Author: Valgerður Þóroddsdóttir
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All In The Family
It doesn’t get much more romantic than in the world of folk, where music is looked upon as a phenomenon…
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Tequila and Chamomile
James Blake was indulgent, lush gospel. The crowd transfixed by his full-bodied, all-consuming bassline that vibrated bones and filled every…
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Friday Night Lights
Inside, an anxious shuffle. The vast expanse of Harpa’s interior. Walls the colour of scorched-rock, bright lights reflecting in mirrors…
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The Decisive Moment
Ari Sigvaldason is a doting admirer of ugly duckling ReykjavíkAri Sigvaldason has the relaxed, unhurried sense about him of someone…
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‘Inside The Volcano’ Tour: Belly Of The Beast
Einar Stefánsson is the kind of man who whistles while descending into the mouth of a volcano. I’m standing in…
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Iceland Cubed
The question of how best to package Iceland for international consumption has long been a contentious issue, one that has…
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Bastard Love
Vesturport performs ‘Bastard—A Family Saga’ at Reykjavík City Theatre on June 2.We are not entirely lost to ourselves. Our gaping…
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The Activist
Andrea Ólafsdóttir was the last to announce her candidacy for president, on May 1, International Workers’ Day this year. Born…
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Tickle Against the Machine
On an international scale, Erna Ómarsdóttir is undoubtedly Iceland’s best-known contemporary dancer. Tickling Death Machine is her most recent project,…
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The Boys Are Back In Town
‘Valtari’—Sigur Rós’ much-anticipated sixth-release—is risky. Not that the band hasn’t, in its 18-years-active, established itself as a creative juggernaut of…
Sigur Rós Denies Split Rumours, Confirms Others
In an exclusive interview with the Grapevine, Georg Hólm (Goggi) and Jón Þór Birgisson (Jónsi) deny persistent rumors that Kjartan…
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An Elegant Twist
Veteran designer Steinunn on the past and present of Icelandic fashionSteinunn Sigurðardóttir is a woman who takes care in the…
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Getting Rid Of ‘The Man Behind The Curtain’
by Valgerður Þóroddsdóttir and Rex Beckett
Before we begin, let’s just go ahead and acknowledge the illustrious, dazzling elephant in the room: Björk. She’s always there….
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Reykjavík Christmas City
If there’s one cause to which the perpetual dusk of Icelandic winter is sympathetic, it’s that of Christmas decorations. Indeed,…
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Suffer For Fashion, Or Whatever
It was 1977, at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane. The voice, the vision, the inimitable Nina Simone erupts the audience…
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Lights & Music, Indeed
Outside the concert venue, face flushed pink to match his undersized varsity jacket, Berndsen looked exultant. Honestly, it was probably…
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Young Hearts
by Valgerður Þóroddsdóttir and Melkorka Licea
LungA turns elevenThis July 10 to 17 marked the 11-year anniversary of the LungA young artists’ festival in the far-eastern…
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Five Places You Should See / Trips You Should Take
Esja—That big mountain over there Close to the heart of every Reykjaviking—literally as well as metaphorically—is the mountain range Esja,…
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Information Without Borders?
The info-wars have begun, and Iceland is begging to be the legislative battleground. In the wake of the international controversy…
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Short List Announced for Top Albums of the Year
Kraumur Music Fund announced today the nominees for this year’s Kraum List—the Fund’s annual prize for Icelandic albums of the…
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Suffer For Fashion, Or Whatever
It was 1977, at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane. The voice, the vision, the inimitable Nina Simone erupts the audience…
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Reykjavík Nine Call for Show of Solidarity
Today marks the two-year anniversary of the alleged ‘attack on Parliament’ by the ‘Reykjavík Nine’ protesters, who in December 2008…
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NASA – Sunday
by Bergrún Anna Hallsteinsdóttir and Valgerður Þóroddsdóttir
Photo by Hvalreki The first band to play that night was Orphic Oxtra who helped get me over my intense…
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Art Museum – Saturday
by Sindri Eldon and Valgerður Þóroddsdóttir
Photos by Hvalreki and Páll Hilmarsson a)Holy shit, this place looks awesome. It’s about time Iceland had a real pop/rock…
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Reykjavík Art Museum- Friday
Photos by Hörður Sveinsson and Morgan Levy. Chateau Marmont got right down to the point. Straightforward electro synth, indisputable as…