more upbeat. As the producer of Sanitas, Daniel Lovegrove has
undeniably become a vital part of Stafrænn Hakon, with his intense
drumming and extensive arrangements, including vocals on 2 tracks as
well as playing bass. On Sanitas we see fantastic contributions from
Lárus Sigurðsson (a member of the side-project Calder) with his rich
acoustic instrumentations, as well as vocals from Minco Eggersman and
Magnús Freyr Gíslason. Stafrænn Hákon has collaborated with a broad
range of artists and musicians and was aired at the late John Peel´s
radio sessions amongst others. He has released material on The U.S based
indie label Secret Eye, Resonant Records, Awkward Silence, Chat Blanc,
Japanese Nature Bliss, and now for the first time on Darla Records (U.S
& EU) and Happy Prince (ASIA). -- from the artist's Website
sixth album, Sanitas. The songs are yet intense and powerful and an
adventurous continuation of Stafrænn Hákon´s last release, Gummi that
Gaz – eta described as a wild ride the band again took the listener on.
Stafrænn Hákon has through the last years been described as a mix of
post-rock, lo-fi, ambient guitar & electronica which still holds
true to some extent though he with each album takes a giant leap and
keeps growing as a musician. On Sanitas, Stafrænn Hákon travels to the
other side of the sound spectrum, gradually moving further from
electronica, subtle compositions and soothing melodies towards more
straight forward, rock orientated compositions which the artist himself
often describes as Power-Ambient, currently only audible to left handed
polar bears. On Sanitas, Stafrænn Hákon continues his explorative
journey, this time by taking another daring but natural step towards
more pop oriented and singalong melodies, something that a few years ago
sounded unlikely for the ambient post-rock/electronica band.
Stafrænn Hákon continues sliding a comic or surreal twist
to the songtitles as in previous records, challenging the epic and
dreamy connotations his music has always been ascribed with. Humour in
combination with sincerity has long been some of Stafrænn Hákon´s
driving forces, a twisted combination that reflects a personal nuance
for those curious to dig deeper into the mindworld of the man behind the
band.
The songs on Sanitas build on certain elements from
Stafrænn Hákon´s last album, Gummi, songs like "Second to none" with
heavy guitars, layers of instruments and vocals that this time are
further explored, thickened and hardened. Stafrænn also takes a step
into a more darker place where elements of doom metal can be heard on
the track "Val Kilmer" who was a huge inspiration for the recording
sessions of Sanitas. The last album, Gummi, was described by Angry Ape
as "a grandiose statement from an immensely talented musician. Rich in
instrumentation and choc full of gorgeous, chiming melodies", and "stuff
so wonderfully blissed out, I'm not sure how it could be improved upon.
This stuff is way beyond quality", by Black and White magazine". On
Sanitas, the compositions move from subtle background music towards more
aggressive and up front music with popular references and a faster
tempo. The melodramatic atmosphere has stepped aside for upbeat songs
with sloppy guitar solos and a sharp focus on the songs´ structures,
again inviting the listener on a new and most rewarding journey.
The Icelandic born Ólafur Josephsson has been recording
music since 1999 and is the mind behind Stafrænn Hákon. Since his first
release that created a hype around it´s lo-fi DIY production in 2001,
Olafur has travelled from Iceland to Scotland, to Denmark with his
mobile home studio and is to take another journey in the following
months, resettling in Iceland where ...
Samuel White and Olafur Josephsson continue their close
collaboration – a childhood friendship, that developed into a creative
partnership keeps growing and developing. Samuel composed 4 tracks on
this record that are in line with his former compositions, but this time
more upbeat. As the producer of Sanitas, Daniel Lovegrove has
undeniably become a vital part of Stafrænn Hakon, with his intense
drumming and extensive arrangements, including vocals on 2 tracks as
well as playing bass. On Sanitas we see fantastic contributions from
Lárus Sigurðsson (a member of the side-project Calder) with his rich
acoustic instrumentations, as well as vocals from Minco Eggersman and
Magnús Freyr Gíslason. Stafrænn Hákon has collaborated with a broad
range of artists and musicians and was aired at the late John Peel´s
radio sessions amongst others. He has released material on The U.S based
indie label Secret Eye, Resonant Records, Awkward Silence, Chat Blanc,
Japanese Nature Bliss, and now for the first time on Darla Records (U.S
& EU) and Happy Prince (ASIA). -- from the artist's Website