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Inspired By Iceland? Seven Songs That Might Have Been!
Lately, we hear a lot about Dubai being the Iceland of the desert or Greece being this year’s Iceland. Iceland, however, is more than just a metaphor for economic stupidity. Songwriters have long used Iceland to illustrate a variety of emotions and…
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Vínbarinn
Celebrated for its wine list, which is one of the best in the city, Vínbarinn is the perfect place for a quiet evening that progresses into a lively party around midnight. Address: Kirkjutorg 4 Phone: +354 5524120 Website: Facebook page Show on…
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Mínus Return. Again.
The bill tonight is an odd one. Mínus have enlisted not a single metal or hardcore act to support them, hoping rather to draw a diverse crowd with the aid of rock duet DLX/ATX and electro champion Biogen. As I walk…
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Excellent Music For Clearly Enthralled People
Dear Kimono, I’ve been pondering our relationship, as it seems to have taken a childish turn recently. Names have been called. Threats were possibly made. But perhaps we were both rash in our comments, such is the passion we share. …
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Hudson Wayne: How Quick Is Your Fish? (2010)
Seven tracks of laconic resignation form Hudson Wayne’s third “full-length” and it stands firmly as the band’s most relaxed and confident offering yet, which is not to say it goes anywhere special or interesting. It relies more on its mood and energy…
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Ólafur Arnalds: Found Songs (2009)
Found Songs is a project Ólafur Arnalds undertook last year. It involved writing, recording and mixing a track every day for a week, then giving them away for free via his Twitter account. The result is a twenty minute mini album containing…
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Fashion, Eruption, Aggression, And A Whole Lotta Fuzz
Hours after a volcanic fissure ruptured in Fimmvörðuháls on the vernal equinox, Canadian electro-glam star Peaches erupted onto NASA’s stage in a fury of beats, costumes, hair, and attitude—a suitable finale for the inaugural Reykjavík Fashion Festival. Peaches’ musical persona…
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Úlpa: Jahilíya (2009)
Úlpa have been lingering at the periphery of the Icelandic music scene for long enough to make something of a name for themselves, but I can’t remember ever meeting anyone who really likes them or has even listened to them, except for…
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Dr. Gunni’s History Of Icelandic Rock Part 17
The rhythm section of Utangarðsmenn—Magnús and Rúnar—came from the tiny village of Raufarhöfn. Brothers Mike and Danny Pollock were the guitar players, two dudes with an Icelandic mother and an American father. They and Bubbi had met at the box factory Kassagerðin,…
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Barbara
At Laugavegur 22, above Karamba, Barbara serves up a lively atmosphere for Reykjavík’s gay community and anybody else who just wants to dance and have a good time. The first level is made for dancing and is often packed with sweaty bodies,…
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Nico And Jónsi GO ALL IN!
It’s nearing midnight on Saturday, March 13, 2010. After a strenuous Icelandic Music Awards ceremony, the Grapevine feels like going home, watching Back To The Future II and kicking back with some popcorn. Which would be the smart thing to do. However,…
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Sykur: Frábært Eða Frábært (2009)
This essentially represents everything that’s wrong with Icelandic techno: all flashy cool and glossy sophistication without having any depth or songwriting skills to back it up. FEF wheels through its forty-one and one-half minutes without offering anything of value. The guest vocalists…
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I’m no expert #4
A matinee Opera concert is a nice idea. A group of young opera singers put together a group called Óp-hópurinn, performing monthly in collaboration with the Icelandic Opera, to kick off their careers. Also a nice idea. You can even buy sandwiches…
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Stereo Hypnosis: Hypnogogia (2009)
I looked it up too; it means the transitional state between sleep and waking. Óskar Thorarensen – Jafet Melge/Inferno 5 – and his son Pan Thorarensen, aka Beatmakin Troopa, build on the organic electronic of Parallel Island with this woozy long-player, this…
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Snorri Helgason: I’m Gonna Put My Name On Your Door (2009)
This debut solo album takes in country-blues (The Silence Of The Night) , a kinda hoedown rock (Freeze-out) and purer, Donovan-ish folk (Carol, She’s A Meadow) in its flighty meander through familiar, non-groundbreaking but undoubtedly excellent songwriting. This is the kind of…
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Dr. Gunni’s History Of Icelandic Rock Part 16
Punk and new wave came late to Iceland. In 1979, all Icelandic records were still either disco, foamy pop or Meat Loaf-imitations. Some punkerly types were lurking around, though, young kids buying their music by mail order from London, falling flat for…
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Den Danske Kro
The Danish Bar is located on Ingólfsstræti, just off Laugavegur where Q Bar once stood. The bar serves up Danish favorites, such as open faced smørrebrød sandwhiches, Danish Tuborg beer and Akavit schnapps. How to ask for a large beer in Danish:…
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Bakkus
Bakkus serves up cheap beer, a really impressive selection of international vodkas and an atmosphere unlike any other in town. An eclectic mix of patrons, regular live music and movie nights keep this place interesting and always inviting. Expect dancing on tables…
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The Petrifying Giant
The main event of the night was Jón Leifs’ Symphony #1, nicknamed the Saga Symphony because it evokes famous scenes from the Icelandic Sagas. Supporting were three Icelandic composers debuting similarly themed works, influenced by the man himself. The first piece, Hlynur…
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Berndsen: Lover in the Dark (2009)
Unlike the national potato harvest, 2009 saw Iceland produce a glut of releases from Electronic pop/dance acts. But with so many contemporaries sporting drum machines as accessories, it can certainly be difficult to get oneself noticed amongst all the synthesizer noise. Berndsen…
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Lára: Surprise (2009)
Surprise, the third long player from singer Lára Rúnarsdóttir is—contrary to what the title might suggests—a rather unsurprising affair. The album presents an array of radio-friendly pop numbers that sound inoffensive and digestible. While it (fortunately) doesn’t fall into the dull rut…
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kimono: Lowercase Ninjas keep piling it on
Mainstay indie-rock outfit kimono released one of 2009’s most critically lauded albums—Easy Music For Difficult People—four years after they unleashed the equally critically lauded LP Arctic Death Ship. The interim saw them move to Berlin, lose a founding member and… settle down.…
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The Foghorns: A Diamond As Big As The Motel 6 (2009)
The boy Bart Cameron and friends return with an album that manages to simultaneously inhabit a Midwestern, dusty landscape and poke the genre with sticks til it twitches and grunts with irritation. There are many moments of self-searching on here, wry without…