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
Dark Water
Agent Fresco Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Trying to warm what age has chilled
Weary wintry lands
Where breaths collapse, arise and thrill.
Our sighs fly high above
The sea leaves salty licks and pale lips for the weak
We no longer let us love
Be the end of heartache…
Be the end of heartache…
Be the ember, anew us
This dark water drags us together
Hope cracks with every breath
We've bathed our eyes on darkest shores
Crude waves with lengths of death
Washes over us once more
Our sighs fly high above
The sea leaves salty licks and pale lips for the weak
We no longer let us love.
So linger
Let the worst of us collide
The lyrics of Agent Fresco's "Dark Water" offer a poignant commentary on the challenges of finding hope and love amidst life's difficulties. The first stanza describes two people holding hands, trying to warm the "weary wintry lands" that age has chilled. Their breaths "collapse, arise, and thrill," suggesting that even amidst struggle, there is a spark of life that persists. However, the "sighs" of these individuals "fly high above," implying a sense of distance or separation from the rest of the world. The salty sea is mentioned, perhaps invoking a sense of the vastness and unpredictability of life's circumstances. Despite these challenges, the final line of the first stanza expresses a sense of hope - "Be the ember, anew us / This dark water drags us together" - suggesting that through the difficulties, the two individuals are coming closer to each other.
The second stanza continues the theme of hope amidst challenge, but introduces a sense of weariness and loss. The repeated refrain of "We no longer let us love" suggests that these individuals have been hurt and have walls up to protect themselves from further pain. The imagery of "darkest shores" and "crude waves with lengths of death" suggests a sense of despair and foreboding. However, the repeated reference to "our sighs" suggests that despite everything, there is still a shared sense of longing and need for connection. The final lines, "So linger / Let the worst of us collide," suggest an acceptance of the difficulties and an openness to the possibility of growth and change through those challenges.
Overall, the lyrics of "Dark Water" offer a nuanced and insightful take on the human experience. They acknowledge the difficulties and struggles we face, but also offer a sense of hope and possibility.
Line by Line Meaning
We hold by skinny hands
We try to hold on with skinny and fragile hands, hoping to not let things slip away from us.
Trying to warm what age has chilled
We are trying to rekindle something that has been lost or faded away with time.
Weary wintry lands
The surroundings in which we are existing feel tired, cold and unfriendly.
Where breaths collapse, arise and thrill.
The environment is so intense that it feels like when we exhale all our energy is gone, however, every new breath brings back an indescribable excitement.
Our sighs fly high above
We let out long, deep breaths and from that we find ourselves looking at our situation from a higher perspective.
The sea leaves salty licks and pale lips for the weak
In this rough environment, the ocean is even weaker and causes damage to others, leaving behind salty residue and pale lips.
We no longer let us love
We stop ourselves from loving in order to protect ourselves from being vulnerable and getting hurt again.
Be the end of heartache…
We are asking for the pain and grief to finally come to an end.
Be the end of heartache…
We repeat the wish for the suffering to go away, with desperation and longing.
Be the ember, anew us
We want to be like a fire that gets re-lit, blazing with renewed vigour and energy.
This dark water drags us together
Despite the challenges and the obstacles that we face, all of us seem to be pulled towards the same direction, without control over our movements.
Hope cracks with every breath
We feel like our hope is slowly burning out with every passing moment, leaving us feeling hopeless and helpless.
We've bathed our eyes on darkest shores
We have exposed ourselves to the darkness in this world, and we have seen the worst of human nature.
Crude waves with lengths of death
The waves that we encounter are harsh and unforgiving, making it seem like death is a possibility.
Washes over us once more
We feel like we are being drenched and overwhelmed with this dangerous force of nature, and that we have already been through this cycle before.
So linger
We ask to pause and to stay in the present, to not move or advance forward.
Let the worst of us collide
We embrace the worst parts of ourselves and let them interact, hoping that by doing so we can attain some sort of clarity and understanding.
Contributed by Joseph D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@makemebad35
This is pretty fucking awesome.
@ToxicCircles
Didn't know you listened to Agent Fresco :D sweet!
@czerviik
Oh my god, Agent Fresco is like Leprous's brother. Different but totally a family.
@krystofrehacek5146
<3
@JoseSilva-nf2xs
was looking for this band while listening to leprous "the cloak" I knew there was a similar band but couldn't remember
@AbrahamSanchezHermida
Yes, they sound like Leprous!
@SystemOfALeo
This is exactly what i thought! Great to see we are all on one page with this, i love the music from both groups
@unsashahid4298
Abraham Sánchez Hermida
@mehammedmack5447
I absolutely love this guy's voice, in a class of his own, angelic.
@BlakeBagnell
Mehammed Mack Take a Listen to Leprous, their singer has a similar style.