This is emotion-soaked music projected with a stylistic confidence that earned this band the highest rating (KKKKK) from Kerrang! magazine. These four musicians are the real deal, impressive at any scale: electric or unplugged, on the stage or in the studio. And it is their studio work that is most in the news today.
In November 2010 Agent Fresco released their first full-length CD, an ambitious 17-track concept album entitled A Long Time Listening. Recognized as “an amazing album by the best rock band in the country today” (Morgunblaðið), it was immediately shortlisted for best album of the year by Icelandic music critics of both national newspapers, as well as for a Kraumur Award, and for the Nordic Music Prize, not to mention climbing to #1 on the charts of the gogoyoko music download site. And the respect of their fellow musicians is reflected in the number of front-ranking Icelandic performers who volunteered to sing back-up chorus on the title track of the album.
Plans are now underway for an upcoming tour of Europe to capitalize on the publicity the album has generated, and to strengthen the recognition they acquired from previous concert & festival appearances in England, France (ClassEu’Rock 08’), Netherlands (Eurosonic 10’) Denmark & Czechoslovakia.
Recognition was not slow in coming to this group of music students when they formed Agent Fresco back in 2008 to compete in the annual Musíktilraunir (Battle of the Bands) competition, which they swept convincingly, winning not only the grand prize, but also individual prizes for best guitarist, best drummer and best bassist. Since then they have received a Kraumur Award for their 2008 EP Lightbulb Universe, and were declared Best New Band (Bjartasta Von) at the Icelandic Music Awards in 2009.
The strength of their performances at the Iceland Airwaves music festival has brought them to the attention of international media such as KEXP radio (Seattle) and Kerrang! magazine (London), who have posted online interviews and performances of Agent Fresco on their websites. More impressive still, they have attracted the attention of filmmakers Bowen Staines and Gunnar B. Guðbjörnsson, who included considerable footage of the band in their Iceland Airwaves documentary Where´s the Snow?! which premiered at the Reykjavík International Film Festival in 2010. The band received additional international publicity as the focus of two episodes in Bowen Staines´ Don´t Panic TV web series.
Critical attention is still sharply focused on this band in 2011 with their nomination for a prestigious DV Culture Award and three nominations for the Icelandic Music Awards: Performer of the Year (Agent Fresco), Vocalist of the Year (Arnór Dan Arnarson) and Rock Album of the Year (A Long Time Listening).
But what the critics now proclaim audiences have known ever since they heard Eyes of a Cloud Catcher on the radio 3 years ago. Before it was even released, the band played this song at their first Iceland Airwaves in 2008, staring out in disbelief at a sea of swaying hands as the entire audience sang the chorus back to them, a cappella. That tribute of affection, now a ritual at every performance, caused a blogger at Airwaves 2010 to write:
"Seriously, this band is so impressive and the way the entire room sings along to their stunning Eyes Of A Cloud Catcher is a moment that'll live long in the memory of all here." (Kerrang blog, Airwaves 2010)
Agent Fresco are:
Arnór Dan Arnarson: vocals
Hrafnkell Örn Guðjónsson: drums / percussion
Vignir Rafn Hilmarsson: bass / upright bass
Þórarinn Guðnason: guitar / piano / programming
Official Website: www.agentfresco.is
Above These City Lights
Agent Fresco Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
My memories of him i fail
To feel to hear to scent his smell
He is gone now
Without him world is but despair
Can someone please just take me there
Cool face of the river
Asked me for a kiss
I'll be above these city lights
No one nights to know, but you
I'll be above these city lights
No one needs to know but you
Can not go on
A crowd of ghosts surrounding sings
A pair of silver banshee wings
So please just hold on
My body echoes from their shrill
This heart is slowly beating still
The calm
Cool face of the river
Asked me for a kiss
I'll be above these city lights
No one needs to know
But you
The artist describes an emotional turmoil after losing someone they love. They feel a sense of detachment and numbness, unable to conjure up any memory of the person. They wish to escape the overwhelming pain by going to a place where nobody knows them. The lyrics "The calm cool face of the river asked me for a kiss" can be interpreted in multiple ways. One interpretation could be that the river represents a personification of death, which is often depicted as calm and peaceful. The artist is being tempted to let go of their pain and succumb to the calmness of death.
The repetition of the line "I'll be above these city lights, no one needs to know but you" highlights the artist's desire to confide in someone they trust. They want to escape the city and its chaos and go somewhere secluded, where they can be alone with their thoughts. The artist feels weighed down by the ghosts of their past, and the only solace they find is in the idea of being able to share their feelings with someone they love.
Line by Line Meaning
Pull my heart out
My emotional pain is so intense that it feels like my heart is physically being removed from my body
My memories of him i fail
I struggle to recall the memories of the person I loved who is no longer with me
To feel to hear to scent his smell
I cannot feel, hear or smell anything associated with the person I loved, which is causing me immense sadness
He is gone now
The person I loved has passed away
Without him world is but despair
The world seems meaningless and hopeless without the person I loved
Can someone please just take me there
I wish someone could take me to where the person I loved is now
The calm
A serene and peaceful environment
Cool face of the river
A river with a tranquil surface
Asked me for a kiss
This peaceful environment seems to beckon me and provide me with comfort
I'll be above these city lights
I will find solace and peace away from the bustling chaos of city life
No one nights to know, but you
I only want the person I loved to know about my escape from city life
Can not go on
I feel like I cannot continue living without the person I loved
A crowd of ghosts surrounding sings
My thoughts are haunted by memories of the person I loved who has passed away
A pair of silver banshee wings
I feel as if I am being pursued by death or sorrow, which is symbolized by the image of banshee wings
So please just hold on
Despite my struggles, I try to hold on and keep living
My body echoes from their shrill
The haunting memories I have are so intense that my body physically reacts to them
This heart is slowly beating still
My heart continues to beat even though I am struggling to cope with the loss of the person I loved
No one needs to know
I want to keep my emotional struggles hidden from everyone except the person I loved
But you
The person I loved is the only one who truly understands the extent of my pain and struggles
Contributed by Sophia I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Pasquale Weber
best song ever from the best band ever 😍
Andrea Inga Gísladóttir
still love this, elska þetta!
johnnycockatoo100
great stuff - you might be interested in a band from 1975 called "Pavlov's dog" - and their album "pampered menial" - [if you don't know it already] - from your album here I thought I heard a snippet which sounded like David Surkamp, the singer from Pavlov's, which reminded me - [couldn't find the snippet when played back] - also there is a band called "something for Kate" which comes to mind
Eyvindur
Texti:
Pull my heart out
my memories of him i fail
to feel to hear to scent his smell
he is gone now
without him world is but despair
can someone please just take me there
the calm
cool face of the river
asked me for a kiss
i'll be above these city lights
no one nights to know, but you
i'll be above these city lights
no one needs to know but you
can not go on
a crowd of ghosts surrounding sings
a pair of silver banshee wings
so please just hold on
my body echoes from their shrill
this heart is slowly beating still
the calm
cool face of the river
asked me for a kiss
i'll be above these city lights
no one needs to know
but you
Luís Rocha [Shark]
KICK ASS DUDES!!!!
MrJeman95
Besta lagið á plötuni.klárlega.
saffalogo
Alveg æðisgengið lag.
Connor Dabron
jeh
Alex P.
everytime I think I've found good prog. the singer comes in with either fucking emo screaming or gay ass clean vocals