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The History of Icelandic Rock Music: Part 7
Icelandic popular music has in every major way developed similarly to pop music internationally. By 1969, Icelandic pop was – much like abroad – increasingly being divided into two major classes: lightweight pop for the masses (AKA “bubblegum” or “commercial” music) and…
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Lost in Translation
I couldn’t believe it; the goddamn front door to Sódóma was closed! I had thought I was an hour late, so I shat myself and ran there, dodged the tourists, hopped over the cats – all trying my best not to vomit…
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Are You Always Boring Your Friends With Your Superior, Learned Tastes In Music?
So here’s the thing. We love music. Freaking love it. We listen to it all the time. In the kitchen, in the bedroom, in the bathroom, on the balcony on our way to work, at work. After work. And at night. Then,…
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Hljómar Invent Icelandic Pop
During 1967 and ‘68, Hljómar were once again the major band in Iceland. After the band’s failure to break through (both internationally and locally) with their “difficult” experimental rhythm & blues (as Thor’s Hammer, later recognised as one of the best music…
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Glastonburied With Emiliana Torrini
Love and hate. Looks like it’s going to rain again. Torrentially. That’s nothing new, seeing that it usually rains at Glastonbury. Still people go there in ever increasing numbers. I was mildly exited when I heard Emiliana Torrini was playing Glastonbury this…
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A Conversation With Björk
As part of the promotional campaign for the new Voltaic box set, Björk Guðmundsdóttir gave out several interviews to the local press. Grapevine was invited to participate, and we of course jumped at the chance. It’s the Björk we love and respect,…
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Girls Moderately Aloud
HOT. The only word that needs be used in order to fully describe the atmosphere when my colleague and I walked into Hemmi and Valdi. The place felt like a sauna, minus the oak covered walls, pleasant tree sap aroma and the…
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Audio Improvement
Heavily accented and poorly flowing rap accompanies predictable lo-fi instrumentation on this largely forgettable half-hour of music. There are no outstanding faults in play here, just ho-hum mediocrity and clichéd philosophizing on subjects as tepid as the nature of the universe, the…
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Hermigervill
The album is a collection of mostly instrumental cover versions culled from Icelandic pop music history. The selection is not your obvious pop standards, rather the cult hits that every generation rediscovers and makes their own. Sveinbjörn, as Hermigervill’s mother calls him,…
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Dr. Zühlke and Mr. Eldon
Although it occasionally shows glimpses of intimacy and honesty, All Over The Face is for the most part too bland, too hesitant and too shy to make much of an impact. Skakkamanage play and write songs like they’ve read about it in…
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Remembering The King of Pop: “Rest in Peace, Icarus!”
Ragnar Kjartansson musician, artist Michael Jackson flew too close to the sun. He sacrificed everything for his art, audience, and fans. His music is human creativity bordering on divinity, it is beyond taste. Those who don’t like it don’t understand art. He…
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Our Favourite Bar!
Karamba is a uniquely awesome place on Laugavegur: colourful, fun and completely free of pretensions. They’ve been keeping the good folks of Reykjavík entertained for a few months now, having opened its doors on Friday the 13th of March, a date Árni…
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Girls Moderately Aloud
HOT. The only word that needs be used in order to fully describe the atmosphere when my colleague and I walked into Hemmi and Valdi. The place felt like a sauna, minus the oak covered walls, pleasant tree sap aroma and the…
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Reykjavík Cathedral (Dómkirkjan)
A place of worship has existed on this site since 1200 AD. The current church was completed in 1796 and has since played an important role in Icelandic history. It was here that sovereignty and independence were first blessed and endorsed by…
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The History of Icelandic Rock Music: Part 5
The Beatles had completely changed the landscape of the pop scene and therefore, by 1965, every Icelandic garage was full of young boys (and way too few girls) belting out Beatle covers and other hits du jour. The Swinging Blue Jeans, The…
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Of Course I Remember You
Manstu ekki eftir mér (“Don’t you remember me?”) is a new concert series that – not unlike ATP’s ‘Don’t look back’ series – aims to bring back classic albums for people to experience in a live setting. The+ first band to partake…
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Sonically Speaking
It‘s been eleven years since Ensími‘s remarkable debut was released, and as a commentary on their commemorative concert on June 11th, it seems an analysis of some sort is in order. Kafbátamúsík emerged from the Icelandic rock scene as not only something…
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The Dark Night
Getting soaked in the rain is always the best start to an evening. So much for the summer! I walked into Grand Rokk like a drowned rabbit; the mixed smell of alcohol and damp precipitation was enough to put a grown-ish man…
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Músíktilraunir
It was that time of the year again; the time when youngsters emerge from their garages with stars in their eyes, hoping to follow in the footsteps of their heroes. It was Músíktilraunir time! And Grapevine was there, every step of the…
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What lurks By The Deep?
Ísafjörður annually hosts the classical music festival Við Djúpið – an unfailing, classical sibling of the celebrated carnival Aldrei fór ég suður – but Við Djúpið is just as prestigious and fun a festival. This one is also equally musically adventurous, no…
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The History of Icelandic Rock Music: Part 4
Having been the island’s pop superstars for a whole year, Hljómar set out to conquer the rest of the world in the summer of 1965. This was the first, but definitely not the last, case of Icelandic pop musicians trying to “make…
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Sticks and Stones May Break My Bones But Ink Will Never Hurt Me
Loved by many and hated by mothers all across the world, tattoos are an ever-growing fashion accessory in popular modern society. But for some, tattoos are more than an accessory – they’re a way of life, so why not celebrate this? The…
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Dr. Zühlke and Mr. Eldon
Although they have retreated slightly into the inferior pop shallowness of debut Breathe, We Are Shadows at times beautifully retains and expands upon the richness, depth and assertiveness of sophomore effort The Angela Test, especially on tracks like The Harbor and Planets.…