Music News: ‘Vacuum’ Pop-Opera, Sólveig In Japan, Örvar Goes Solo

A new collaborative music “pop-opera” called VACUUM has been announced, taking place April 12th at Tjarnabíó. Inspired by the vacuum of space, the project was conceived and choreographed by Milkywhale singer and frontwoman Melkorka Sigríður Magnúsdóttir. It also brings together a variety of artists in other fields, including music by Milkywhale and FM Belfast producer Árni Runar Hlöðversson, and text by author Auður Ava Ólafsdóttir, with a variety of notable dancers and singers, also taking part in the performance. Tickets are on sale now at tix.is.

Unexplained miseries & the acceptance of sorrow by Sólveig Matthildur

Sólveig Matthildur, the winner of our “You Should Have Heard This” prize at this year’s Grapevine Music Awards, is out on tour in Japan. Sólveig is a member of Kælan Mikla, and one of the Berlin-based Icelanders behind the MYRKFÆLNI underground magazine, but her solo work has proven revelatory.

The month-long tour, entitled “Stressed And Depressed,” is ongoing at the time of writing, with support from Last King Of Poland. Having started in Tokyo and Nagoya, the remaining nine concerts take place in Kobe, Osaka and Kyoto. Sólveig’s debut solo album, ‘Unexplained Miseries And The Acceptance Of Sorrow,’ is out now.

Örvar Smárason, one of the founders of seminal krútt-pop collective múm, has announced his first formal solo album. ‘Light Is Liquid’ will come out via German label Morr Music on May 18th. A first glimpse—a soft-edged and beautiful duet with Sillus called “Photoelectric”—is now available via Bandcamp. At the time of writing, Örvar is on tour in Germany promoting “Team Dreams,” the album he co-created along with his Morr Music labelmates sóley and Sin Fang throughout the year 2017. The three have also announced an Istanbul date at Zorlu Performans Sanatları Merkezi on April 12th.

Read more about Icelandic music here.