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From Leather-Clad Knights To The Golden Globes
The only way to describe the year in Icelandic music now behind us is “Absolutely wild!” Earlier this year, Iceland got itself into a small international diplomatic crisis when the ultra-BDSM-dark-lords-of the-inescapable-death-of-materialism band Hatari waved the Palestinian flag at the grotesquely pretentious…
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Reading Too Much Into The Icelandic Book Prize Nominees
It’s that time of the year, when writers and scholars fight to the death—in the poetic sense, of course. Yes, the nominees for the Icelandic Book Prize have been announced, including 15 writers in three categories, who will now compete for the…
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New In Town: Röntgen
It’s that time of the year: the hipster vibe is low and the darkness is damping your glamorous rock and roll style. Do not fret, Röntgen Bar has opened at Hverfisgata 12 to diagnose your winter woes and cure what ails you.…
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This Is How To Support Iceland: A Guide To Atypical Souvenirs
Everyone and their mother leaves Iceland with some Brennivín, lakkrís, a stuffed puffin, lopapeysa and a 66°NORTH hat. And don’t get us wrong, those are great, but for those looking for some deep cuts on the souvenir/gift scale, here are the Grapevine’s…
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Just Sayings: “Varla Upp Í Nös Á Ketti”
When it comes to cats, historically, Icelanders are not fans. We have the brutal Yule Cat that eats poor children around Christmas and the monster Skuggabaldur (you could translate it as “the burden of the shadow”), that is the spawn of a…
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Food Of Iceland: Malt & Appelsín
You would think that preparing a simple mixed Christmas drink would be banal, but when it comes to preparing Icelanders’ favourite Christmas drink, your life and reputation just might depend on your Malt og Appelsín mixology. But first, what are Malt and…
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Top Five Videos We Made This Year (And Loved)
Icelanders are truly storm-people. So we gave our photo editor, Art Bicnick, a simple task when the worst storm in years in Iceland was predicted: Go out into the storm, and catch the windy vibe as well as these stormy gusts that…
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Five Best Albums Of The Year – And Then Some
This year was a diverse one. The biggest standout, in my opinion, was the incredible collective success of Icelandic classical music. This was exemplified in the compilation album ‘Concurrence’ by the Iceland Symphony Orchestra, which was conducted by the classical superstar, and…
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Want To Meet Jesus? Master Hilarion Could Help you With That
Artist and former candidate for Icelandic president’s election, Snorri Ásmundsson, offers people in Iceland a new way to experience the stressful ‘feast of Saint Þorlákur’ on the 23rd of December. Snorri is Iceland’s one of most interesting perform artists and have tried…
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Film Wars: Prometheus – Bullshit Or Masterpiece?
Tagline: When it comes to movies, things might get ugly. Premise: Valur Grettisson and Hannah Jane Cohen work together at The Reykjavík Grapevine. Although everything looks normal on the surface, inside, each finds the other a total idiot when it comes to…
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Icelandic Classical Music Still On The Rise: Anna on NYTimes Best Of List – Again
The amazing Icelandic composer Anna Þorvaldsdóttir is again, the second year in a row, on the New York Times’ list of best classical tracks of 2019, with her dark and eerie symphony, Metacosmos, performed with the Icelandic Symphony Orchestra – conducted by…
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How to Christmas Like An Icelander
If there’s anything Iceland loves, it’s taking Christmas to the next level. And hell no—we’re not talking about the Yule Lads or some Christmas cat, we’re talking about cheesy star-studded Christmas concerts, takeover ice skating rinks, and, of course, those iconic Icelandic…
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This Christmas, Go Easy On The Grýla Myth And Don’t Make Pipe Bombs
Oh my, time flies when you’re having fun! Christmas is upon us. Now is the time where Icelanders cook their traditional glazed ham or pick pellet out of the ptarmigan. Some of us try to teach the kids something about some hippie…
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Playlist: From Bad Acid Trip with Elli Grill To Daughters of RVK
Elli Grill – Nú Koma Jólin Úff, what the fuck. This song is a combination of an acid trip and the notorious Leoncie—which is arguably the same thing. It’s some kind of a reggae Christmas track, which is broken up with metal…
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Members Of The Independence Party Criticised For Nazi Imagery
A small cell within the Independence Party has been criticised heavily for their advertise in the conservative newspaper, Morgunblaðið, for its imagery that feels like a reference to Nazism, and even Stalinism like Fréttablaðið reported. In the ad, it was announced that…
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Just Sayings: “Sá er montnastur sem minnst er í varið”
Here’s one for the endless self-posting idiots out there. This saying literally means, “the ones that are conceited are often uninteresting” and it’s used by Icelanders to describe those flashy types who probably go to the gym a lot and buy Michael…
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Music News: Maus’s New Album & Eurovision
Maus-‘In This Fraction of a Second I Am Floating’ Maus, the semi-punkish Icelandic answer to Pavement, has republished their second album, ‘Í þessi sekúndubrot sem ég flýt’ (‘In This Fraction of a Second I Am Floating’) for its 20th anniversary. The album…
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Grapevine Playlist: Countess Malaise, Ásgeir, Sin Fang & More
The Grapevine Playlist provides you with your regular dose of brand new Icelandic music. This time music for: headbanging and car-cruising along with Bon Iver and Beatles inspired tracks. Young Karin – Floor (feat. Sturla Atlas) Young Karin’s‘Floor’ is an energetic, well-produced…
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Well, You Asked: Star Wars, God & Some Whining
I’m having a quarter-life crisis, help me? Hm, okay, Does that mean you’re like 25 years old? Jesus, relax. My first advice would be don’t panic. Everyone will be dead in five years because of global warming, anyway, so don’t bother running…
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Just Sayings: Að Slá Einhverjum Gullhamra
“Að slá einhverjum gullhamra” literally means to hit someone with a golden hammer. In Icelandic though, this means that you just gave someone a compliment. The saying can also mean that you’re hitting on someone—as in, you’re repeatedly hitting them with a…
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Food Of Iceland: Landi
Is vodka not doing it for you anymore? Feel like your blackouts should be at least ten hours longer? Well, Icelanders found the solution. “Landi,” or “The fellow countrymen,” as is its direct translation, is the roughest moonshine you’ll find in Northern…
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Perfect Day: Sigrún Ásta Jörgensen
Rising stylist Sigrún Ásta Jörgensen has worked with everyone from Tessuti UK to Lykke Li and Vök. More importantly, she also often styles Grapevine cover shoots. Here’s how her perfect day would unfold. First thing in the morning On my perfect day,…
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Just Sayings: “Tekinn á Beinið”
This saying is not really that old. It originated at Akureyri Junior College and means to tell someone off, often by higher authority. The direct translation of the saying—which in Icelandic would be used “Að taka einhvern á beinið”—is “to force someone…
