Our good friend Mensa made some videos for the herdeildin songs. We are proud to link them here:
http://youtu.be/2_lShGzAOWA
We haven´t put the 2nd and third herdeildin up for stream on the internet, as we still have some copies to sell. But here is a piano rendering of one ballad of Skipið siglir.
ballad_of_the_smoking_bartender_piano
5ta herdeildin: The Lost Tapes
5ta herdeildin´s lost tapes are not so to referred because the tapes themselves are, or have ever been lost. More that the group itself was kind of lost at the time they made the tapes, they had just finished the third album (Skipið siglir) and were only too conscious that they wouldn´t survive to make another album of similar epic scope (back in 2001 the sage, or seer, had foreseen that the ensemble would only hold together for four years, as was befitting because the members were always more interested in the future than the present, which is past now, anyway, and 5 being as such a future number of 4 – nobody had any reason to think that the sage was mistaken.)
Tensions were high, beatings occurred on daily basis, yet the quartet was incapable of parting from one another, it was a textbook example of an abusive household in Stockholm. Herdeildin decided to make an ep album from blues songs, mostly, using the acoustic setup already in place from the “Skipið siglir” recording session, in Veðurstofan with Bogi Reynisson at the helm as before. Then the tapes actually got lost. Not for long though, as gímaldin was able to work on them in his St. Petersburg lair.
The administrator has been under pressure to release the demo versions of the songs which are acceptably close to completion, and thus we give you 5ta herdeildin´s Lost Tapes or Herdeildin plays the Blues.
General Bio on Herdeildin
It has often been said about 5ta herdeildin that it almost had as many and different sides to it as it had members. It was formed in 2001 as a quartet, 2 guitars, bass and drums – but the second guitar and drummer never showed up and herdeildin played as a duo for awhile:
karen – Waylon Jennings version – Old Five and Dimer stayed with gímaldin since he heard Dylan´s version from The Hearts of Fire. Of course it was impossible to cover Dylan covering Jennings and a new lyric had to be written.
thad_er_gott_ad_elska_Bubba_remix- When herdeildin played the first (or second) time for the “unplugged” session in State Broadcast Channel nr 2, the performers had been led to believe that they wouldn´t get paid if they didn´t do a cover of a song by the Icelandic national Poet: Bubbi Morthens. As they knew the radio host to be a Bubbi-fanatic, they decided to comply and not ask any questions. Doing cover versions was however not unknown practice as herdeildin often gave songs by other artists the so called “herdeildin-treatment” which meant constitue major chords for minors and vice versa, mostly vice versa actually.
trúðurinn og amazon konan – The first trio setup – Þórdis Claessen played percussion, on this occasion playing the djembe alongside a Alesis keyboard. From a concert in Nýlistasafnið in 2001.
lifi_framsokn_5ta_herdeildin_2001 The second trio setup, Sonja Lind adds the third vocal. From a concert in Dillon, 2002
örflöguvændisvefur – the same
11 september – The large (though not the largest) version of herdeildin as a rock unit. Gestur Guðnason plays the second guitar, Hermann plays the drums and Þórdís Claessen plays the percussion. This is from a session for the State Broadcasting Channel nr 2, we probably don´t have the right to post this, but, Yuck the State. Georg made the recording.
saga af karli og konu – the same
Hjördísarvísur – The fourpiece playing in Moscow, 2005
Illt er að lenda í ljónum, the same
gunga og drusla the same. This is by the way, probably the only prog song the herdeildin ever did. And if it isn´t prog, then it is still very strange.
styttufall – the same
einkavæðslublús – the same
Undir Starkaðssteini – herdeildin´s first trio setup revisited for a couple of gigs in St Petersburg, 2005
styttufall – the same
The albums
Now available from gogoyoko
http://www.gogoyoko.com/#/album/5ta_herdeildin
5ta herdeildin
Still available: Price: 1000 Icelandic krónur, refer to gisli.magnusson@gmail.com – to buy
Still available: Price: 1500 icelandic krónur, refer to gisli.magnusson@gmail.com – to buy
Áður óútgefið efni and Korablj plivet can be bought as a package for 2000 icelandic krónur
5ta herdeildin was originally formed in September 2001, by guitarist and songwriter gímaldin and bass player Loftur S. Loftsson. From day one Gímaldin and Loftur attracted surrounding instrumentalists and established a tradition of mostly never playing with the same line-up.
