Music News: Jónsi, aYia, Högni, Myrkfælni, Dark Music Days

The industry-centric Eurosonic music festival, held in the Dutch city of Groningen, has announced the majority of its 2018 lineup. This year, it will feature two top Icelandic bands. The first is Högni—Grapevine’s cover star, last issue—whose ambitious debut solo album ‘Two Trains’ has been in constant rotation here at GVHQ.

The second is dreamy electronica trio aYia, who won our “Band to Watch” award at the 2017 Grapevine music awards. Eurosonic is well known as an environment where bands pick up summer festival bookings, so good luck to aYia and Högni in going forth and conquering the world.

The inaugural Sigur rós-curated Norður og Niður festival has announced that Jónsi will be releasing a record entitled ‘Frakkur’ at the event. It’s a collection of previously unheard solo electronic compositions made between 2000-2004, edited down from three albums’ worth of material to concise single release.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z3VNVWt5Zt4

A limited edition vinyl will be available, with the first 100 copies coming in a handmade sleeve created onsite by the Icelandic artist Sigga Björg Sigurðardóttir. A limited run of ‘Frakkur,’ and other titles in printed sleeves, will be available through the band’s webstore in the new year. Festival tickets are on sale now.

Dark Music Days has announced some first names for the 2018 lineup. A bright spot in the otherwise dour and stormy Icelandic winter, the annual festival takes place in the warm confines of Harpa between January 25-27th, and presents an eclectic mixture of contemporary composition, classical and experimental music by both local and visiting composers, DJs and musicians. The performers announced so far include Sinfóníuhljómsveit Íslands, Caput Ensemble, Nordic Affect, The Riot Ensemble, Gleb Kanasevich, Stirni ensemble, Trondheim Sinfonietta, and DJ Sóley, with more names to follow in the coming weeks. Tickets are on sale at tix.is.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6uZNbxS–w4

In other dark music news, DIY music magazine Myrkfælni (“Fear of the dark,” in English) has announced a second issue. Founded by members of Kælan Mikla to promote the thriving alt-goth-metal-synth-noise underground scene of Reykjavík, the first 200 people to pre-order the second issue will also get a cassette compilation featuring artists such as Godchilla, 0, Auðn, Sólveig Matthildur, Pink Street Boys, Madonna + Child, WHY NOT?, IDK IDA and Rex Pistols. Order one online at myrkfaelni.bandcamp.com.

Unexplained miseries & the acceptance of sorrow by Sólveig Matthildur

Read more about Icelandic music here.