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Destrier
There are some high-quality moments on ‘Destrier’—the play with harmonics (and is that a Tartini tone I hear?) for the intro/outro; or from the 2:30 mark onward on “Dark Water,” for instance. The latter example highlights the technical skill on the part…
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Happening Tonight: Dulvitund Album Release Party/Döpur/ULTRAORTHODOX
Experimental dronescaper Dulvitund is releasing new album ‘Allt er Lífið Myrkur Draumur’ and to celebrate, he’s putting on a show with some of his fellow friends-on-the-scene: industrial/goth-adjacent noisemakers Döpur and all around cool-guy ULTRAORTHODOX. So git down to Gaukurinn for sounds that’ll…
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WHERE’S THE GAYBOURHOOD?
I’ve asked around. Though the sample size is hardly one that would hold up under intense scrutiny, a pattern has begun to emerge. The question “Where’s the gaybourhood?”, when raised in Reykjavík, will most likely be met with the response (after several,…
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Ongoing Now: ‘Nothing Really Matters (Except Me)’ By Simon Buckley
In the title of his first solo exhibition in Iceland, UK artist Simon Buckley makes a statement that’s as close to an objective truth as we at the Grapevine have ever come across. ‘Nothing Really Matters (Except Me)’ is consistent with the…
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Happening Tonight: Kría Brekkan
Angelic whisper-singer, multi-instrumentalist, electronic/freak-folk icon and living legend (at least in my fanatical opinion <3) Kría Brekkan (aka Krístin Anna Valtýsdóttir, aka Doctess) is putting on a show at Mengi. Whether as a (now former) member of múm, working in conjunction with…
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Opening Today: Rán Flygenring Exhibit
Documentary illustrator Rán Flygenring spent the summer of 2015 travelling around Iceland, documenting her experiences as a participant in Iceland’s rich and lively bathing culture with the illustrative medium of pen and paper. This exhibition showcases the breadth of her summer’s experiences,…
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Film Review: ‘I Want To Be Weird’ Is Interesting, Lacking In Focus
‘I Want To Be Weird’, director Brynja Dögg Friðriksdóttir’s first film, chronicles The Weird Girls Project, an ongoing art film series created, produced, and directed by British-born, Reykjavík-based concept artist Kitty Von-Sometime. The vibe we get from Kitty, in interviews and behind-the-scenes…
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Happening Tonight: Múm & Dj. Flugvél Og Geimskip
Two founding members of renowned Icelandic experinstrumental-electroglitch group múm, Gunnar Tynes and Örvar Smárason, will be joined by queen of the local weirdo scene, dj. flugvél og geimskip, for the fourth instalment of their experimental musical/film performances at Mengi. The three will…
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Döwnlöad This Nöw: Börn – “Sviðin Jörð”
Börn hit the ground running in our most recent track of the issue. “Sviðin jörð” (“Scorched Earth”) needs no introduction, no buildup. It starts strong and stays there. Sounding as if recorded in some long-abandoned, dingy basement, this track is no frills,…
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Happening Tonight: Teitur Magnússon & More
Húrra’s got a night of music so chilled out as to rival the fast-approaching winter months. Headlining is Teitur Magnússon, a man who´s got that acoustic indie psychedelic-folk-pop sound down to a science. He often incorporates Eastern and Caribbean elements for a…
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Vaginaboys Release Free Song! Play At UNICEF Fundraiser Today!
The masked electronic duo Vaginaboys have just released a new song dedicated to those who have lost their lives in search of a better life. And they’re playing at a UNICEF Fundraiser! https://soundcloud.com/vaginaboys/vaginaboys-u-reyndir/ The goal of UNICEF is to provide humanitarian aid…
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This IS Iceland’s Bear Scene: Bears On Ice 2015
This past weekend, an international cavalcade of burly men inundated the City of Reykjavík and its surrounding natural wonders. Who were these burly men? What did they want? Why were so many of them wearing cargo shorts? They were the men of…
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Ongoing Now: Októberfest
It’s that time of year again. The Harvest is almost upon us, and as such we must make ample room for our future bounty. So grab a 30 rack and a couple dozen hot dogs, make sure your friends do the same,…
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Happening Tonight: Plastic Gods / ULTRAORTHODOX
You know that feeling you get where you’re clear-headed and clean? It’s awful, right? Like… literally the worst. The best remedy for this affliction is a kilo of stoner rock, a smidgen of sludge, a dash of Doom Metal, all mixed in…
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Opening Today: Reykjavík International Literary Festival
This year’s Reykjavík International Literary Festival is loaded with readings, conversations, discussions, booze, and writing prompts, with many well-known Icelandic and international writers partaking. Topics of this year’s festival include environmentalism, the past, immigration and home, feminism, food, and more. All writers,…
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Ongoing Now: ‘Botany’ by Þórgunnur Oddsdóttir
The collective works of Þórgunnur Oddsdóttir cover such a wide range of media that it’s impossible to categorise what she does, or to predict what she’ll come up with next. Þórgunnur has worked with collage, poetry, prose, performance, photography, sculpture, installations, printmaking,…
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Happening Tonight: Hjálmar At Húrra
Beloved Icelandic indie-folk-reggae-adjacent band Hjálmar are all set to to play their hearts out for you fine folks at Húrra. These guys sport that classic, indie-beard look & vibe—soft vocals, a sensitive touch, and the act of wearing sunglasses indoors, at night.…
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Ongoing Now: Selected Works By Davíð Örn Halldórsson
Hverfisgallerí will be opening an exhibition of works by painter/sculptor/colour-wizard Davíð Örn Halldórsson. His work combines various materials and forms such as ship varnish, spray paint, and markers on wood blocks, cardboard, and directly onto the walls for a visual aesthetic and…
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![[ˈkwarˌerˈeɪjaˌfjatl̥aˌjœːkʏɬ] Or, Why Is Icelandic Considered Difficult To Learn?](https://grapevine.is/wp-content/uploads/Scan.jpg)
[ˈkwarˌerˈeɪjaˌfjatl̥aˌjœːkʏɬ] Or, Why Is Icelandic Considered Difficult To Learn?
For most English-speaking tourists, the Icelandic language might be another in a long list of quaint novelties experienced from behind the padding of a tour group decked out in matching rain slickers: a bunch of tongue-air and whisper-sounds in the distance as…
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Happening Today: Júníus Meyvant At Græni Hatturinn
ATTENTION CITIZENS OF AKUREYRI: Icelandic singer-songwriter, part-time beard enthusiast (and full-time dreamboat) Júníus Meyvant (AKA Unnar Gísli Sigurmundsson, of the Westman Islands) is coming your way. His songs showcase that patented Júníus sensitivity we’ve come to love, and his musical and vocal…
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Sooooooo Yeah. We Should Talk, Culture Night?
My dearest Reykjavíkians, This past weekend was, as many of you don’t remember all too well, the annual celebration of Culture Night. I’d asked around for a few days before the festivities, inquiring as to what Culture Night was all about. No…
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In The Eye Of The Swarm: The Beekeepers Of Iceland
The paved road transitions to dirt just south of Mosfellsbær, but Torbjørn’s new electric car handles the change smoothly. “I have two hives out here at Hafravatn,” he says, “and six more in the south. The southwest is the best region in…
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Innipúkinn: Inner Demons And Outdoor Fan Service
With twenty-seven acts performing over the course of three nights in two venues, it was assured that you couldn’t see everything at Innipúkinn, even though you might want to. Since the rest of the city seemed hell-bent on getting out—barbecuing, communing with…
