“It was a question of two things” proclaims Icelandic singer-songwriter-producer-clothier- Renaissance man Bardi Johannsson of his reason why he chose to employ female vocalists on a couple of the tracks which comprise his majestic, orchestral pop masterstroke entitled Something Wrong. “Option A was to cut off my balls. Option B was to get a female singer. Since I would like to have the option of having children one day, I chose option B!”
Bang Gang is Johannsson’s baby, as he is, essentially, a one man band with a strong aural resemblance to Radiohead, Super Furry Animals, classic Pink Floyd, and Spiritualized. That is, he expertly melds atmospheric, neo-psychedelic compositions rooted in folk and fleshes them out with spacey, abstract textures. Johannsson’s influences span Igor Stravinsky to the Velvet Underground to Lee Hazelwood to the Pixies and Ennio Morricone.
Learning about Johannsson the man, however, is a mystery. His bio, which is awkwardly translated from a foreign language, claims him to be “a dark prince who walks the nights and in France is hailed as the next Phil Spector.” I asked him about it. “In France, they compared me to Nick Drake. I had never heard any of his music. Then I bought a CD and didn’t like it.” It took Johannsson two to three years to make Something Wrong because he was busy with his TV and radio show, but he does not elaborate.
Next, I was compelled to inquire about his statue in Milan. I’d been there many times and never saw Johannsson honored in such a manner. “The full size statue of me in a Milan museum was part of an exhibition called ‘Dressing Ourselves.’ I was asked to design clothes on a full size sculpture of myself. It didn’t do my ego very good. Since I saw it, I’ve become a total snob!”
As for the music, which is a somewhat safer subject, Johannsson had no qualms about being both artist and producer. “I showed no mercy to myself” he quips. “Even though I don’t go as far as the blonde guy in the movie Da Vinci Code I am capable of telling myself what is good and what is bad.”
Johannsson’s fertile, flourishing passages and peaceful harmonies are the stuff of Brian Wilson’s Pet Sounds / Smile lore. Guest female vocalists Esther Talia Casey and Phoebe Tolmer (Basement Jaxx / Nouvelle Vague) add to the sexual tension, as does Nicolette Suwolon who renders the torch song “Contradictions” akin to Billie Holiday’s “Strange Fruit.” Even the cover art exudes passion as the gangly Johannsson is portrayed in a grassy field looking longingly into the camera whilst a shapely nude female model strolls in the background.
“I like to give hints of a story and then people can fill in the gaps” he reveals of the image and his music in general. “The artwork has a special meaning in my head. Sure, someone else may have a totally different idea of the significance, but it’s like someone once said ‘It’s for me to create and you to understand.’”
~ Tom Semioli
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BANG GANG's SOMETHING WRONG will be out April 3, 2007 on Nowhere Records.
http://www.fromnowhererecords.com
http://www.banggang.net
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