Despite this the band played for almost a year with a line-up consisting of the founding members plus the vocalist Sonja Lind Eyglóardóttir, the latter wheeling the band into a whirlpool of distinct musical and political music styles.
Herdeildin´s style, though quite handsomely developed at the time, very soon urged for total reconstruction and thus entered the renowned writer and musician Hermann Stefánsson. Having circled the band for some time, it was an easy task to have 5ta herdeildin come to the realisation that a rogue agent like himself would merge with the band more beneficially on the inside than elsewhere. Enter Hermann with his banjo.
Furthermore, it was no drawback that Hermann is the best banjo-player in Europe. Herdeildin´s first official record was released in autumn 2002, the self titled album was comprised of some “basement recordings”, and peppered with an army-like multitude of guest musicians.
In 2006 the first album was repackaged, remixed and mastered and republished by Norwegian indie label Jawohl records.
For further information, contact: tesvaland@yahoo.co.uk
For 5ta herdeildin´s first mission to Russia, in April 2003 the group’s line-up changed consistently with how many people entered and exited the group. One who stayed the longest was guitar-god Gestur Guðnason who has stayed so long that he is even still with the group. The album Áður óútgefið Efni (Previously Unreleased Material), was published in March 2004.
This second album by herdeildin was as different a production from the previous one as possible. For one thing; this one had an outside producer and engineer, namely; Bogi Reynisson from renowned Reykjavik trans-techno-hardcore band, Stjörnukisi. Another was the more live feel and more folky nature due to the use of period instruments, played periodically – like a Double Bass and Þórdís Claessen´s percussions.
The third album, Skipid siglir, surfaced in April 2006 (in Russia), and June (in Iceland). Published by the Manchester record label in St. Petersburg (http://www.manchester.ru/_eng), this is the first mainstream 5ta herdeildin cd.
Like on Previously Unreleased Material, the object was to reach for as live a sound as possible – though at the same time the main turn from previous albums is this one’s attempt to document the respective concert sound of the group.
From the beginning the group had always been divided into a rock band and an acoustic group – somehow resulting in that the songs with rockier sound were always being excluded from recording sessions. The third album was partly intended to even this out, though it’s still full of ethnic, country and acoustic songs.
Produced, Engineered and Mixed by same Maestro Bogi Reynisson
Also, and influential on the development of the album, were two more Russia trips in 2005, to Moscow and yet again to Petersburg, the latter city by that time already taking the place of a second home for the group. In Russia the group cultivated contacts and support for a Russian release of the album.
The Band is currently recording new material.
To order 5ta herdeildin records on CDBaby.
For Skipid siglir: http://cdbaby.com/cd/5taherdeildin1
For Adur outgefid efni (second cd, released in 2004)
http://cdbaby.com/cd/5taherdeildin2
Critiques and Coverage
REVIEW OF 5TA HERDEILDINS FIRST ALBUM “5TA HERDEILDIN”
5ta herdeildin – 5ta herdeildin
Opposite Direction
(dispondered foresight)
5ta herdeildin consists of gímaldin (vocals, guitar, mandolin, programming), Loftur S. Loftsson (bass, vocals), Sonja Lind Eyglóardóttir and Unnur Andrea Einarsdóttir (vocals), Þórdís Claessen plays percussion on two songs and Elvar Geir Sævarsson plays guitar in one songs. Engineered and mixed by Gísli Magnússon. Dispondered Foresight releases.
5TA HERDEILDIN has released its autonomed first creation, the name a front for gímaldin (Gísli Magnússon) and Loftur S. Loftsson who then enjoy the services of various instrumentalists and two fine female vocalists.
