Mínus Return. Again.
The bill tonight is an odd one. Mínus have enlisted not a single metal or hardcore act to support them, hoping rather to draw a diverse crowd with the aid […]
Excellent Music For Clearly Enthralled People
Dear Kimono, I’ve been pondering our relationship, as it seems to have taken a childish turn recently. Names have been called. Threats were possibly made. But
Hudson Wayne: How Quick Is Your Fish? (2010)
Seven tracks of laconic resignation form Hudson Wayne’s third “full-length” and it stands firmly as the band’s most relaxed and confident offering yet, which is not to say
Ólafur Arnalds: Found Songs (2009)
Found Songs is a project Ólafur Arnalds undertook last year. It involved writing, recording and mixing a track every day for a week, then giving them away for free via […]
Fashion, Eruption, Aggression, And A Whole Lotta Fuzz
Hours after a volcanic fissure ruptured in Fimmvörðuháls on the vernal equinox, Canadian electro-glam star Peaches erupted onto NASA’s stage in a fury of beats, costumes, hair
Úlpa: Jahilíya (2009)
Úlpa have been lingering at the periphery of the Icelandic music scene for long enough to make something of a name for themselves, but I can’t remember ever meeting anyone [&hel
Dr. Gunni’s History Of Icelandic Rock Part 17
The rhythm section of Utangarðsmenn—Magnús and Rúnar—came from the tiny village of Raufarhöfn. Brothers Mike and Danny Pollock were the guitar players, two dudes with an Ic
Barbara
At Laugavegur 22, above Karamba, Barbara serves up a lively atmosphere for Reykjavík’s gay community and anybody else who just wants to dance and have a good time. The first [&h
Nico And Jónsi GO ALL IN!
It’s nearing midnight on Saturday, March 13, 2010. After a strenuous Icelandic Music Awards ceremony, the Grapevine feels like going home, watching Back To The Future II and kick
Sykur: Frábært Eða Frábært (2009)
This essentially represents everything that’s wrong with Icelandic techno: all flashy cool and glossy sophistication without having any depth or songwriting skills to back it up.
I’m no expert #4
A matinee Opera concert is a nice idea. A group of young opera singers put together a group called Óp-hópurinn, performing monthly in collaboration with the Icelandic Opera, to k
Stereo Hypnosis: Hypnogogia (2009)
I looked it up too; it means the transitional state between sleep and waking. Óskar Thorarensen – Jafet Melge/Inferno 5 – and his son Pan Thorarensen, aka Beatmakin Troopa, bu
Snorri Helgason: I’m Gonna Put My Name On Your Door (2009)
This debut solo album takes in country-blues (The Silence Of The Night) , a kinda hoedown rock (Freeze-out) and purer, Donovan-ish folk (Carol, She’s A Meadow) in its flighty mea
Dr. Gunni’s History Of Icelandic Rock Part 16
Punk and new wave came late to Iceland. In 1979, all Icelandic records were still either disco, foamy pop or Meat Loaf-imitations. Some punkerly types were lurking around, though,
Den Danske Kro
The Danish Bar is located on Ingólfsstræti, just off Laugavegur where Q Bar once stood. The bar serves up Danish favorites, such as open faced smørrebrød sandwhiches, Danish Tu
Bakkus
Bakkus serves up cheap beer, a really impressive selection of international vodkas and an atmosphere unlike any other in town. An eclectic mix of patrons, regular live music and mo
The Petrifying Giant
The main event of the night was Jón Leifs’ Symphony #1, nicknamed the Saga Symphony because it evokes famous scenes from the Icelandic Sagas. Supporting were three Icelandic com
Berndsen: Lover in the Dark (2009)
Unlike the national potato harvest, 2009 saw Iceland produce a glut of releases from Electronic pop/dance acts. But with so many contemporaries sporting drum machines as accessorie
Lára: Surprise (2009)
Surprise, the third long player from singer Lára Rúnarsdóttir is—contrary to what the title might suggests—a rather unsurprising affair. The album presents an array of radio
kimono: Lowercase Ninjas keep piling it on
Mainstay indie-rock outfit kimono released one of 2009’s most critically lauded albums—Easy Music For Difficult People—four years after they unleashed the equally critically
The Foghorns: A Diamond As Big As The Motel 6 (2009)
The boy Bart Cameron and friends return with an album that manages to simultaneously inhabit a Midwestern, dusty landscape and poke the genre with sticks til it twitches and grunts