Each Measure Feature: Aldís Fjóla

FEATURE

Like so many of music’s most special moments, Aldís Fjóla and Halldór Sveinsson’s new single, “Breathe,” is the result of a serendipitous collaboration.

Fate brought Fjóla and Sveinsson together for the first time in 2013, when Sveinsson joined Fjóla’s band. They came from different backgrounds and brought contrasting perspectives but that turned out to be the source of the spark. Their sensibilities seemed to mirror each other in unexpected ways, with Fjóla’s angelic voice and poetic lyrics perfectly complementing Sveinsson’s musical virtuosity, and both minds drawing inspiration from such diverse sources as musicians like Louis Cole and television shows like Severance and Shrinking. The result was a comingling of aesthetic senses that produced a number of sonically rich and multilayered tracks.

“Breathe,” a piece that grabs from the very first note, is one such track.

The lyrics, which the duo describes as being “about letting your people help you through,” preach vulnerability and self-compassion in a world that too often tells us we need to be strong and independent. But it’s the airy, hymnlike melody brought to life by Fjóla and Sveinsson’s partnership that elevates it to brilliance. The simple arrangement – featuring Fjóla’s voice layered over Sveinsson’s piano and string arrangement – makes an easy and relaxing listen for those moments when you need to clear your head. It’s a meditation and a self-care ritual in two and half minutes.

“Breathe” is the kind of piece that soothes rather than clutters the mind, and diving into it feels like taking a sigh of relief. In the best possible way, it sounds like music and feels like silence, with all the beauty of one and calm of the other. That might read like a contradiction, but contradiction is part of the magic of collaboration, and maybe it’s only through that magic that artists can tread such delicate and elusive lines.

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