New Music & Discovery
The Reykjavík Grapevine presents Icelandic music news along with new Icelandic albums and/or tracks.
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Music News In Brief: Daði Freyr, Páll Ivan Frá Eiðum & Aron Can
Páll Ivan frá Eiðum is one of the more eccentric musicians in Iceland’s music scene. Also well known for his work as a composer and visual artist, his output under this name exists in a quite singular space, possibly located somewhere between…
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Track by Track: Lady Boy Records – Compilation #18
Featuring a diverse group of artists united only by their, uh, ties to Lady Boy Records, the label’s new cassette compilation is the perfect pick-me-up to end any music slump. We asked each artist to tell us about their contribution. Lady Boy…
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Track By Track: Skrattar – Og Djöfullinn Sjálfur
The word “Skrattar” refers to playful demons. “It’s like someone who brings mischief,” says band member Sölvi Magnússon—aka “Djöfullinn Sjálfur,” or “The Devil Himself,” in English. Skrattar and Djöfullinn Sjálfur boys just released a self-titled collaboration on resident-shadowy-alt label Hið myrka man.…
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Music News: Prins Póló, Pink Street Boys, Skrattar & More
Indie-pop darlings Prins Póló recently released a video for their new song “Ölkærastan” (“Beer Girlfriend,” in English). It was made in collaboration with prominent autistic artist and director Ísak Óli, whose paintings often feature Tintin as a motif. “Ísak is an unique…
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Grapevine Playlist: Seint, Par Ðar, Smjörvi, Ham, Emmsjé Gauti & More
Dreamlike electronica, krútt-hop, chill cloud trap, dirty rock ‘n’ roll and post apocalyptic pop… here’s what’s been catching our attention in the Icelandic Music scene. Par Ðar – Svarti Fuglinn “Svarti Fuglinn,” or “Black Birds,” is an interesting mixture of reference points—the…
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Grapevine Playlist: EinarIndra, Andsetinn, Milkywhale & More
What’s going on in Icelandic music today? Lots. Folk, rap, trap, oddly appealing Euro-pop… you name it, and you’ll find it in Iceland. einarIndra – Ripples EinarIndra’s slow, trappy falsetto ballads have had us transfixed since the release of his low key…
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Track by Track: Úlfur Úlfur – Hefnið okkar
Úlfur Úlfur recently dropped their sophomore album, ‘Hefnið okkar’, which means “Avenge Us.” Rappers Helgi and Arnar gave us the rundown on each song. Hefnið okkar (“Avenge Us”) Helgi: We hadn’t planned to make an intro, but I had a new synthesizer……
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Music News: Björk Songbook, New MAMMÚT Album, Ásgeir & More
Veteran Icelandic indie rock band MAMMÚT came out of hibernation this month with announcement that their new album, ‘Kinder Versions’, will come on July 13th via Bella Union—the famed UK indie label that’s home to bands like Fleet Foxes and Beach House.…
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Grapevine Playlist: Sóley, Áttan, Jónsi, Black Pox, Milkywhale & More
Here’s a choice selection of the latest Icelandic tracks that we’ve been making available offline on Spotify, hearting on Soundcloud, and thumbs-upping on YouTube. Birnir – EKKI SWITCHA The hype surrounding rapper Birnir can only be compared to that which surrounded now…
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Track By Track: Milkywhale’s Debut LP
Milkywhale are a pop duo who’ve taken Iceland by storm since first appearing on our radar in 2015. Now they’re preparing to release their debut album into the oceans. Singer Melkorka Sigríður Magnúsdóttir talks us through it. Milkywhale Originally Milkywhale was my…
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Music News: Myrkfælni, Airwaves, The Return Of Vaginaboys
Iceland Airwaves have announced a new crop of bands for the 2017 festival, including Russian new-wave band Glintshake, Aldous Harding from New Zealand, and Jo Goes Hunting from the Netherlands. From the local scene, Músíktilraunir winners Between Mountains join the bill, along…
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Track By Track: Endless Dark’s ‘Hereafter Ltd.’
