Words by

Óli Dóri and Davíð Roach Gunnarsson

Amiina
The former string team for Sigur Rós, Amiina have evolved tremendously over the past few years. With the kalimba, saw, Theremin and other weird instruments, their songs are both ethereal and playful.
Apparat Organ Quartet
A blend of Kraftwerk and classic rock & roll, Apparat are four dandily clad gentlemen standing behind organs and rocking their guts out. Their aesthetic is calculated to the extreme. They even have their own dance move and a triangular “A” hand signal that people make at their concerts.  
Dead Skeletons
Led by artist Jón Sæmundsson, Dead Skeletons are an exercise in meditative trance-inducing long jams, heavy on drones and krautrock. They feature excellent guitar work from Singapore Sling’s Henrik Björnsson and their lyrics borrow heavily from eastern mysticism.
Ghostigital
Ghostigital is collaboration between the Sugarcubes’ Einar Örn and the multi-instrumentalist/producer Curver. The band is best described as a perfect mixture of noise and electronic music and is known for epic live performances.
HAM
One of the most important rock bands in Icelandic rock history, HAM commands a cult following in Iceland. Óttar Proppé, the singer of HAM, was recently elected as a member of Iceland’s parliament.
Hjaltalín
Hjaltalín surprised everyone in Iceland when they released their third album ‘Enter 4’ late last year. Many local critics’ favourite album in 2012, it sees them moving away from their origins as a chamber rock band and into a more electronic direction.
kimono
For the last 12 years, the math rock band Kimono have been an important fixture of the Reykjavík music scene. The influential band in Iceland is a must-see live act!
Mugison
With his homemade Mirstument, Mugison is going back to his roots in electronic music. On his last album, ‘Haglél,’ Mugison showed his softer side and sang only in Icelandic. It broke the record for the most sold album in Icelandic history.
múm
After a four-year hiatus, the experimental musical group múm return with their upcoming album ‘Smilewound’ due out September 17. Múm rarely play live in Iceland so it’s a treat to see the electronic glitch band at their home base.
Snorri Helgason
This 28-year old singer-songwriter started his music career in the popular Icelandic power pop band Sprengjuhöllin, writing many of its biggest hits. Since disbanding in 2009, Snorri has been active as a solo musician and is currently working on his third album.
Valgeir Sigurðsson
If Iceland has a “super producer” that person is Valgeir Sigurðsson. His work with Björk brought him international acclaim and production duties for artists like Bonnie Prince Billie, CocoRosie and the Magic Numbers. His music is a beautifully rendered diverse pool of influences from neo-classical to folk with a lot of dense sonic details dancing around.
Æla
Excellent post-punk from Keflavík, Æla are well known in Iceland for their mesmerizing and explosive live performances. It has been a while since the band played live so nobody should miss the chance to see them.