New Music & Discovery
The Reykjavík Grapevine presents Icelandic music news along with new Icelandic albums and/or tracks.
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Track By Track: ‘Epicycle’ by Gyða Valtysdóttir
Gyða Valtysdóttir first rose to prominence as one of the twin singers in the first iteration of múm, but her story over the past few years is very much her own. After studying classical cello in Russia, she spent a few years…
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Grapevine’s 2016 Playlist To End All 2016 Playlists
There was a veritable raft—nay, a FLOTILLA—of Icelandic bands doing great things in 2016. Aron Can, for example, racked up literally millions of Spotify plays in 2016—no small feat when only ~330,000 people can understand the language you’re rapping in. Fellow rappers…
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Music News In Brief: Cryptochrome, Sigur Rós, The Kraumur Awards and more!
Mysterious melty-faced trio GANGLY are pros at testing our patience, releasing one…killer…steady…track…at…a…time. This past week they put out their third track and video for the single ‘Blow Out.’ The track is as meticulous and haunting as the TV murderer Dexter, and the…
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Music News In Brief: Airwaves 2.0, Meira From GKR, Emilíana Torrini and more!
When Iceland Airwaves was started in 1999 the festival organisers were looking for a platform to bring in the tourists and push out the music. It worked, it really fucking worked. What started as a one-off weekend is now a full week’s…
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Track by Track: ‘GKR’ by GKR
Icelandic rapper GKR released ‘GKR’ last month, a formidable collection of tracks. Here are his thoughts on the album. VELKOMIN Produced by Smokygotbeatz, the first track starts with strings by Högni Egilsson from Hjaltalin, who I share a studio in Grandi with,…
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Track by Track: ‘Fantômas’ by amiina
‘Fantômas’ is a haunting, suspenseful, crime-ridden album full of crooks, clumsy policemen, and bustling Parisian street life. If this sounds more like a movie than an album, that’s because it’s both. Amiina’s forthcoming album, released November 25 by Mengi, was composed as…
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Music News in Brief: Or, All Those Videos You Missed Because, Airwaves
Music videos have come a long way since MTV’s first broadcast in 1980, “Video Killed the Radio Star.” The medium has had its highs and lows over the decades, many thought that the advent of YouTube would override any previous authorities, like…
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Music News In Brief: Q4U, Auður, and Björk and Björk and Björk…
Flashback: in 1982, the dark synth-punk outfit Q4U releases their first and only album, ‘Q1’. Shortly after they are featured in the seminal scene film of the time, ‘Rokk í Reykjavík’. Flash forward: October 2016, Q4U is back on the scene with…
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Track by Track: “Draumleysa” by Martröð
There’s only one track for this issue’s track by track: Martröð’s “Draumleysa,” from their upcoming EP ‘Transmutation of Wounds’. Martröð is a black metal supergroup featuring members of Icelandic black metal bands Wormlust and Misþyrming. If you’ve never heard black metal before,…
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Grapevine Playlist: September 2016
GANGLY – Holy Grounds So this is a bouncy bass thing for you luxuriously soundsystemed car, but at the same time it has an icy wistfulness, so you’re alone in your car. It’s not full on hysterically sad, so you’re probably not…
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Music News In Brief: Sin Fang, Jóhann Jóhannsson, Exos, and more!
Sweet thang Sin Fang released his fourth full-length album on September 16. The album, titled ‘Spaceland’, blasts listeners into the synthetic sunset; into a space of love lost, dark euphorias, and personal confessions. The album features cosmic collaborations with Jónsi, Sóley, Jófríður…
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Music News In Brief: Björk, Pascal Pinon, Soffia Björg and more!
Ever wondered what it looks like inside Björk’s mind? How about inside her mouth? Björk Digital, a virtual reality-infused exhibition, opened on September 1 in London’s famous Somerset House. The exhibition welcomes viewers (or, perhaps more aptly, participants) with panoramic experiences into…
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Track By Track: Pascal Pinon’s ‘Sundur’
Pascal Pinon is twin sisters Ásthildur and Jófríður Ákadóttir, who self-produced their first album aged just fourteen. Their second, released in 2013, was called ‘Twosomeness’, and their third, out now, is called ‘Sundur’. “Finding a name for an album is crazy difficult,”…
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Track by Track: ‘Makril’ by Indriði
Indriði is famous for his guitar playing in the Icelandic punk band Muck. He is also part of the experimental collective Sagitaria Raga, and has collaborated with artists like Úlfur Hansson and Jófríður Ákadóttir. Since the release of his first solo album,…
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Music News In Brief: Cyber, Young Karin, Ólafur Arnalds and more!
Írena Sírena is a new single from the up-and-coming alternative pop duo Andy Svarthol, consisting of Egill Viðarsson (of Nóra) and Bjarki Hreinn Viðarsson. The track has garnered much attention and can already be heard frequently on the radio. The duo has…
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Track By Track: ‘Floating Harmonies’ By Júníus Meyvant
Westman Islands-based singer-songwriter Júníus Meyvant first started to turn heads for his soulful folk pop after releasing his first single, “Color Decay,” and has been busy performing and working on his recently released debut album, ‘Floating Harmonies’, ever since. Make sure to…
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Track by Track: ‘Vagg & Velta’ by Emmsjé Gauti
Since the release of his third solo album ‘Vagg & Velta’, Emmsjé Gauti has been packing venues and selling out of merch. Catch the phenomenon for yourself at Innipúkinn Festival, Iceland Airwaves and more. Here are his thoughts on ‘Vagg & Velta’:…
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Track By Track: ‘Vittu til’ By Snorri Helgason
Singer-songwriter Snorri Helgason is a veteran of the Icelandic music scene. His fourth solo album ‘Vittu Til’ was recently released, with one of its singles, “Einsemd,” in heavy rotation on the national radio station. Here are Snorri’s thoughts on the album. [bandcamp…
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Track by Track: ‘The Truth the Love the Life’’ by Markús & The Diversion Sessions
“The Truth the Love the Life” by Markús & The Diversion Sessions came out in late 2015, after three years of recording in various places in Iceland. It was very much a collective effort, as lead singer Markús Bjarnason explains. “Without influences…
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Track By Track: Samaris Singer Jófríður Tells The Story Of Black Light
Samaris are one of the bright lights of the Reykjavík music scene. Famed for 90s-inflected breaks, sonorous clarinet and the intimate, breathy vocals of singer Jófríður Ákadóttir, their third (and best) album, ‘Black Light’, sees them picking up the BPM and transitioning…
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Track By Track: ‘Glópagull’ By Sigmund
Sigmundur Páll Freysteinsson, better known as $igmund, is a fresh face on the Icelandic music scene. The crew working alongside $igmund consists of Arnar Már Kristinsson, Gestur Sveinsson and Hákon Örn Helgason. They have been writing, rapping and recording for a while…
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Track By Track: Laser Life’s ‘Polyhedron’
Breki Steinn Mánason is the electronic mastermind behind Laser Life. He recently released his first album, ‘Polyhedron’, inspired by punk, post-rock, drum’n’bass and Nintendo. Breki played guitar in a band a while ago. The band split up when members moved away. He…
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Track By Track: Futuregrapher’s ‘Hrafnagil’
Famous for rapid-fire drum ‘n’ bass tunes, electronic artist Futuregrapher—real name Árni Grétar—has made a name for himself as a great live performer, collaborated with numerous artists, and released three albums of his own. His fourth upcoming album, ‘Hrafnagil’ (“Raven Ravine”), is…