Not just the ethereal frontman of Icelandic post-rockers Sigur Rós, or the pensive half of Riceboy Sleeps, Jónsi Birgisson, it turns out, also has a wild side. And you can learn all about it on his solo debut, Go, a multi-coloured and extravagant wonderland of strings, falsettos, stomping percussion and pop choruses, all of it taking wing alongside Nico Muhly’s arrangements and Jónsi’s own ecclesiastical delivery. Spectacular stuff that apparently, is also fierce to annoy the neighbours, or so says Jónsi…

So how did you get started on Go?
It was easy to get the album going. For some weird reason, we stopped getting newspapers sent to my house. I also have no television and I don’t listen to the radio, so I got blocked out from the world a little bit. It was quite nice. It was good to have a break from everyday atrocities whilst recording the album.

The album sounds really detailed and intricate.
Yes, there are a lot of layers, details and a lot of stuff happening… I did a lot of overdubs in my apartment in Reykjavik: I sang all the vocals in my living room, in my kitchen. Alex and I also did a lot of samples, handclaps, stomping and stuff at my home.

Did your neighbours enjoy that?
Usually people in Iceland like Sigur Rós, but I’m probably neighbours with the only person in Iceland who hates me, my voice and what I do. I can’t do anything at home! He stomps the floor like crazy, but it’s funny. As soon as I start playing piano or singing, he cranks up Barry White or Justin Timberlake! I can hear it through the floorboards so I have to stop making music. But I’m moving soon, so that’s good.

Neat. And finally, will you leave us with a powerful message?
Everything you do in life is definitely connected to the way you think. The thoughts you have in your heads are projected on the environment, and in what you do and how you live. I’m a quite positive guy and I think if you think positive then, “the force is with you”, basically.

The rest of the interview is in your June issue of JUICE, out now at these spots.

www.jonsi.com

Text: Min Chen
Image Photographer: Lilja Birgisdottir
Illustrator: Inga Birgisdottir
Interview courtesy of: Warner Music

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