By Grant Nicol
The first time I saw Agent Fresco
live it was a Friday evening in a hostel in Reykjavík and don’t get me wrong,
they were good but they didn’t steal my heart. That night. It wasn’t until I
saw them much more recently at Iceland Airwaves that I finally ‘got’ them. And
boy, did I ‘get’ them then. The magic that surrounds this band is nothing short
of amazing.
The task of connecting
Agent Fresco are Arnór Dan Arnarson
on vocals, Hrafnkell Örn Guðjónsson on drums, Vignir Rafn Hilmarsson on bass
and Þórarinn Guðnason on guitars and keyboards. Their first single was 2008’s
“Eyes Of A Cloud Catcher” which was written about Arnór Dan’s family gathering at
his father’s death bed. Arnór Dan was six years old at the time. It’s not
unusual for musicians to write songs about a great loss in their lives. What is
extraordinary is the ease with which Arnór Dan approaches this task on stage. The
task of connecting.
Some singers wear their hearts on
their sleeves. Arnór Dan hands his to the crowd and watches it as it’s passed
around the room amalgamating with the other souls present. The night I saw them
his affection for the audience lit up the room like a supernova at its standard
candle mark. And it was repaid. Tenfold. Back at you, Arnór Dan. He makes the
job look ridiculously easy and for him it probably is. That’s why he’s doing
what he does
Take my hand
“Eyes Of The Cloud Catcher” was
followed up by a second single, “Translations” along with a full-length
release, ‘A Long Time Listening’ in 2010 and then the title track from the
album in 2011. The song, “A Long Time Listening” is where Agent Fresco really
hit their straps showcasing their unique power-rhythm section of bass player Vignir
Rafn Hilmarsson and drummer Hrafnkell Örn Guðjónsson. It is Hrafnkell’s
drumming in particular that sets their sound apart from other local rock bands.
The unorthodox poly-timing and staccato precision brilliantly counterpoints
Arnór Dan’s emotional floating vocals.
The choruses are anthems designed
to be sung along with. “A Long Time Listening” in particular begs to be
mimicked by the crowd as the song powers through its chord structure and allows
the chorus to roll over the top of it all. Underneath it all Hrafnkell’s
drumming urges us to never forget that this is rock. To be played fast and
hard. There is a pace to be kept up with here and to falter even for a moment
would to be left behind. And yet it is never allowed to become predictable or heaven
forbid, easy.
Mourning light
2014’s “Dark Water” heralds a new
phase for the band. The production is huge and clear, the piano urgent and
teasing. Arnór Dan’s vocals are once again a plaintive call to join the band on
its quest for emotional integrity. This is not music to be merely listened to,
it is music to be absorbed. In the same way that their show at Airwaves was
much more than just an opportunity to have a good time, and I can assure you that
everyone did just that, it was an opportunity to do something more.
It was a chance to embrace the
collective ambition of a group of people not content with just having another
great night out at Gaukurinn. It was an opportunity to revel in each other’s
presence at a special moment in space and time. Arnór Dan revealed that his
favourite ever Airwaves memory was getting the crowd at NASA to sing “Eyes Of
The Cloud Catcher” for them. So at just before 3a.m in the huddled confines of
Gaukurinn they gave it another shot. When the time came for the collected mass
of humans to take over they did so with such gusto that the band were left with
no option but to cede complete control and walk away from their own creation. A
dream was realised as the song continued long after their departure from the
stage leaving them fulfilled and yours truly reeling from the beauty of it all.
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