Following the release of his fourth album ‘Time On My Hands’, Ásgeir has collaborated with French singer-songwriter Clou to re-record his single ‘Borderland’ as an exquisite duet. The original asked us to consider borders, both the physical and the ones we put up ourselves. On this new version, ‘Dans nos rêves (feat. Clou)’, the theme is made more poignant as different languages collide from across oceans to create something completely unique, and equally captivating.
Of the collaboration, Clou tells us; “Beginning of 2023, Ásgeir’s team invited me to Reykjavik to record a live session of an English-French version of Borderland. It was a chance for me to discover Iceland in the winter which was (so so so cold and) a dream come true. I got to work with amazing Icelandic musicians in the Hljóðrit studio with Ásgeir and Kiddi. It was such a fulfilling experience and most of all we had such a fun time working together. I’ve been listening to Ásgeir’s music for many years now and it is an incredible opportunity to be working with him today, I couldn’t be luckier and happier. As it’s my first international collaboration, it’s also a project dear to my heart. It is also a reminder that music has no border”.
Ásgeir continues; “Clou came over to Iceland for a few days and we worked on this new version of Borderland together. She added lyrics for her parts in French and I’m really happy with how it all came together. While she was here we also decided to film a live session and got a few of our friends to come and play with us, and photographer Anna Maggý took some nice photos of us in her studio and outside by the coast. I’m so glad to have gotten to know Clou and hopefully we’ll work together again in the future…”
As one of Iceland’s most successful exports, singer-songwriter Ásgeir has spent the time between his record-breaking debut (now celebrating its 10th anniversary) and today pushing the boundaries of his textured, thoughtful brand of folk-pop. In October 2022 he released his long anticipated fourth album ‘Time On My Hands’ via One Little Independent Records, to acclaim from the likes of NME, MOJO, Clash Magazine, The Line Of Best Fit, Under The Radar, Record Collector, The New European and more.
‘Time On My Hands’ saw Ásgeir in a state of self-reflection and experimentation, having spent much of the last few years in his home and in the studio, deeply engrossed in writing, recording, translating and producing. On this album he entered new realms of composition, sensitively layering acoustics with electronics and brass. As with some of his previous work, most notably 2017’s ‘Afterglow’ and 2020’s ‘Bury The Moon’, Ásgeir played with euphoric and choral elements of electronic pop music while keeping a tight grasp on the introspective, vocal-lead style of the acoustica that made him famous. Across the LP shuffling jazz drums crack through the layered production beneath them, distant saxophone adds emotional emphasis and, amidst it all, Ásgeir’s singular, pure voice weaves narratives that recall the sparse and dark roads of his Icelandic hometown.
The rolling landscapes aesthetic of the record was inspired by Ásgeir’s own relationship with music over the last few years, consuming mostly while he was running outdoors, or while on long drives. He says that “some of the albums or music that stand out from that time were Caribou’s album Suddenly, Caroline Polichek-Pang, Dijon, Altopalo, Big Thief, Michael Kiwanuka, Sault, Ethan Gruska, Blake Mills and Unknown Mortal Orchestra. This music probably has something to do with how the record came out, combined with earlier influences.”
‘Time On My Hands’ was recorded in Studio Hljóðrit where Ásgeir has always recorded, working closely with producer Guðmundur Kristinn Jónsson, he also recorded some of it at home. Ásgeir plays the bulk of the instruments himself but also invited the likes of drummers Nils Törnqvist and Kristinn Snær Agnarson, and the brass trio Samúel Jón Samúelsson, Kjartan Hákonarson and Óskar Guðjónsson as well as Pétur Ben to add the occasional percussion or guitar.
As ruminated on in ‘Borderland’, and now on ‘Dans nos rêves (feat. Clou)’, the whole album asks us to allow ourselves to glide over borders. It’s about freedom, the desire for adventure, and taking flight to escape isolation, as well as appreciating the natural wonders that surround us every day.
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