From Iceland — S.H. Draumur

Published November 26, 2010

S.H. Draumur were a large part of the Icelandic underground music scene of the ‘80s, but their legacy was eventually lost to the wastes of rock history for whatever reason. And there they stayed until a stirring comeback at this year’s Iceland Airwaves, and the release of ‘Goð +’, a two CD re-issue of their 1988 album, packaged with heaps of goodies, including outtakes, demos and live shows.
Thankfully. ‘Goð’ is definitely a record that deserves a re-appreciation. With leanings to The Cult, The Minutemen and Hüsker Dü, ‘Goð’ rattles along with a restless vigour. The key to this is the relationship between Dr Gunni’s bass and Birgir Baldursson’s drums. Together they produce a punchy sound akin to a brick through a window. This makes you forgive the albums little flaws, such as the fact that Dr Gunni can’t quite reach the high notes, or the accordion in ‘Engin ævintýri’. The second CD contains earlier, rawer songs as they tried to be like Joy Division (along with everyone else at the time) before finding their own sound.
It says a lot that ‘Goð+’ sounds a lot better than most of the newer trendy stuff being released by today’s callow youth.