Frozen Assets

What is with Iceland? Lately, the zany country has given us Eyjafjallajökull volcano, Bjork, Foxy lesbian Prime Minister- Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir & our birthday boy- Jón Þór Birgisson. Jónsi turns 35 today. He looks like he would fit right into the Portland scene; the quintessential Portland gay guy comes equipped with the ubiquitous knit hat.

Jón "Jónsi" Þór Birgisson is perhaps best known for his innovative work with Sigur Ros. For 16 years, Jónsi sang in the group's nonsensical "Hopelandic" language (the lyric sheet in the liner notes were left blank so the listener could fill in their own meaning), pairing his un-worldly falsetto with the band's dreamy experimental orchestral compositions.

Sigur Ros is on hiatus, with members of the collective busy raising children. Jónsi has gone solo or collaborating with his American partner, Alex Somers, most recently on their dreamy 2009 album- Riceboy Sleeps.

This week, this gay young man, in the dude-dominated realm of indie rock, released his solo album-Go, with tunes by Alex, & classical composer, Nico Muhly. Jónsi's solo work is a stark turn from his work with Sigur Ros, with his own peculiar brand of pop music. I love the single- Go Do, & I included it on the Husband’s Birthday Mix.