Leaves are an
Icelandic
indie band formed in 2000.
[Strong, Martin C.(2003) ''The Great Indie Discography'', Canongate, , p. 832]
History
Vocalist Arnar Gudjonsson was formerly the guitarist with
Mower, and he was joined by Hallur Hallsson (bass guitar), Arnar Ólafsson (guitar, accordion), Bjarni Grímsson (drums), and Andri Ásgrímsson (keyboards).
Late in 2001 they played with
Emiliana Torrini and drew early praise from the ''
New York Times''.
[Strauss, Neil (2001)]
THE POP LIFE; Iceland Shows Its Charm Is Still Vigorous
, '' The New York Times'', 25 October 2001. Retrieved 6 November 2010 They came to prominence in 2002 with their single "Race" (which reached number 66 in the
UK Singles Chart), and début
album, ''Breathe'', drawing comparisons to groups such as
Coldplay,
Muse,
and
Doves. The album was released in the
UK first to positive reviews, reaching number 71 in the
UK Albums Chart, then was re-released in the
United States, and a tour of both the UK and the U.S. followed.
[Wilson, MacKenzie " Leaves Biography, AllMusic. Retrieved 6 November 2010] Their second album, ''The Angela Test'', was released in 2005 and their third album, ''We Are Shadows'', was released in 2009. The group's most recent album, ''See You in the Afterglow'', arrived in 2013. In 2016, the group released a reworked version of "Breathe". In 2017 vocalist Arnar formed a solo project, Warmland.
The name of the band refers to Nick Drake's first album ''
Five Leaves Left
''Five Leaves Left'' is the debut studio album by English folk musician Nick Drake. Recorded between 1968 and 1969, it was released in 1969 by Island Records.
Recording
''Five Leaves Left'' was recorded between July 1968 and June 1969 at S ...
''.
Members
;Current
* Arnar Guðjónsson:
lead vocals
The lead vocalist in popular music is typically the member of a group or band whose voice is the most prominent melody in a performance where multiple voices may be heard. The lead singer sets their voice against the accompaniment parts of t ...
,
piano,
guitar
* Elís Pétursson:
bass guitar
* Nói Steinn Einarsson:
drum
The drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments. In the Hornbostel-Sachs classification system, it is a membranophone. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a she ...
s
* Andri Ásgrímsson:
keyboards
Keyboard may refer to:
Text input
* Keyboard, part of a typewriter
* Computer keyboard
** Keyboard layout, the software control of computer keyboards and their mapping
** Keyboard technology, computer keyboard hardware and firmware
Music
* Musi ...
;Former
* Arnar Ólafsson:
guitar,
backing vocals
* Bjarni Grímsson:
drums
A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...
* Hallur Hallsson:
bass guitar
Discography
Albums
*''Breathe'' (2002), B-Unique – UK #71
*''
The Angela Test'' (2005), Universal/Island
*''We Are Shadows'' (2009)
*''See You in the Afterglow'' (2013)
Singles
*"Breathe" (2002), B-Unique – UK #99
*"Race" (2002), B-Unique – UK #66
*"Catch" (2002), B-Unique – split single with
The Coral and
Electric Soft Parade – UK #81
*"Silence" (2002), B-Unique
*"The Sensualist" (2013)
References
Icelandic indie rock groups
Musical groups from Reykjavík
{{Iceland-band-stub