Music
Press
The album Afsakið was released around the new year online and then in physical form soon after that. Afsakið is Þórir Georgs (My Summer as a Salvation Soldier) first album sung in Icelandic and he does so with great success. Out of his older albums its prehaps most similar to the marvelous "Death", the experimentation is kept to a minimum and the main focus put on the songs and the lyrics. Like before the lyrical themes are the gray streets of Reykjavík and the even grayer hidden areas of the human soul. - Rjóminn.is
"First off was Þórir with his project My Summer as a Salvation Soldier. His set consisted mostly of new material from his upcoming album. A chunk of the set was improvised and he did so exceptionally well. He has a very broad vocal range and goes from soft, quiet crooning to powerful focused howls with ease. He played around with looping his vocals, adding layers and layers which made his new songs sound exciting and experimental." - Morgunblaðið
'I didn't see anything Icelandic that had that Next Big Export smell -- yet. But I heard much that reminded me why I keep returning, and why I have been continually intrigued by the original music made here, since my first trip in 1988. After Jose Gonzalez gently wowed the afternoon shoppers at 12 Tonar, a young Icelander, Thorir (the Anglicized spelling) reduced the room to total silence with his skeletal guitar work and boyish vocal sadness. His two albums, I Believe in This and My Summer as a Salvation Soldier, released by 12 Tonar on its own quality label, are stunning documents of the darkness endemic to Icelandic life, at least during the winter half of the year. But Thorir never walks away from a song without a touch of hope. I had visions of Alex Chilton, circa Like Flies on Sherbert, and the solo Jeff Tweedy going through my head as he sang, but Thorir is very much his own uniquely haunted man.' David Fricke, - Rolling Stone
'I didn't see anything Icelandic that had that Next Big Export smell -- yet. But I heard much that reminded me why I keep returning, and why I have been continually intrigued by the original music made here, since my first trip in 1988. After Jose Gonzalez gently wowed the afternoon shoppers at 12 Tonar, a young Icelander, Thorir (the Anglicized spelling) reduced the room to total silence with his skeletal guitar work and boyish vocal sadness. His two albums, I Believe in This and My Summer as a Salvation Soldier, released by 12 Tonar on its own quality label, are stunning documents of the darkness endemic to Icelandic life, at least during the winter half of the year. But Thorir never walks away from a song without a touch of hope. I had visions of Alex Chilton, circa Like Flies on Sherbert, and the solo Jeff Tweedy going through my head as he sang, but Thorir is very much his own uniquely haunted man.' David Fricke, - Rolling Stone
Discography
Heima Demó (2010)
-A demo/ep recorded to bring on a tour around Iceland with my friend Drekka.
Afsakið (2011)
-Full length album.
Photos
Bio
Weird, depressing, difficult, honest, arrogant, humorous.. these are all words that have been used more often than not to describe the music made by Þórir Georg an Icelandic musician who has for the most part of the last decade spent his time playing with various bands and projects as well as making music on his own. Oddly enough these are the words that have been used more often than not to describe the artist himself. Þórir´s music isn´t the kind of music that jumps right at you. It isn´t the kind of music that will beat you over the head with what you are supposed to think or how it is supposed to make you feel. It´s subtle, minimal and often demanding.
Þórir has been prominent in the local hardcore punk scene since the early naughties and has, since 2004, also been making the rounds with his acoustic guitar as well as whatever instruments and players he felt like bringing along each time. His albums under his recently abandoned moniker My Summer as a Salvation Soldier have been well received and featured on many local publications year end best of lists. He´s released numerous albums and eps. Some on legendary local label 12 Tónar, some on other labels, and some he just did by himself. Having cut his teeth in the punk scene he has always favored the diy method for better or worse.
His music has been compared to just about every singer-songwriter/solo artist imaginable. Be it Lou Reed, Jonathan Ritchman, Bill Callahan, Neil Young, Jamie Stewart, Elliott Smith, Phil Elvrum, Will Oldham, etc.. His music is certainly rooted in the age old folk tradition but Þórir has never been shy to play with the format a little making it difficult to pinpoint. Being somewhat of a music obsessive he draws his influences from a great variety of styles and artists.
But as much as his albums have been praised the live setting is really where people have been paying attention. Going to a My Summer as a Salvation Soldier show you could never be sure if you´d see a guy play a few folk songs on an acoustic guitar, a full rock band blaring out crazy horse influenced noise or some a capella-effect-pedal experimentation. A tradition that will surely survive even if his old band name didn´t.
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