The four organists in the band, Jóhann, Úlfur, Hörður, and Musíkvatur, use all of their 40 fingers to bring out a dazzling array of sounds from their collection of instruments, which include two Italian Farfisas from the 1960s, a Yamaha, a Hammond,…

When I saw Keane, The Stills and The Shins on the lineup for this year’s Airwaves festival, I expected the worst. The Iceland Airwaves Festival would be an innocuous gathering of bands you put on an iPod because they don’t disrupt the…

Meeting me between work and rehearsals, Gísli seems a busy man these days. He tells me that he doesn’t intend to sleep until the third album of the trilogy has been completed, and about the importance of everyone being perfectly syncronised before…

On the masterful Let Love In, he concentrates on the conflict and heartbreak that so often comes with love, particularly on the title track: “Despair and deception/Love´s ugly little twin/Came knocking on my door/I let them in” reminiscent of William Blake´s “There…

“It was completely by accident that all the songs ended up being reggae songs. When we started recording, we knew that we didn’t want pop but we weren’t aiming for reggae, either. We wanted to have an analog sound, which we acheived…

When there finally came time for a bit more rumination concerning the name, it was decided that Anima was far too pretentious and the name was overhauled to Amina. In the summer of 1999 everything changed when they got their fateful call…

I caught up with Magnús and Aron of Úlpa at Bar 11 on a Sunday. Magnús, the singer, guitarist and keyboardist, was tending the bar. Aron, the bassist, was somewhat draped over the bar. Grapevine: When does the new album come out,…

The Mayor of Keflavík greeted them with open arms and an open apartment – setting up a special rate so that the band wouldn’t have to commute from Reykjavík. On a chilly September Sunday, Bart Cameron drove Iceland’s most dangerous stretch of…

“You know how Bibbi got a lump on the back of his head?,” Einar Örn asks me, referring to the other half of his music project, Ghostigital, who’s not present to defend himself. “I have no idea,” I say. “He got it…

I’m well aware of the fact that in Iceland, famous people are not treated with the same degree of fawning and adulation that they might get in other countries. I’ve gotten used to seeing nationally and even internationally acclaimed Icelandic celebrities standing…

Arguably, one of the highlights of Reykjavík’s recent so-called Culture Night was the reunion of Egó – one of the biggest Icelandic rock acts of the early to mid-‘80s. Then and now, led by Bubbi Morthens – the Icelandic Springsteen, if one…

You go over to Bæjarins bestu with hot dog on your mind and by the time it´s your turn you´re no longer responding to commands from your belly region. Even cold beer in the hot sun doesn´t make you any more contented.…

With the addition of a percussionist, brass player and string player they have become a veritable orchestra. But orchestrated they are not. The stage is rife with movement, players moving to different instruments; Örvar drops his mouth piano and acrobats to the…

Much of my childhood was spent messing around in the local swimming pools and as a logical progression, I got hooked on long, hot showers. This habit caused some frustration in the family, who resented my hogging of the shower. But I…

Grapevine: What are your influences? Böddi: Sting and Guns n’ Roses. GV: Sting and Guns n’ Roses. Really? You’re not a 101 band, are you? Böddi: No. What we’re playing is just for us. We’ve got good material though. We’ve got interesting…

The only disappointment of the evening was Geno Sydal, whose laid-back style could not make the transition to the fist-pumping persona he took on for the show. Amiable and likeable as Geno is, the eighth time he said “Iceland put your fucking…