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“And Some Things That Should Not Have Been Forgotten Were Lost.”
ENSÍMI – ‘ENSÍMI’ (2002) This bad boy pretty much set the standard, production-wise, for Icelandic rock in the… the whatever you call this decade. Oughties? Noughties? Something like that. Anyway, it blew all of its contemporaries out of the water, and also…
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Five Albums That Shaped Bob Cluness’ Decade
Sigur Rós – () (2002) The world’s most infuriatingly enigmatic band. But man when they get it right they fucking get it right! I chose ‘()’ over ‘Takk’ as nobody in the world seemed to be making this kind of music at…
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Five Albums That Shaped Bergrún Anna Hallsteinsdóttir´s Decade
Sigur Rós – Takk (2007) Takk received critical acclaim here, there and everywhere, went gold and made everyone sit up and take notice… again. FM Belfast – How To Make Friends (2008) An album that has been known to cause people…
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The Most Important Hard, Fast, and Heavy of 2001-10
No one wants to make a list like this. You like to get stoned (no pun) to death by disappointed band dorks? First I attempted a list of five. I agonised over it. Stretched it to ten. Tears still rolling. Exceeded ten…
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It’s Almost Over!
For over a year and a half now, Havarí has been offering a massive boost to Reykjavík’s often-championed, yet seldom-supported music scene, acting as a record store and small venue for bands, as well as offering literature from young artists and writers.…
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Something Borrowed, Something Blue
On January 18, one of Iceland’s more dutiful musicians’ unions, the Icelandic Society of Authors and Composers, will host the third in their ‘Birdcage’ concert series. The series, which began in October, combines older Icelandic musicians with relatively young ones in a…
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Not Going Anywhere In Particular
In 2001 Icelandic hip hop exploded with the genre’s first (and last?) super selling masterpiece, the XXX Rottweiler Hundar’s self-titled debut. Simple yet cool beats and impudent and fresh lyrics spewed out by what appeared to be a gang of street urchins…
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Attack Schmattack!
What do Páll Óskar, KK & Ellen, Reykjavík!, múm and Steini from Hjálmar all have in common? Sure, they may all be well-known local musicians, but they have very different styles and fan bases. Nonetheless, they all stand behind the Reykjavík 9,…
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OMG It’s JÓNSI!
I’m not sure if you heard, but Jónsi played a little show over at Laugardalshöll on 29 December. Don’t feel bad if the low-key event passed you by, it’s not like it was buzzed about for eons in advance and has been…
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Prófessorinn og Memfismafían: Diskóeyjan
A sort of children’s story with songs, Diskóeyjan tells the tale of two kids, Daníel and Rut, who are sent to Diskóeyjan (“disco island”) to learn how to be cool. The music is funky, disco naturally plays a part, and the story…
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A Long Time Listening
“Clever” title notwithstanding, A Long Time Listening is not quite diverse enough to make up for its lengthy running time (it’s a fucking hour long), but its careful sonic innovation brilliantly showcases that rock music played by educated musicians doesn’t have to…
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Hjaltalín
Hjaltalín are locally renowned for their live performances, and their new live album, ‘Alpanon’—a live album that documents their concert with the Icelandic Symphony Orchestra this spring (nicely packaged as a CD/DVD combo)—is a testament to their deserved reputation. Hjaltalín’s unique style…
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John Taverner’s Iepo Oneipo
John Tavener’s work represents a duplicate challenge for any performer: it is often highly unorthodox in its rhythm and meter, as well as deeply dependent on an appropriate and receptive venue and atmosphere. A successful show would therefore have to check both…
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Retro Stefson
Retro Stefson know how to have a good time and their latest album, Kimbawe, is no exception. The band is well recognised in the Reykjavík music scene for rocking collective socks off, both in their live shows and studio albums, of which…
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Siggi G. and Memfismafían
Here’s one thing my sarcastic inner-monologue mentioned the other day: “You know what you REALLY need right now? Some easy listening music to help you survive the Christmas gravy delivery system this year.” Then in a stroke of good timing, such an…
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Ensími
There is a beautiful simplicity to roughly half of this album that is difficult to shake, a core of excellent tracks that make the disappointing openers and closers all the more painful. Long chords and gloriously laid-back vocals combine cheesy-synthed, delay-drenched ‘80s…
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Not Your Conventional Rock Star…
If there’s one word that certainly doesn’t describe Bobby Conn, it’s ordinary. A collaborator with the likes of Jim O’Rourke and The Cribs, the Chicago musician is known for his flamboyant style, manic stage shows and glam rock/disco tinged songs about Jesus…
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Baggalútur
As a general rule, Christmas albums are a jingly, tinkly waste of money and should be avoided if not outright banned. The latest output from comedy group Baggalútur, ‘Næstu Jól’, may however be an exception. A collection of their own brand of…
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Five Super-Weird Icelandic Records!
Icelandic musicians have produced their share of weird records. Some records aim to be weird, but some are weird by accident, the artist involved even being fully serious about the whole thing. The five below are truly weird, some by design, others…
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Friðrik Dór
Okay, I know how this is gonna sound, but I’m sorry, Friðrik Dór just isn’t black enough to pull this shit off. I’m sorry, there’s simply no other word for it… I mean, this is a fine pop album, all things considered;…
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Hitt Husið / Gallery Tukt
Hitt Húsið was founded in 1991 by ÍTR, the Sports Council of Reykjavík City, with the aim of creating an information and cultural centre for young people, aged 16-25 years old. In addition to being a venue for all-ages concerts and exhibitions,…
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The Icelandic Printmakers Association
Established in 1969, Íslensk Grafík or The Icelandic Printmakers Association runs its own gallery and studio in the centre of Reykjavík. The gallery is open Thursday-Sunday, 14:00-18:00 and it is possible to rent time in the studio. Address: Tryggvagötu 17, Hafnarmegin 101…
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S.H. Draumur
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…