Biography

Icelandic music is a passion that slides into your life and takes over, possibly because its endlessly creative nature and schizophrenic stylistic takes a minute to fascinate and a lifetime (more realistically two or three) to understand, but one form has consistently found a place above almost all others - that of the solo singer/songwriter. Scratch under the surface, just past the multi-million selling artists from Iceland that half the globe can name, and this music is the heartbeat and soul of the country. During the past few months I've seen Ingi perform at several gigs; each has been memorable, particularly one set at London's Brixton Windmill (he received two standing ovations - unheard of with such a fickle UK audience) and this album is a perfect reflection of the musical art, revered in his home country, that he explores so thoroughly in his live performances.
Through recording his debut record in San Francisco with Scott Mathews, Ingi has also added the musical traditions of another great singer / songwriter movement - that of the American West Coast - to a set of songs that are strongly reminiscent of Bowie and Dylan in their lyrical complexity and varied, often surreal, subject matter. Human Oddities is both a reflection of the strange times Iceland is experiencing and of the great depth of musical talent that exists within the country but, more importantly, it is one hell of a good album.