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PanVirgins
These five kids from Hafnarfjörður, who produced this album themselves, present tight hard rock worth respect. While the guitars, often mixing palm muting with harmonics, don’t catch you by surprise, the band has the kind of timing that makes you nod your…
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Hildur ValaSelf-titled
The winner of this year’s Icelandic Idol competition… yes, like American Idol. And World Idol. You want us to stop here? No? Okay, Hildur Vala won Icelandic Idol easily: blessed in both the beauty and voice departments, Hildur Vala seems to have…
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BrúðarbandiðMeira!
We thought we’d take another listen to Brúðarbandið after being informed that they had recently broke the bank on a tour of the Bible Belt in the US. Everyone wants to like Brúðarbandið: they have seven members who wear wedding dresses, they…
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Í Svörtum FötumMeðan Ég Sef
The recent documentary on Icelandic music avoids mentioning this band, which is one of the most popular in Iceland. Which got us to thinking, maybe Í Svörtum Fötum is doing something right. Yes, they are considered a Sveitaballa (country dance) band, which…
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RollanHofsós City
The cover and packaging for this CD is tasteful and classic… even the small card explaining that Rollan is the result of a six day drinking bender seemed charming in such packaging. As for the music, remember 1992? These guys really do.…
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The Grapevine and Bad Taste introduce the Grapevine Bad Taste Summer Concert Series
With the goal of providing legitimate venues and promotion for everyone involved in the vibrant and diverse local music scene, The Reykjavík Grapevine is proud to announce the Grapevine Bad Taste Summer Concert Series. Starting May 27 and running until September 8,…
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GraveslimeRoughness and Toughness
Okay, so you don’t like bands with names like Graveslime. And you don’t like hard rock. Get over it. This band’s 2003 release qualifies as one of the best Icelandic albums of the last ten years. The album contains a range of…
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James Apollo May 11 Grand Rokk, supported by Þórir
Minnesota may have the most vital music scene in America, claiming responsibility not just for Bob Dylan, The Replacements, Prince and the like, but also for scores more songwriters who write the songs that make New Yorkers famous. Still, it was a…
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Dýrðin and Bacon May 19 Grand Rokk, supported by California Cheeseburger and The Foghorns
In the week since this ensemble show, in which all bands seemed to play support for each other, we have been asked repeatedly by Americans, Canadians and various foreigners where one might buy California Cheeseburger. This goes to a stereotype that we…
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Ian Curtis Tribute NightMay 19 Gaukur á Stöng
Tribute nights are viewed as a competition between bands, because we can finally see musicians playing the exact same songs, just better. Occasionally, the competition results in good, a-type rock, and this was the case with the Ian Curtis Tribute Night, mainly…
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Foreigner’s Guide to Eurovision
What is it? A song contest, obviously! It is held annually between participating European countries (and some additional places like Israel). When is it? The pre-selection round is 19 May with the final 21 May in Kiev, Ukraine. You can watch it…
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LIKE GAY CHRISTMAS IN SPRINGTIME
On the eve of its 50th anniversary, Eliza Reid investigates the enduring popularity of the Eurovision Song Contest. The Eurovision Song Contest is not everyone’s cup of tea. Anything that features cheesy musical acts, over-the-top costumes, hair and makeup, clichéd presenters and…
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GUS GUS + MEGASFIRST DAY OF SUMMER CONCERTS
here’s what happened: 1) Representatives of Smirnoff stopped by our office with samples of their alco-pops and invites for a “VIP Party.” We laughed at the alco-pop and the classicism of a VIP party. We also came to the conclusion that any…
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ALABAMA THUNDERPUSSYApril 27 Grand Rokk, supported by Brain Police
But Alabama Thunderpussy, or The Pussy as we have taken to calling them, are well-travelled rockers, and they kept lock-step timing throughout the whole show. Despite the testosterone and tattoos, the band played metal riffs that were more Blue Oyster Cult, more…
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Mystic One Distribution of Wealth
“It’s MC Myst I got the craziest flow. I take it with me almost everywhere go. On the train on a bus or a plane I got the type of shit that can make you insane.”… Ahem. While the production, often by…
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Trabant Emotional
“Nasty Boy”, the single from Trabant’s new album, has been making the rounds of local clubs for almost a year, a catchy; lo-fi techno-pop tune, it suggested Trabant would be selling well in the club scene 2005. And Trabant have put forward…
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Bacon Jenny
To quote a great moment in cinema: “Pork chops tastes good. Bacon tastes good.” From the second I got the first Bacon cd, which featured a song called “Brad Pitt” I was elated. Then I played it and sank into utter confusion.…
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Danish Radio Big Band & Eivor Pálsdóttir Trollabundin
Eivor Pálsdóttir has a big voice, and even us cynical irony-loving 101ers have to acknowledge that she’s got an impressive, honest stage presence. Eivor’s new release pairs her with a classic radio big band—the overall result is again impressive, but feels dated.…
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Steindór Ingi SnorrasonFlytur Atvinnuþjóðlög
Steindór’s indie release is nowhere near as boring as the cover. The vocals never hit their mark—they are in key, but almost hummed, as though they are demos for someone else to come in and belt out. Because of this, the tracks…
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Músíktilraunir: Watching the Birth of the Next Big Bands
Músíktilraunir has been around for 24 years. This year 50 bands started out competing among themselves in five different groups at five different semi-final nights at Tjarnarbíó. There each band played two original songs, competing to advance into the finals. The audience…
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Emiliana Torrini Fisherman’s Woman
There ain’t one wrong note in Torrini’s second album. Her voice—something like Björk on lithium—dances along through songs about the pauses in relationships. While the tunes are well-crafted, and you can’t complain about the lyrics, neither are memorable. On display here is…
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Born Again Brain Police
Icelandic desert rock band Brain Police welcomed a new guitar player to the band some weeks ago. Búi Bendtsen, of the bands Fídel and Manhattan, replaced Gulli who had been with the band from day one. Búi’s first appearance with the band…