Sounds Like A Whisper In Your Ear...

Received a package from Iceland today, in it was a CD (autographed!) from the Icelandic girl-group Pascal Pinon. It is an expanded version of their EP which I had purchased in Iceland last October. With songs in both English and Icelandic, this self-produced CD is an extremely personal and intimate musical experience. The English lyrics are clear and direct. The Icelandic lyrics are beyond me, but their emotional import is not. The music, while simple, does have variety in its arrangements- in the track "Sanður" there is even a very effective audio collage! Any question about where this music is coming from is effectively answered by the CD label art:



The words from the track "I Wrote A Song" perfectly capture some of the awkward feelings that come with growing up:

I wrote a song
I wrote it to you
I knew it was wrong
It's just something I do
And you should listen to it
And the words that I say
It's all terrible shit
At least I know that today

I don't feel that way no more
I wish I didn't before
I don't feel that way no more
I wish I didn't before

Have I lost mind
Time has told me
That you were not
Who I thought you would be
I was so wrong
And full of regrets
For writing that song
And all that I said

I don't feel that way no more
I wish I didn't before
I don't feel that way no more
I wish I didn't before

I wrote a song...

~Jófríður Ákadóttir

Although it would be nice to have a lyric sheet (even without translations), this is a wonderful CD, with an honesty that trumps any issues anyone might have with the production. I hope they are still performing when I make it back to Iceland again (in 2012, perhaps?)

You can hear some of their music on their MySpace site, or order a CD via email.

UPDATE: They've got an active blog now, chronicling the making of their second CD.