Geislar
from Reykjavík, Iceland

“It’s like being inside a dream
in an episode of Twin Peaks”
Music
From our upcoming album
Supernature
Earthshine
Quicksilver
Sunspot
Solifaction
From Containing the Dark
Stone Cold Stone
Lifeguard
Secret
Resolution in Revolution
“Exceptionally well done but difficult to categorize, It is both dreamy and kind of crazy. There is jazz in there but also bit like Portishead“
In Geislar, we love making creative pop music, mostly with our hands playing rather old instruments. The music is a curious pastiche of the things we love and how we react to each other. Often soaked in melancholy.
Love of the past, cinema and old vintage electronics is evident in a skewed yet soulful, R&B infused music. The things we grew up on are all in there and more; whether it’s pop, punk or disco. Musical genres are so tiresome. Hopefully, few artists start out by “let’s write an “adult contemporary” song”.
We bring in some other tools to shape things into place, like samplers or string arrangements. Mostly just emotions, never autotune.
“The playing is sublime. High class female vocals weave in and out of the lush chord patterns, instrumental interplay and dreamy late night vibe of the band. Absolute class.”
Geislar

Singer Sigríður Thorlacius has for years been at the forefront of the Icelandic music scene with her bands Hjaltalín and Góss as well as a celebrated solo artist. She has also made recordings with the Icelandic Symphony Orchestra, Tómas R. Einarsson and many more.

Óskar Guðjónsson saxophone player is a renowned jazz musician that has made landmark albums with Skúli Sverrisson as well as his band ADHD and Eythor Gunnarsson. He has toured and recorded with diverse artists internationally: Jim Black, Richard Anderson, Jakob Bro, Ife Tolentino and Mezzoforte, to name a few. He recently did a concert with Jorge Rossy and Thomas Morgan in Reykjavík and finished recording a new album with his quartet MOVE.

Ómar Guðjónsson (Óskar’s brother) is a prolific musician and a producer. He plays guitar, pedal steel and bass in ADHD. Ómar has released several critically acclaimed solo albums, most recently “210” which features his own compositions played on a pedal steel guitar. He explores his love for Americana music with Lón but has also played all kinds of music (latin, jazz, experimental) with various Icelandic and international artists. Ómar also sings in his dynamic duo with German drummer Tommy Baldu in Rofurofu. Recently he did a concert in Lisbon with Bristol musicians Jim Barr and Matt Brown, known for their work with Portishead and Massive Attack.

The Icelandic music scene somehow seems to evolve around Magnús Trygvason Eliassen. Whether it’s indie, experimental, alt pop or jazz, his hypnotic grooves are at the core of it. He plays drums and percussion with ADHD, Moses Hightower, Hist og, Tilbury, Snorri Helgason, and Amiina, to name a few. He has also played with MÚM, SinFang, Skúli Sverrisson, Hilmar Jensson, Tumi Árnason, Ingi Bjarni Skúlason, K-tríó and many more.

Valdimar Kolbeinn Sigurjónsson (Valdi Kolli) is one of Iceland’s most esteemed jazz musicians. He has toured and recorded with the likes of Yuri Honing, Jim Black, Achim Kaufmann, Davíð Þór Jónsson, Jóel Pálsson, and countless more. He is a member of Óskar Guðjónsson MOVE quartet and was a member of the legendary trio Flís. He is as adept playing double bass as an electric one. He plays bass with Hjálmar, the renowned Icelandic reggae outfit, and has recorded and toured with Erlend Øye.

Styrmir Sigurdsson songwriter and keyboardist was deep into dark new wave as a teenager when he was asked to join a fusion band. He embraced the soothing sounds of smooth jazz for a few months until he overdosed on sugar and decided to become a filmmaker. He has directed a couple of TV series (Fóstbræður, Hlemmavídeó) as well as documentaries and countless commercials.
He teamed up with singer Sara Marti Guðmundsdóttir for an album of his own compositions under the name Belafonte in 2009. He graduated on Jazz Piano from FÍH Music School and formed Geislar soon after. In his formative years he played with bands such as Pax Vobis, Grafík, and Hunangstunglið. He has composed music for documentaries, commercials and television.
Dóra Ísleifsdóttir, Kjartan Kjartansson and Sveinn Snorri Sverrisson are also imperative members of the team.

Dóra Ísleifsdóttir is the lyricist and designer for Geislar. She is a former member of the artist collective, The Icelandic Love Corporation. A true polymath. She did her stint in advertising being the Creative director in Iceland’s biggest advertising agency. In recent years she has been Programme director for MA in design at Iceland University of the Arts as well as Professor of Visual communications at the University of Bergen.

Kjartan Kjartansson is Geislar’s recording and mixing engineer. He started out his carrier running around Reykjavík with artists such as The Sugarcubes and Þeyr, both in the studio and on stage. He is mostly known for his work in film though. Since he came back from the Danish Film School he has been the most sought after sound mixer/designer in Icelandic film. Kjartan has always been drawn to music as well and gratuated on drums and percussion recently from FÍH music school.

Sveinn Snorri (left) of Snorri Management is Geislar’s manager. Love of music drove Sveinn Snorri to launch his own management company. He has extensive background in project management, retail and marketing.
Reviews for our last album
Containing the Dark
“One of this years best albums”.
Iceland Music Export
“Exceptionally well done but difficult to categorize, It is both dreamy and kind of crazy. There is jazz in there but also bit like Portishead. Film music, as Styrmir is a filmmaker.
…The texts describe different state of minds. All the music is composed by Styrmir and the arrangements are excellent. For instance, the last song on the album, the instrumental one, Resolution in Revolution. Beautiful and dreamy, how the the piano and guitar weaves along with the strings.
…I find this album exceptionally good. It doesn’t sound like anything else out there. I hope this band is here to stay as it is a kind of a supergroup with all these great musicians. But it is an album that really stands apart.”
Andrea Jónsdóttir
RÚV – Album of the Week
„Quicksilver is the kind of smooth, sophisticated and succulent Soul/Jazz pop infusion that you need musicians of true calibre to deliver. High class female vocals weave in and out of the lush chord patterns, instrumental interplay and dreamy late night vibe of the band. The playing is sublime and the melody is made all the more exotic by the extended harmonic language and light-textured buoyancy of the track. A vividly colourful kaleidoscope to brighten up your week. Absolute class.”
Neil March
freshonthenet.co.uk
“Audiences have captured the magic of the group in selected concerts recently. They played a very impressive set at the last Airwaves festival where their harmonic alchemy was just perfect.
[…] nighttime drama; dark pop where filmlike epic and cool jazz go hand in hand. this is quality stuff as they say, […] so talented in many, but related fields.”
****
Arnar Eggert Thoroddsen
Morgunblaðið
“Geislar is the brainchild of musician and filmmaker Styrmir Sigurðsson. Along with him in the band are some of the most interesting musicians in Iceland and the whole album is very well done. Styrmir’s music is dark, beautiful and mysterious […] The songs make up a cinematic world and at times it feels as a score to a film. It is a very interesting album and hopefully they will soon release more material. All the musicianship and production is topnotch and I want to put an emphasis on the string arrangements that are perfect.”
****
Hannes Friðbjarnarson
Fréttatíminn
„It’s like being inside a dream
in an episode of Twin Peaks“
Something our friend Anton Kaldal said once after a concert
Contact Info
sveinn@snorrimanagement.is
geislar.music@gmail.com