Þeyr
| Þeyr | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Reykjavík, Iceland |
| Genres | New wave, post-punk, punk rock |
| Years active | 1980–1983, 2006 |
| Labels | Eskvímó, Fálkinn, Gramm, Mjöt, Shout, SG-Hljómplötur |
| Past members | Magnús Guðmundsson Guðlaugur Kristinn Óttarsson Þorsteinn Magnússon Hilmar Örn Agnarsson Sigtryggur Baldursson Elín Reynisdóttir Jóhannes Helgason |
Þeyr (Icelandic pronunciation: [ˈθeiːr̥]) was a renowned Icelandic new wave band from the early 1980s. Shrouded under a veil of mystery, their three-year existence was characterized by a deep interest in ancient wisdom. Þeyr helped bring about the new wave movement in Iceland and became one of the first Icelandic bands to be known abroad.
The origins of Þeyr date back to the late 1970s when singer Magnús Guðmundsson, bassist Hilmar Örn Agnarsson and Hilmar Örn Hilmarsson (drums and synthesizer) were playing in a garage band called Fellibylur (Hurricane). The band was expanded with vocalist Elín Reynisdóttir, who at the time was singing at a church choir, guitarist Jóhannes Helgason from a rock band called Piccolo, and drummer Sigtryggur Baldursson from Hattimas. They called themselves Frostrósir (Frostroses) and played rock music and some Icelandic songs at dancehalls in Reykjavík and its surroundings.
After a while they decided to change the band’s name and came up with Þeyr, which was drawn from a poem by Skuggi and it means Wind or Thaw in old Icelandic. Interestingly, Þeyr is exactly pronounced as þeir, which means they (male gender).
By 1979, they introduced two of their songs to Svavar Gests, owner of SG-Hljómplötur, who sent them to Sigurður Árnason, a record producer from Tóntækni, the studio of SG-Hljómplötur, and the recording sessions started in January 1980 but were interrupted in February when the band decided to take a long break to come back in September with new wave music. “There was a concert in Iceland with the group Clash which had a lot of effect on us, specially Magnús. That was the turning point as we started the new wave rock, and the band was taking a roller-coaster in music searching for something out of the ordinary”, says Sigtryggur Baldursson.
The band also recorded other works which were not published, like a song to Hindin, a poem by Davíð Stefánsson, sung by Elín and Eiríkur Hauksson and with some backing vocals added by Magnús. Svavar Gests was reluctant to publish the record as he did not like the music nor even the cover design, however, his wife persuaded him to release it.
...
Wikipedia