It was in 2011 that Iceland's king of lo-fi layered lushness, Sindri Már Sigfússon released “Summer Echoes” as an album under the name of his solo-project Sin Fang (he had previously recorded as Sin Fang Bous). The album oscillated wildly unearthing glimpses of familiarity - vintage Flying Nun here, Paw Tracks there and a Belle and Sebastian pop nous - while retaining the own stark originality of this uber-talented artist and producer.
And Sigfússon is a pretty unlikely ambassador of the Icelandic indie pop scene: in his teens he was a skateboard and Hip Hop aficionado, his arms are covered with a colourful mess of self designed tattoos and besides doing visual arts his true favourite obsessions are soccer and pizza: what makes him pretty much an antidote to the all too present cliché of the Icelandic nature boy. Sigfússon didn’t pick up a guitar until he was 20 but after graduating from art academy and moving to London he became sick and bought his first proper home recording equipment from the insurance money he got. And within just a few years, his infamous work ethic (he has a very strict 9 to 5 routine working on songs in his basement studio) and distinctive do-it-yourself production style culminated in the Sin Fang (Bous) debut album “Clangour” which was released on Morr Music in 2009 to worldwide acclaim and suddenly propelled him in the midst of a new wave of bands redefining the indie rock game in thus far unexpected directions.
Enthusiastic media and blog coverage and live shows in Europe, North America and Brazil followed.
After having set himself the task of playing all instruments on his debut solo album "Clangour", this time around Sigfússon wanted to move closer to the sound of a live band and recruited a number of his friends from múm, Amiina and Seabear to record “Summer Echoes” in his own studio and Sigur Rós Sundlaugin studio. The arrangements are more band oriented, grander in scope and more transparent than their predecessor’s and there is a diverse breadth of sounds across "Summer Echoes" dozen songs, reaching from a heart-breaking intimate piano ballad like “Two Boys” to sudden outbursts of guitar noise in “Bruises”. Not even the one-off appearance of synthetic beats in "Sing For A Dream" sound out of place when drenched in Sin Fang's signature layered wash of sound and it is the album's first single, "Because Of The Blood" that encapsulates the essence of this album in an euphoric orchestral pop song that manages to merge epic tune sculpting with several layers of choir abundance.
The fact that Sigfússon did not only write all the music but also was doing most of the recording and production promises a lot for his future and “Summer Echoes” conveys the feeling that the real story has only just begun: and in fact a next Sin Fang album is already fully written and Sigfússon shows no willingness to slow down. Summer Echoes will be released on Morr Music in March 2011. A limited edition Sin Fang 7" featuring the non-album coverversions of Fleetwood Mac's "Landslide" and Simon & Garfunkel's "The Only Living Boy In New York" is available as of December 2010 while the album's first single, "Because Of The Blood/Two Boys" will be out in February 2011. The artwork for the release was done together with Sigfússons partner Inga Birgisdóttir.
2016 saw the release of Spaceland and, with it, Sin Fang's total conversion to electronic music.
Nineteen
Sin Fang Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Tore them up
Tore them up
Drew your name in the sand
And my name
Next to yours
We're getting older
And I think black beaches
Are disappearing
Colors are melting
Tress are shining
Fires are dreaming
Of nineteen horses
Nineteen horses
I forgot to pray, I was afraid, never believed in nothing, lways felt something alive in dreams
I want to hold the hand
I want to float to land
When I was afraid
I never forgot to pray (pray) pray (pray) pray (pray)
I forgot nothing's like wasting time by the fire
You and I couldn't see out of our eyes
Found your feathers
By the fire
Tore them up
Tore them up
I want to hold the hand
I want to float to land
When I was afraid
I never forgot to pray
I forgot to pray
I was afraid
I thought
Never believed in nothing
Never believed in nothing
Never believed in nothing
Never believed in nothing
Never believed in nothing
Never believed in nothing
The lyrics to Sin Fang's "Nineteen" are a blend of melancholy and nostalgia, reflecting on past experiences and the fleeting nature of life. The opening verse portrays the act of tearing feathers, which could symbolize shedding a part of oneself or letting go of something dear. The following lines describe an intimate moment of drawing names in the sand, connecting the two individuals and etching their presence into the earth. The chorus talks about the passage of time and the transience of color and beauty, alluding to a sense of loss and impermanence as the world around them changes. The refrain "I forgot to pray" juxtaposes fear and uncertainty with a desire for hope and spiritual guidance. The singer acknowledges their past anxieties and uncertainties but also recognizes their capacity for resilience and faith.
Overall, the song paints a poignant and emotive landscape of memory and change, exploring themes of identity, loss, and hope. The imagery of fire, feathers, sand, and horses conjures up vivid and evocative scenes, adding to the lyrical power of the song.
Line by Line Meaning
Found your feathers by the fire
I found your feathers near the fire.
Tore them up
I ripped them apart.
Drew your name in the sand
I wrote your name in the beach's sand.
And my name
My name was next to yours.
Next to yours
Our names were drawn together in the sand.
Rainbow is melting
The colors of the rainbow are blending together.
We're getting older
We are aging as time passes.
And I think black beaches
I believe dark beaches
Are disappearing
Are fading away or vanishing.
Colors are melting
The colors of the landscape are blending together.
Tress are shining
The trees are radiating light or shimmering.
Fires are dreaming
The fires are idealizing or imaging something.
Of nineteen horses
The fires are dreaming of nineteen horses.
Nineteen horses
Nineteen horses are being dreamed of.
I forgot to pray, I was afraid, never believed in nothing, lways felt something alive in dreams
I didn't remember to pray when I was scared, and I didn't believe in nothingness, as there was always something living in my dreams.
I want to hold the hand
I desire to hold the hand of another.
I want to float to land
I wish to relax and slowly float onto the shores of a piece of land.
When I was afraid
In times of fear.
I never forgot to pray (pray) pray (pray) pray (pray)
I always remembered to pray.
I forgot nothing's like wasting time by the fire
I remember that nothing beats hanging around the warmth of a fire with a companion doing nothing productive.
You and I couldn't see out of our eyes
You and I were both blinded by love.
Contributed by Blake F. Suggest a correction in the comments below.