For Eirikur Hauksson, life is good. The Magic Pie‘s new album Maestro — featuring vocals and lyrics by Hauksson — came out just a few days ago. And the group is already planning to produce two additional albums in the not-too-distant future.
It wasn’t always that way. Their fifth album, Fragments of the 5th Element, was released in 2019 to great acclaim. The Pie was planning extensive touring behind the album. But then came COVID-19.
Hauksson admits the band didn’t take advantage of the epidemic to produce new music. The band members basically stayed to themselves, quarantined in body and spirit. The lull lasted five years, until they were able to regroup for Maestro.
Actually, though, band leader/guitarist Kim Stenberg had been hard at work in his basement, experiencing a rush of creativity. By the time Magic Pie got back together, he had an idea for not one, not two, but three albums.
There was a thought of releasing two of them as a double album. But plans changed, and the post-Maestro effort turned into a concept record. That gave the Pie a chance to promote their sixth album and take additional time on the upcoming albums as well.
Maestro is a bit of an anomaly — it starts out with an 18-minute epic about a composer/conductor who rushes to fame…and then suddenly disappears without finishing his greatest work.
Hauksson spoke with Sonic Perspectives’ Mark Boardman about the new album — and whether or not that epic is in any way autobiographical. Join in on the fun and check out their conversation below, and remember that for more interviews and other daily content, follow us on Facebook, and Flipboard, or subscribe to our YouTube channel to be notified about new content we publish daily.