Endless Dark are the post-hardcore stars of the Reykjavík scene. If you’re into poppy choruses mixed with heavy breakdowns, they might just be your thing. Here they talk us through their new concept album, ‘Hereafter Ltd.’ Warriors Stacked with 80s synths and…
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Grapevine Playlist: Skrattar, Godchilla, AUÐUR & More
Spring is coming! What better way to celebrate than with some black metal, AutoTune and sludge-rock? Here it is: the latest edition of the Grapevine Playlist. Godchilla – Sparkling Void One band you can definitely trust not to use AutoTune or on-trend…
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Music News: Glowie Signs Major Label Deal, New Björk Video, And More!
Icelandic pop singer Glowie, who was one of the nine emerging artists on the cover of our special Iceland Airwaves magazine last year, has signed a major label deal with Columbia Records/RCA. Glowie said, on Facebook: “Everything is possible if you just…
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Track by Track: Úlfur Eldjárn’s ‘Aristókrasía Project’
Úlfur Eldjárn is an Icelandic composer, a member of the Apparat Organ Quartet, and now, a solo artist too. “The Aristókrasía Project started as an outlet for ideas that didn’t fit my band, or my work as a composer,” he explains. “It…
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Grapevine Playlist: Ljósvaki, Nordic Affect, KÁ-AKÁ, Snowed In & More
From contemporary composition to mental-health-rap to young punks from Akranes, here are the new tracks that have been playing on the Grapevine stereo. Ambitious but talentless by Snowed In Snowed In – Downtrodden, Lonesome, Bohemian, Lo-fi, Teenage, Existentialist Blues Snowed In describe…
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Music News: Auto-Tune Thy Drugs
As spring threatened to appear, Icelandic musicians also seemed to come out of hibernation, with a glut of March releases. Downtown rap-lite crew Sturla Atlas, aka the 101 boys, dropped a new mixtape. This time, there are English lyrics, so you can…
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Grapevine Playlist: GANGLY, sóley, Dream Wife & More
Icelandic musicians are coming out of hibernation this month, with new releases dropping all over the genre spectrum. Here are the songs that we’ve been spinning here in the Grapevine office. GANGLY – Whole Again Supergroup GANGLY continue to drip-feed our hungry…
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Music News in Brief (All Caps Edition): JFDR, AUÐUR, GANGLY & More
Gone are the days of A-sides and B-sides, we’re in the world of track by track. Listeners are often seduced away from narrative storytelling and continuous threads by the Spotify temptress and the “new-here-now” workflow. But last month AUÐUR, one of Reykjavík’s…
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Track By Track: JFDR – Brazil
Jófríður Ákadóttir is a singer of many guises. She’s the voice of acclaimed electronica trio Samaris, one half of Pascal Pinon, and one third of low-key supergroup GANGLY. For the past year, she’s been recording her debut solo album, under the JFDR…
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Track by Track: ‘RÓS’ by Shades of Reykjavík
Notorious Icelandic rap collective Shades of Reykjavík unexpectedly dropped their new album ‘RÓS’ last week. Shades member Prins Puffin and a few featured artists gave us their thoughts. R.J.Ó.M.I. Prins Puffin: “R.J.Ó.M.I.” means “C.R.E.A.M.” and it’s a shout-out to old-school hip-hop.…
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Grapevine Playlist: Hermigervill, aYia, AUÐUR & More
From synth-pop to house to R&B to rap, here are five new Icelandic tracks that have been on the Grapevine stereo in recent weeks. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AGqMV_cWdSk Hermigervill – Solitaire Iceland’s favourite red-haired synth angel Hermigervill is best known for his work with Berndsen,…
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Grapevine Playlist: Fufanu, JFDR, ddykwl x HRNNR & More
From fresh-faced rappers to music scene royalty, here are the new Icelandic tracks that have caught our attention in recent weeks. ddykwl x HRNNR – Lada Brothers ddykwl and HRNNR are definitely ones to watch in the Icelandic hip-hop scene. With an…