The record is special in many a way – traditionally oriented music dipped in rock with diverse sidetracking. Some of the lyrics exhibit a root in old icelandic ballad tradition, stories of misfortunes like in the ghostly rhymes in “Undir Starkaðssteini (Under Starkað´s stone. trans), where “bones yellow under the stroke of the wind”. Other texts are on the other hand surreal compositions that are difficult to comprehend; for excample the lyrics about marital life in the fourth dimension as in the song “Polkinn Klezmer) (Klezmer polka. trans), where the sentence “you are so objectified that I drive you to work”! The female vocalists Sonja Lind and Unnur Andrea leave their mark on the album and add considerably to the songs they perform with their candid and unpretensious singing – the performance is a times untight and the sound of poor quality – but the singers endow the album with compactness and structure and keep the threads together. Some songs are hardly more than half-finished jokes, like “Fiskeldisbragur” where the sound is a bit out of pitch and strange, but in between herdeildin does a fine job, like the aforementioned “Undir Starkaðssteini” where ghostly athmosphere is acchieved and the song dons exceptionally strange guitar chords in its bridge part. In the opening title “Guðrúnarvísur” (The Rhyme of Gudrun, trans), (where I find that the lyric is about an apple that wants to be a banana), the beat is heavy and archaic like a cane is being drummed on the floor, understandably the song evokes Santa Claus but things develop differently from there. “Hringdans” (Circular Dance, trans) is a spunky dance number where one of the female vocalists hikes out into nature and sings: “I like to be in the manic wilderness, when I get off into the country side”. Also there is an unnamed hidden track (“Skref fyrir skref?”) (Step by Step? trans), which is an interesting experimental jam and “A Kiss on the Head” which is very unique, melodic singing fires the belief that the song is a straight pop ballad but underneath drones grotesque programming that denotes a totally different perception – makes you prick up your ears.
This is an uneven record but the most interesting thing about it is how the group travels down unexpected routes in matters of chords and notes, turns in another directions where you expect the way to be straight and the outcome is a wonderously strange avant garde folk music that goes in opposite direction from all that is mainstream.
Steinunn Haraldsdóttir
(Published in Morgunblaðið Thursday, 12th of December, 2002.Translated by Webserver)
REVIEW OF 5TA HERDEILDINS SECOND ALBUM “PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED MATERIAL”
Terrorism
5ta herdeildin/Áður óútgefið efni
5ta herdeildin consists of gímaldin (vocals, guitar and mandolin), Loftur S. Loftsson (bass and, vocals and backing vocals), Hermann Stefánsson (banjo, vocals and backing vocals), Gestur Guðnason (electric guitar), Þórdís Claessen (percussion and extra measuramental temperment), Sonja Lind Eyglóardóttir (vocals) and Unnur Andrea Einarsdóttir (vocals). Bogi Reynisson does mixing and engineering and Gunnar Óskarsson mastered. Released by Dispondered Foresight.
5TA HERDEILDIN has of now been active for five years. Over the period live performances have been recurrant and the group also released one album the year before last.
5ta herdeildins music is ill describable which is undobtably its greatest feature. Icelandic folk-punk describes adequately this soundscape and some of the songs remind of nursery rhymes or cuddling songs where underneath brews some inexplicable horror. Songs like “Styttufall” (The Toppling of Statues, trans), give the idea that they have been expressively composed to accompany the Troll Tales of Jón Árnason.
The music in general follows this route, with jovial sidetracking into Bluegrass music and Country and more. One feature in particular is when the hollow and creaking electric guitar adds to the otherwise organic performance (as in “Einkavæðslublús”) – (Privatization Blues, trans), which makes it sound like it was recorded in a nearby valley. Cool!
The lyrics are quite different. Intriguing and strange; jovial and bizarre. Quite an afflux of words, efforts to express things are made and sometimes also rhyming. What a break from what is ususal!
The album opens with an electrified rhyme about “The Philosopher who jumped out a window”. He read until (sic) he realised that it was all the same” and “and decided to tackle life from beyond (sic)…”
In the next song “Einkavæðslublús”, extraordinary surreal lyrics appear with bizarre accounts of the privatization of streetcars and the rules that apply to it. For one it is forbidden to transport Jón Mýrdal in the cars and mental patients can readily buy the cars but are not allowed to drive them!?
