NASHVILLE |JANUARY 18, 2007
FR: ALEXANDRA GREENBERG/MSO
818-380-0400 x223, agreenberg@msopr.com
‘SCREAMING MASTERPIECE’ DVD MARCH 6:
FROM BJORK, SIGUR ROS, MUM, APPATAT AND MORE
Over a decade ago, Icelandic music first hit the international scene with Bjork and The Sugarcubes. Since then, several bands and solo acts have followed suit. Sigur Rós, Múm, Bang Gang, Mugison, Minus and Slowblow are a few of the more recent names and there are even more unpronounceable ones to look forward to in the coming years. "It's different," is most people's first reaction on hearing this diverse but highly original music. "Where is all this coming from?" Those are the questions answered by SCREAMING MASTERPIECE–the documentary film written and directed by Ari Alexander Ergus Magnusson–due out on DVD via Milan Records on March 6.
Throughout the DVD’s 85 minutes running time SCREAMING MASTERPIECE follows Iceland’s most outstanding musicians from their home as they tour the world, from New York to Tokyo and beyond. It also takes the audience behind the scenes of Reyjavik's irrepressible underground. Throughout, creeping glaciers, barren highland sands and dark raging seas full of ghosts form a backdrop to the raw energy of music and interviews from Bjork, Eivor Palsdottir, Trabant, The Sugarcubes, Sigur Rós, Múm, Slowblow, Singapore Sling and even the legendary Head Pagan of Iceland, Hilmar Orn Hilmarsson.
At the edge of the inhabitable world, high in the North-Atlantic, Icelanders have whiled away the long, dark centuries patiently honing their caustic humor, their eccentric melodies and ancient poetry. The old music, handed down from medieval times, is one of the secrets to the Icelanders' unique sound–the howl of the arctic storm and the surf breaking on the rocky coast may be another. Whatever the explanation, the Icelanders have fostered a music scene with a sound and attitude that is all their own, mixing ancient dirges and contemporary electronics, rock, pop and classical influences, to produce their own eclectic style. SCREAMING MASTERPIECE delivers the full force of the explosive Icelandic music scene with massive 5.1 Dolby sound and a fast-paced visual extravaganza that will leave you breathless.
Upon its theatrical release in February 2005, SCREAMING MASTERPIECE garnered high praise from Kenneth Turan of the Los Angeles Times: “An unexpectedly satisfying documentary that Cannes served up was ‘Screaming Masterpiece,’ subtitled ‘1000 Years of Icelandic Popular Music.’ A survey of that country's vibrant, creative rock scene, including interviews and performance footage from the likes of Bjork and Sigur Ros, ‘Screaming’ offers great music as well as a lively and informative tour of the country that produced it.” Added Variety, “It takes chutzpah to call a pic Screaming Masterpiece, however tongue-in-cheek it’s intended, but as helmer Ari Alexander Ergis Magnusson´s flag-waving docu proves, Icelanders are not short on self-belief. Film explores how this tiny nation of 300,000 souls has managed to produce not only exportable pop from the likes of Bjork and rock combo Sigur Ros, but also a thriving scene for jazz, folk and classical music.” The film also was embraced by over 20 international film festivals that year including AFI, Popcorn International Film Festival (Sweden) and the Berlin, Athens, Warsaw, Helsinki and Melbourne International Film Festivals, just to name a few.
For more information on SCREAMING MASTERPIECE, contact:
Alexandra Greenberg/MSO
818-380-0400 x223, agreenberg@msopr.com
JC Chamboredon/MILAN RECORDS
818-953-7815, Jc.chamboredon@milanrecords.com
http://
MILAN RECORDS TO RELEASE ‘SCREAMING MASTERPIECE’ DVD MARCH 6: DOCUMENTARY FILM CAPTURES ENERGY OF ICELAND'S INDIE MUSIC SCENE
