The Reykjavík Grapevine: Music

Swooning With The Rapture

I wonder if the Motions Boys have been having nightmares about power. For those of us who were there for the Great Motion Boys Power Blowout of 2007, there was […]

June 29, 2007

The Musical Impact of Three Icelandic Movies

In the early 90’s, a couple of young directors made very popular movies that were intertwined with the Icelandic music scene at the time. The birth of pop-culture movies was [&he

The Strength of Street Knowledge

As I write this, we are putting the finishing touches on the issue you are now holding before shipping it out to print. Coincidently, it is June 13, and the […]

Stephan Bodzin: Liebe ist Luna

You played in Reykjavik on Saturday June 2nd, can you tell me about that? I expected a strange night in Iceland, somehow, and it turned out to be one. I […]

Peddling Death Metal to the Gore Starved Masses

The Buffalo born, Tampa raised band Cannibal Corpse has long been a staple of the Death Metal genre. Their lyrics are gore obsessed (pun intended), although not in the humorous [&h

Reykjavik Nights in London Preview

Live Icelandic music in the UK has long been a slightly ramshackle affair with occasional bursts of gig activity organised around festival appearances or low-key tours, such as the

A Super-slow Evening

The electro duo Isan was finishing their set when I arrived at Iðnó theatre on a Tuesday evening where the Morr Music night was taking place. The British pair is […]

Bastards of the World

When going to a concert in Reykjavík, it’s all too easy to acknowledge the eternal coolness of the Icelandic music scene and the way it pours itself over an equally […]

Ruddinn – Ruddinn

Calling himself a ‘true Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde,’ the lone Ruddinn has been writing and putting forth pop for the past 15 years. If I’m doing my math right, […]

Björk – Volta

Like enthusiastic parents, we’re supposed to egg Björk on. Even if she doesn’t score a goal or win first place at the science fair, we’ve still got to hand it […]

The Night the PA System Blew

As a part of the Take Me Down to Reykjavík City concert series, the Grapevine assembled a handful of upstart bands from Reykjavík to showcase at Iðnó. The historical theatre [&

Orchestral Manoeuvres in London

The venue in East London known as Catch does have a catch – it’d be easier to track down one of the Jule lads in June than locate this bar, […]

The Motion Boys Fear For Their Success

How did it all start? Árni: We started working together about a year ago. Biggi asked me to help arrange a song he was writing for Sigtið [an Icelandic comedy […]

Morr Music: One Big Happy Family

The Berlin based independent music label, Morr Music, known for its quality electronic and dreamy indiepop releases is highly influential in the international music world. Having p

Samúel Jón Samúelsson Big Band – Fnykur

Only 7 years out of music school, Samúel Jón Samúelsson has already built an accomplished resume. A graduate of the prominent Tónlistarskóli FíH, the composer has done arrang

Hraun – I Can’t Believe It is Not Happiness

I’m not going to tell you that the packaging of this album didn’t frighten me. That would be lying. Hraun is written in Old English font, and the album title […]

Weight Issues and Gimmicks

I’m quietly kicking myself for not having paid attention to Celestine earlier. What tightness they might lack in the live setting, they more than make up for with their ear [&hel

Nubean Nintendo

When I hear the term “World music” I automatically think of Nick Hornby’s negative connotation. He used the word describing how lame his next door neighbour was: “Ray was i

Trassar Regroup for Another Attack

“But it’s been 14 years of silence, it’s been 14 years of pain, it’s been 14 years that are gone forever, and I’ll never have again,” sang Axl Rose on […]