Pascal Pinon (band)
| Pascal Pinon | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Iceland |
| Genres | Folk pop, folktronica |
| Years active | 2009–2017 |
| Labels | Morr Music |
| Associated acts | Samaris |
| Website | pascalpinon |
| Members | Ásthildur Ákadóttir Jófríður Ákadóttir |
Pascal Pinon is a musical group from Reykjavík, Iceland and is composed of twin sisters Ásthildur and Jófríður Ákadóttir.
The sisters formed the band in 2009 with Halla Kristjánsdóttir and Kristín Ylfa Hölmgrimsdóttir. The name was a reference to the early 20th century circus performer Pasqual Pinon.
The group described their music as “… simple and honest, filled with both melancholy and optimism. We hope to make music that can inspire, soothe heartaches and warm you inside.” Pascal Pinon songs are sung in their native Icelandic language as well as English. The sisters have cited Tegan and Sara, Björk, Joni Mitchell, and Sinead O'Connor as influences. Jófríður Ákadóttir is the main songwriter and singer. She plays guitar as well as clarinet and keyboards. Ásthildur Ákadóttir usually sings harmony, plays various keyboards, guitar and bassoon. The sisters also have expressed a “weak spot” for lo-fi music, cassette tape noise and toy synths. The group has performed in Europe and the UK multiple times (2010-2014, 2016, 2017), as well as giving concerts in China (2011, 2015) and Japan (2012). In March and April, 2017, Jófríður performed in Europe with her cousin, Hildur Berglind Arndal, who took the place of Ásthildur. Jófríður announced that this tour would be "… the last spin for a while… " for Pascal Pinon.
In 2009, when they were 14 years of age, they released their first album, Pascal Pinon. It was entirely self-produced. Re-released by the Morr Music label in 2010, it was described by Allmusic as “a truly lovely record”.
The group, now a duo, released their second album, Twosomeness (produced by Alex Somers), in January 2013 . The album received an 8/10 rating from Clash, with writer Gareth James calling it “a rare and beautiful treat”, while it received four stars out of five from Allmusic writer Tim Sendra, who described the songs as “… very magical and wrapped in warm, slightly sad mystery”. Michael Cragg of The Guardian wrote “… these Icelandic twin sisters make gorgeously intimate songs… ” In 2013, Nico Muhly named them to a New York Times “Must List” of daily music, describing their music as “… strangely catching.”
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Wikipedia