STRAUMUR: Four Songs That Washed Upon Our Shore

With the indie band Nóra on hiatus for the foreseeable future, singer/guitarist Egill Viðarsson has started a new band with his younger brother Bjarki, called Andí Svarthol. They released their first song this month, the cheekily titled “Írena Sírena,” a pop number with a dreamy atmosphere and texture and lyrics about regret. Both members sing, with Egill playing the keyboard and Bjarki the guitar. Live, the band is joined by drummer Óskar Kjartansson and multi-instrumentalist Frank Cassata. The brothers have said that they have a bunch of material that they are very excited about, in many ways an offspring of Nóra, and will hopefully be putting out an album sometime next year! lf it’s anything like “Írena Sírena,” we are in for a treat.

The band Suð (buzz) is a three-piece Icelandic indie rock band that made their name in the late 90s with powerful performances and one album, ‘Hugsunarvélin’, that came out in 1998. The band is finally back with a brand new single called “Á flótta” (“On a Run”) from their second album, titled ‘Meira suð’ (“More Buzz”) and due in September. The band also released a video for the single, with black and white photography and running children to perfectly fit the chorus: “on the run with a family.” It’s honest indie rock in the vein of Hüsker Dü, Guided By Voices and Sebadoh, from a band that was at the top of their game at the turn of the millennium.

As we haven’t lost enough great musical talents this year, with Bowie and Prince and all that, Alan Vega, the visionary frontman of the electro-industrial proto-punk band Suicide left this earth on July 16. Many Icelandic musicians voiced their respect on social media after his death, but Bob Justman, aka DJ KGB, went a step further and recorded a cover of the 1979 Suicide track “Dream Baby Dream” as a tribute. It’s a beautiful rendition with a thumping drum machine beat, echoing guitar chords and buzzing organs underscoring the heavenly reverbed and indeed dreamy vocals. Head over to Bob Justman’s soundcloud to listen to the tribute. Rest in peace Alan Vega.

On July 20th, Sin Fang, Sindri Már Sigfússon’s successful solo project, released a new song and accompanying video. It’s the first new song from Sin Fang in about three years, and it sports none other than Jónsi from Sigur rós on the chorus. “Candyland” song is the sort of widescreen Technicolor indie pop we’ve come to expect from Sin Fang and the video, directed by Ingibjörg Birgisdóttir, matches it in every way with its dreamy and surreal imagery. The song is the first single from the upcoming LP ‘Spaceland’, out on 16th September via Morr Music, and we for one are looking forward to it.