Darkness is often close at hand. “I see you in the dark / hanging out on the m´irk / numb from your anti-depressants / a spittle hanging from your lips / laughing at it all”, is from the tragic “Farðu vel”. (Fare thee well, trans).
Other lyrics consist of social crititicizm (The Church, Government and so on), also mixed with homogenous icelandic balladeering where trolls, sheep and shephards emerge. Curious concoctation and should herdeildins members be praised for showing ambition in their lyrical efforts
Female vocalists Sonja Lind Eyglóardóttir and Unnur Andrea Einarsdóttir show notary galloping in their attributions.
In spite of all the album is faulted in number of ways. The sound quality is poor and the performance often so and so. Most often the slacking sound is rather complementing but sometimes it isn´t, at times, for instance, the bass playing sounds a bit untight. In terms of composition the album is also quite uneven.
The vocalist, Gísli “gímaldin” has a peculiar voice which doesn´t surprise to know that is of genetical nature. He is the son of Magnús “Megas” and readily distinguishable that the genalocial structure of their vocal cords are similar. Gímaldins voice has the propensity to be irritating in too much exposure. The album title is charming but the cover could to no fault have been worked on further.
5ta herdeildins charge works out quite finely all in all. The most distinguishing feature is that the music is pursuing, travels often in unexpected directions which is simply refreshing – it is both livening and additive. This feature also makes it easy for the listener to ignore the album´s aforementioned faults.
Arnar Eggert Thoroddsen
(Published in Morgunblaðið Tuesday, 8th of June, 2004.Translated by Webserver)
Grapewine reviews 5ta herdeildin´s busking tour of 2004
Giving Away Great Art – Grapewine Review of Acoustic Concert Tour
Giving Away Great Art
by Bart Cameron
Published in: Issue 3 on Friday, June 25, 2004
..
It’s two o’clock on a rainy, cold Saturday in Reykjavík. The dozens of people who told me they were musicians, film-makers, writers and artists last night are sleeping off hangovers.
5ta herdeildin is playing their second gig of the day.
A talented four-piece, lo-fi, folk-influenced, genre-defying band, 5ta play in front of the globe in the pit of City Hall, then walk with me to the Alþingi in the hope that they might be arrested for playing. They are disappointed that the Alþingi is out of session, and that the building itself is under construction. As it happens, the construction workers take a break to listen to 5ta, applauding along with a few drivers who pulled over when they heard the music, trying to get involved in a conversation and compliment the band.
It’s curious. Nobody has been warned of the tour. Few people seem to know about the album, but everybody reacts well to the music and wants to hear more. Gísli, who has given me the off-putting stage name Gímaldin, (a vast opening or void), is phrasing his vocals beautifully, and he and the rest of the band have a natural charisma. Loftur Loftson on double bass is solid and smiling like a maniac, Hermann Stefánsson is playing arguably excessively catchy treble banjo hooks, and Gestur Guðnason throws out Robbie Robertson-style guitar riffs. It’s a band that immediately attracts fans.
As soon as they finish two or three numbers, though, the light seems to go out, and the band just wanders away. No sales pitch. No reminder about who they are or where one can see them.
After the second gig, an American couple who caught an earlier show chases Gísli down as we’re walking and asks, one more time, for a spelling of the band so they can go buy a CD. He makes 5ta sound like the most foreign concoction of words I’ve ever heard.
At 3:30, we’re at Café Hressó. The place is full, and everyone again is immediately into the music. I wonder if this will be the show where the band really cuts loose, where they will play for a couple of hours, as bluegrass bands in the United States do. They play four songs to strong applause and pack up.
5ta are making some of the best music in Iceland, and they are an extremely rewarding live act. They are also shy, almost to a fault. In a town where everyone seems to be selling themselves, 5ta is humbly giving away great art.
Their album, Áður óútgefin lög, however, is for sale at 12 Tónar.
Source: http://www.grapevine.is/default.aspx?show=paper&part=fullstory&id=723
