Iceland Airwaves 2011
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“I’ve Been Saved by Jesus, So Fuck You!”
O’Connor is a stellar performer. Do not forget that her rise to global fame was based on bettering Prince’s version of his song “Nothing Compares 2 U.” Outshining Prince is not something many people can do.
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A Whole Lot of Rocking
I arrive drenched and disheveled at Harpa, ready to see what this years Airwaves ‘it’ venue (or just this years ‘it’ venue in general) has to offer. Insane weather forced me to put off leaving my apartment until the last minute so…
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Sound the siren
Once upon a time, the firm calm of sonowolf gaze. Úlfur may be the next beast to explode from birch undergrowth with a gnash of belief. Foregrounding fairy-tale twinkle and crusade, the expansive breath of Úlfur’s instrumentation — from processed guitar to plaintive clarinet…
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ATTN: Schedule Changes
Mimas, Mukkaló and Megas have cancelled their shows at Tjarnarbíó tonight (Friday). The revised schedule is as follows: 20.50 Prins Póló 21.40 Elín Ey 22.30 sóley 23.20 Lights on the highway
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Zip Zip, Zun Zun!: Zun Zun Egui bring the fun (and their shades) to Airwaves
There’s eclectic, and then there’s Zun Zun Egui. Formed from the cultural primordial soup of Bristol’s avant-garde music scene, they started as a 14 person strong collective, but have since pared down to a strong but flexible quartet. Taking musical flavours from…
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Back To The Futuregrapher!
In the far out world of Futuregrapher, Ringo Starr is your best friend to get hammered with…
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An Australian Presence At Airwaves
Icelandic is a strange language. It has 32 letters and many of them hurt to look at if you have a hangover. I made a lap around the island when I first arrived, but I can’t name a single place I went…
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PBP PUNK DON’T CARE ABOUT ANYTHING
There’s a palpable air of “we don’t care what anyone else is doing or if they like what and how we do” around Paradísarborgarplötur label/collective. It’s the quintessential hardcore/punk and beyond type of operation, ambitious yet somewhat mysterious, i.e. they will not…
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Hipsters Through the Ages
Thus the night began like an adolescent dalliance, the experience of watching Wolves’s set being somewhat akin to being made love to—and I mean this strictly in the Victorian sense—by an overzealous and abstractly romantic teenage boy.
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Independent In Music and Mind: With Árstíðir, you too can transport your mind to a better place
Árstíðir are a classic lesson in poise and perfection. Their music takes in numerous influences, from folk and ‘60s pop, to modern classical music, all the while with their gliding vocal harmonies and mournful strings, they’re truly the balm to sooth your…
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In Remembrance of Biogen, Reykjavik’s own electronica partisan
Various electronic groups from the Weirdcore crew and the recently established Möller label played Faktorý this Thursday in honour of the late, great Sigurbjörn Þorgrímsson, who passed away last February. Sigurbjörn, most often known as Bjössi Biogen, was a member of the…
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A Night Of Hip Hop And Its Bastards
What was to become one of the fest’s most consistent night (sub)genre-wise didn’t go down without some ups and downs. There was surprisingly good turnout for opener Gísli Pálmi and although he doesn’t have lot of material or shows under his belt,…
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“Í upphafi var orðið og orðið var hja…”
A man walks. A man walks in. A church. A man walks into a church. Peeled and scraped iconography clings to an arch. “Í upphafi var orðið og orðið var hja…” A man walks in and sits down. Many bodies sit around…
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Sufi Madness Destroys White Bread Rock Shock Horror!
Arriving at Iðnó and taking in my surroundings, the first thought that entered into my head is that it looked a lot smaller than it did in the pictures, without all those tables and chairs. My second thought was that it was…
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A Reference Free Review
This is a namedrop and reference free review. Just for the hell of it I won‘t mention any styles nor any artist names other then the ones on the bill. Hazar “I’m Hazar and I’m going to rock out for half an…
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“A Tradition in Our Family”
I did not know what to expect from tonight’s lineup. Essentially it was Plastic Ono Band and various sub-voltrons thereof. I was afraid the gig would be hermetic and insular. People playing for their friends. This could not have been further from…
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Middling in the Art Gallery
8:30 pm at the art gallery and Borko are in full swing. I have found my spot for the night, slouched in a corner on the balcony, at this point taking in the denim clad asses of a denim clad couple standing…
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Kreatiivmootor Smash Music Into Joyful Sonic Non-Sequitors
Harpa’s Kaldalón is a seated theatre, below ground level, that plays host tonight to a mixed bag of young Icelandic bands and esteemed visitors, including a solo set by Björk’s percussionist Manu Delago, and headlined by rising Estonian art-music collective Kreatiivmootor. The…
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I Am Thankful For My Ears
I have decided that witnessing an orchestra perform in unison and energy and harmony is one of life’s more affirming experiences.
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I Always Wanted You To Go Into Space, Man
What time is it? Did I miss the first bands playing tonight? Because Iiris are owning the stage like a headlining act. I am unsure if it is a she or a they but based on their on-stage dynamic I’d have to…