Musicians are captivated by Iceland’s mysterious landscapes as the country gears up for this year’s Iceland Airwaves (12-16th Oct), says Iceland Author Lisa Gail Shannen.

Joanne Kearney is an Irish singer songwriter living in Iceland. I first saw her perform at the legendary Iceland Airwaves off-venue concert, hosted by The Reykjavik Downtown Hostel last year, where she opened for Bombay Bicycle Club. It only seems like the other day, but it’s been almost a year since I was there listening to her superb acoustic set. When she was done, she famously introduced the main act as the ‘Bombay Motor Cycle Club’, much to their amusement and delight, and then she kindly lent them her guitar.
Since then she’s been busy putting together her beautifully crafted debut album ‘Phases’ that was released last month. The album is complete with 12 songs, each arranged acoustically with spellbinding melodies that weave between moments of ascending emotion and earthly celtic chants. Musically the style is a developing combination of classical and folk music that creates a familiar yet foreign organic sound. Sometimes pure, sometimes powerful, her voice both permeates and dominates the modern–medieval tapestry of the music. The title ‘Phases’ is a great summary of the themes present throughout. The lyrics are particularly distinctive, covering a range of emotional stages, personal growth and transformation.

                                            Photo: Phases Album
                                                       Credit: Joanne Kearney

The idea for the album was conceived in her hometown of Dublin, Ireland, but the evolution of it was accelerated by her experiences here in Iceland. She originally came to Reykjavík on holiday but was so inspired and curious she ended up staying to explore the mysterious landscapes beyond Mount Esja. Her adventures took her west to the picturesque town of Grundarfjörður on the Snæfellsnes Peninsula; this is where she began work on perfecting her captivating compositions. The project was completed in Reykjavik with the help of her talented musical friends and is now available for download on tonlist.is and Gogoyoko

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