Haunting and beautiful… in the shadows of every soul
Iceland’s Solstafir Seeks Salvation In Sublimely Shot ‘Miðaftann’
December 16, 2015 by LARS GOTRICH • The sweeping beauty of Solstafir’s music comes from a place of pain and restoration, but it wasn’t always that way. With 2014’s Ótta, the Icelandic black-metal band fully and gracefully transitioned to atmospheric rock. One of the album’s best songs, “Miðaftann,” sounds somber and haunting without guitars or drums — just piano, strings, a little Rhodes and Aðalbjörn Tryggvason’s desperate vocals, sung in his native tongue.”The song is about wandering in darkness,” Tryggvason writes, “playing chess with Death, getting burned by salt, drowning in the ultimate wave of sin and returning back home by using moonlight as navigation.”Harri Haataja and Vesa Ranta direct this gorgeous video, which they shot mostly in black and white amid the stark, sublime landscape of Iceland. They say they were inspired by the lyrics to show a man at his end, literally waving a white flag as he seeks salvation.”They told us a real-life story about a sailor who lost his crew at sea and was stranded to shore as the only survivor,” the directors write.” He proceeded to find his way to town and [along the way] he found a barrel filled with water. But the water was frozen, so he had to punch through the ice with his bare hands to fight the dehydration. Eventually, after a long journey, he found his way to town and survived.”Ótta is out now on Season Of Mist.
Source: NPR Music
Beautiful. Thanks Catherine.
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Yes- on several levels, isn’t it?
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Climbing the mountain reminded me of “Hinds Feet on High Places,” – an excellent allegory. There is beauty even with Suffering and Sorrow, and there is always hope of restoration as we follow the Good Shepherd.
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Yes, and the journey of suffering and sorrow is one we all must take. We climb the mountain or remain chained in anguish, or cancerous apathy. Thank you for your comment. I have that book on my shelf — I will have to pull it out again.
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Beautiful!
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I thought so too! Thank you for your comment.
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This is fantastic. So relatable. It reminds of a saying that I’ve heard now and then, “To surrender a life that doesn’t work, is to join the winning side.”
This eases the action of surrender for some, some not. Merry Christmas 🎅
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I like that quote. There is much more to say here- but for now, I will wish you a Merry Christmas in return!
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