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Höfnin Hljómar – Electronic Music From Iceland
Released for a recent Airwaves, ‘Höfnin Hljómar’ (or ‘Harbor Sounds’) is a sampler of some of Iceland’s experimental electronic musicians. “Sampler” is putting it lightly, as the wide variety of techniques and outcomes on the fourteen-track album range from “The Harbour V2,”…
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5
The jazz quartet ADHD has a stellar track record for quality and consistency. Their latest release, ‘5’, is no different, and like their other recordings, is conveniently labeled numerically for easy reference! The song structures are tight, consisting of almost minimal phrases…
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Clockworking
The new record from Icelandic chamber music ensemble Nordic Affect showcases new works combining historical performance traditions with fresh new sounds. In addition to familiar instruments like the violin and viola, the group plays the traverso (a wooden flute), tthe harpsichord, and…
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Umleikis
Composer/violinist Una Sveinbjarnardóttir’s new album of violin solos is titled ‘Umleikis’, or “playing around.” Una is best known for her role in the Icelandic Symphony, performing and recording for countless national and international pieces. Originally intending to make an album of old…
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The Right Gender: Composer Karólína Eiríksdóttir on making ‘Magnus-Maria’
‘Magnus-Maria’, a progressive new opera from Icelandic composer Karólína Eiríksdóttir and Swedish director Suzanne Osten, will make its Iceland debut at the Reykjavík Arts Festival. The opera tells the true story of Swedish-born Maria Johansdotter, who was born female but lived much…
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Theatrics
‘Theatrics’ is Puzzle Muteson’s second album on the Bedroom Community imprint. He is still elusively hushed in style; his Antony-like vocals still quiver delicately along with his sparse, fingerpicked guitars. There’s a lot of talk about existence on the album, coded into…
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Innra
Rökkurró’s third album ‘Innra’ (or “inner”) comes to us four years after their quiet but stunning sophomore outing, ‘Í annan heim’. On ‘Innra’, the band’s palate has expanded, the sound broadened. It is an eclectic album tied together by quivering soprano vocals,…
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Aeoline
DADA is the musical outlet of one Sigtryggur Ari Jóhannsson, who creates music inspired by mid-century analog synthesizers and the software of the beat-driven modern age. His album ‘Aeoline’ is an engaging mix that will appeal to many audiences. Those familiar with…
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Krómantík
Sóley’s latest outing, ‘Krómantík’, surprises. The EP departs from her usual pop-tinged songwriting, instead delivering a very short collection of ghostly piano music written for several art projects. It is in essence a multi-soundtrack album, and its title is an appropriate portmanteau…
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To Them We Are Only Shadows
‘To Them We Are Only Shadows’ is the latest album from veteran Icelandic musicians Worm Is Green, a band celebrating its fourteenth year of operation. The group uses electronics and samples along with vocals, drum pads, and bass to create a blend…
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A Requiem For A Lost Industry
Jóhann Jóhannsson and the Iceland Symphony Orchestra will present the Iceland premiere of ‘The Miners’ Hymns’ during Airwaves in a special version arranged for the orchestra. The work was collaboratively created in 2010 by Jóhann and American filmmaker Bill Morrison as a…
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Iceland’s Sonic Landscape: Driving The Ring Road
Not long ago, I was packing my travel bag into the back of my friends’ four-wheel drive SUV as we all headed out for an extended week navigating the Ring Road. I was somewhere between a tourist and a resident, living in…
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Home
With several albums under her belt, two No. 1 singles on the Icelandic music charts, and world touring with Gusgus as a teen, Hafdís Huld has a lot of previous musical experience to draw upon. She’s nearing her mid-thirties now, but has…
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In the Eye of the Storm
The trio of musicians in Monotown (two of them brothers) released their first album, ‘In The Eye Of The Storm,’ this year. The album is a mix of folk harmonies, rock ballads, and up-tempo tracks. The title song is one of the…
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This Is Icelandic Indie Music (Vol. II)
Despite the name, this sampling of Record Records’ roster carries some of the most prominent bands in the country, and like its predecessor, travels through folk, rock, dance, and even reggae. “Indie music” and “Icelandic music” are pretty synonymous; if you’re making…
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Sorrí
Prins Póló, the essentially one-man-band project of Svavar Pétur Eysteinsson (Skakkamanage), has a new album out titled ‘Sorrí.’ I’m not sure what the “Sorry” is about, but perhaps it’s an ironic middle finger to those who might not like this very eclectic…
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M-Band – Haust
Hörður Már Bjarnason’s solo album ‘Haust’ (or “Autumn”), under his band name M-Band, at times seems to emulate the styles of more seasoned electronic musicians a little too closely, but ends up offering plenty of fresh sounds as well. GusGus is an…
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4 Hliðar
On Samúel Jón Samúelsson’s retro-styled album ‘4 Hliðar’ (“Four Sides”, as in vinyl), the composer uses an extended album format to give listeners over an hour and a half of funk-laden tunes. The album shows Samúel’s expert orchestrations for his jazz-based ensemble,…
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Emilíana Torrini: Tookah
Emilíana Torrini’s new album ‘Tookah’ is brimming with her signature sound: quiet vocals, smooth orchestrations, subtle beats, guitar pickings, and romanticised lyrics. But it also goes in new directions that keep the album feeling current. Fans of Emilíana will be comforted by…
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Valgeir Sigurðsson: Architecture Of Loss
On ‘Architecture of Loss,’ Valgeir Sigurðsson pares down musical selections originally written for Stephen Petronio’s ballet of the same name. The resulting album is a dark, brooding soundtrack somewhere between chamber music and ambient noise. Parts of the album envelop the listener…
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Sigurður Sævarsson: Missa Pacis
Composer Sigurður Sævarsson’s new album out, ‘Missa Pacis,’ blossoms with harmonies for choir, organ, cello, and percussion. I heard ‘Missa Pacis’ in concert with the Hljómeyki choir during the ‘Dark Music Days’ festival earlier this year; the piece was performed at Neskirkja…
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Dark Music Days
Reykjavík’s Dark Music Days Festival (Myrkir Músíkdagar) is a bit like Iceland Airwaves, if Airwaves catered mostly to hip classical musicians, threw in a ton of contrabass instruments, and was operated entirely by about four people. This year, the usual multi-week festival…