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Can He Save Us, Too?
Barack Obama’s call for change resonates as deeply in Europe as it does in the US. The new leader of the Free World is seen as a unifying symbol, capable of rebuilding the bridges that the Bush administration burned down in the…
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The Skeleton Economy
The Icelandic economy has crashed. The government has nationalized all three of the major banks in Iceland and most Icelandic financial institutions overseas are bankrupt. The global credit crisis that has left banks in Europe and the US bankrupt has hit Iceland…
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19. Hædin
Nineteen floors up in the air is high enough so that you have to pop your ears on the elevator trip down again. You should try it sometime. The lunch restaurant 19. hæðin, located on the 19th floor of the Smáratorg tower…
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For a Minor Reflection
Iceland Airwaves is fast approaching. The line up is complete, so now it is time to start planning what to see and what to skip. The Grapevine is always willing to lend a helping hand, so as a part of our effort…
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Rock Stars in the Making
Endless Dark had just finished their part in warming up the very moderate number of people already gathered at Amsterdam early on Saturday night when we joined them. The thin crowd expanded somewhat when indie-rock outfit Mammút stepped on stage to do…
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The Lessons of Life
At the beginning of 2006, Lovísa Elísabet Sigrúnardóttir was just known as the girl from Benny Crespo’s Gang. And even that would be stretching it, since the band was only known by a small group of people who pay attention to the…
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Sexism and Sloppy Journalism
In the last issue of the Reykjavík Grapevine we published an open letter from Björk, where she lambasted the music press collectively for being sexist and not doing their homework. Her letter provoked some controversy, and generated a lively Internet debate in…
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Circus: Últra Mega Technobandið Stefán
Few bands have caused more stir in Iceland than the teen-phenomenon that is Ultra Mega Technoband Stefan. Since 2006, the band has performed around the world on the strength of their live shows that remain a circus of sorts. Now the have…
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Emiliana Torrini: Me and Armini
Icelandic indie-folk singer Emiliana Torrini returns with her follow up to the 2005 success, Fisherman’s Woman. While this is a little more up-beat release, and more grounded in traditional pop rather than folk music, Emiliana’s voice and song writing talent remains her…
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Chickenshit Happens
Iceland does not maintain an army; but since 2001, we have maintained the paramilitary Icelandic Crisis Response Unit (ICRU), an expeditionary peacekeeping force that is deployed on peacekeeping and humanitarian aid missions around the world, mostly in an effort to bolster Iceland’s…
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Reykjavik Zoo & Family Park
Being raised in a village of 200 people out in the country side has its peculiar perks. For one thing I did not have to experience nature through artificial recreations. I was able to interact with farm animals in their natural habitat…
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Raudara
The most positive part of the Rauðará experience is not really the food itself, but the positively comfortable settings it is served in. Located inside an old brewery where beer was manufactured during the Great Icelandic Beer Prohibition of the last century,…
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Insititute of Higher Ranking
In 2005, Kristín Ingólfsdóttir succeeded Páll Skúlason as Rector of the University of Iceland. After a year on the job, she revealed her ambitious plan to take the University of Iceland to the top 100 of the leading university ranking lists. Now,…
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Silver Rush in Siglufjörður
Those who lived it still claim it was the best time of their lives. The Great Herring Adventure of the ‘50s and ‘60s was the Icelandic equivalent of Klondike. A gold rush (or silver rush perhaps, as herring is affectionately called the…
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“There’s no Pressure”
The hardcore punk band Gavin Portland surprised many with their debut album, Views of Distant Towns, released last year to much critical acclaim. The album scored favourably among reviewers, both in Iceland and abroad. Now the band faces the daunting task of…
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Metal: Industrial Strength
Celebrating the release of their respective albums and the formation of their own record label, Molestine Records, two Reykjavík metal bands, Momentum and Celestine, seized the old Iðnó theatre by the Reykjavík pond for a night of industrial strength metal music. …
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Foxface
For some reason, this debut album by the Glascow three-piece Foxface ended up on my desk. It is a rather enjoyable mash of folk influenced pop with a dash of rockabilly. This sounds like it could be a great bar band. The…
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Public Restrooms: A Beginner’s Guide
I have recently spent some time travelling. The nature of travel is that it takes you out of your comfort zone – your everyday routine where you know how and where to find the things you need, more or less when you…
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A Cosy Colonial Store
Cosy is a word that gets thrown around a lot. A lot more than it should actually. But sometimes, it is just the right word to describe a place that feels… well, cosy. One of those places that truly is cosy is…
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Tapas Barinn
The Tapas Bar on Vesturgata has long been one of my favourite destinations when I plan to go out, dine and meet friends. The location is a bonus, but the fact that it serves excellent food for a relatively healthy price is…
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Grjóthrun
Grjóthrun is best described as authentic Icelandic folk-rock. It has never been a music genre that inspires me with pride in my cultural heritage, but let’s focus on the positive: 1) I enjoyed the song Jónas, not least because the lyric was…
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Riding in Reykjavik
First off, was your decision influenced by environmental reasons or health reasons? I wanted to lose weight and get into shape, but I was very busy and was looking for an exercise I could integrate into my daily routine. My first choice…
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The Machine is Deaf
June 17, 1944, the greatest minds in Iceland convened on the banks of Lake Þingvallavatn to declare independence. From this day on, this nation should be a sovereign state, free from the tyranny of its Danish masters. June 13, 2008, mere days…
