Rúnar Magnússon: Options
You’ve got to hand it to the guys at Hjlóðklettar records. The pack for Rúnar Magnusson’s latest release comes on a USB stick with stickers, films, free noise tracks, a [&he
Blastbeats Be Gone
Momentum want to welcome you to the genre of progressive doom. Never heard of the genre? Neither had I before their bass player Hörður sprang it on me. I find […]
Farewell, but not goodbye, to the House band from Hell…
I love free shit. If there is something that I can get for nothing, then my grasping mitts are all over it. And when Iceland’s premier death metal monkeys, Severed […]
Jonsí is Way Out West
It is closing in on midnight in Slottskogen in Gothenburg and singer M.I.A. is the last act to take the big stage on a Friday night for the Way Out […]
Rip It Up and Start Again
Þeyr, an Icelandic musical phenomenon shrouded in a veil of mystery and deliberately obscure, recorded seven albums from 1980- 1983 and were undoubte
Dispatches From The Corpse-Painting Station
Just down road from the bruised, bloody, moshing mess of Eistnaflug’s main venue Egilsbúð was another den of depravity and darkness. Those who were brave enough ventured to Ent
Eight Weeks Until Airwaves!
Summer is over and school is back in session, which means the party is basically over. Well, not really, it’s just on a much needed hiatus before the biggest, wildest, […]
Insol: Hátindar
A collection of the atonal yammerings of a weird, deluded shut-in, Hátindar has mostly only novelty value. The songwriting is fairly formulaic and perfunctory, and the delivery me
Rökkuró: Í annan heim
Mrs. Burton Technically, Rökkurró makes no mistakes with tuning, rhythm and production; however, “Í annan heim” fails on a larger level. The album lacks musical intuition—
Valgeir Sigurðsson: Draumalandið
Divested of the enviro-politic moving picture of the same name, this ceases to be a soundtrack and transcends even the status of an album, because everything about this collection
ENTER THE HANGOVER
The summer of 2010 has been one of festivals and parties. Every goddamn weekend has been dominated by a three-day art or music or theatre or pottery or gardening extravaganza [&hel
The Scientist of Sound
“When I listen to music, I very often don’t listen to the music; I just listen to the instruments. Otherwise, I get involved with an emotional situation, which is what [&hellip
Bárujárn: Bárujárn (EP)
This EP is incredibly frustrating. Not because of the songs—they are instant hip-shaking, gothabilly surf hits. Not because of the musicians—the instruments are sharp, dynamic
Various Artists: Dress Up
‘Dress Up’ is a two-hour compilation from new boutique label Hljóðaklettar meant to commemorate the day of Iceland’s independence from evil Danish furniture designers. Cont
The Rise And Fall Of Kukl
The Icelandic rock movement associated with the ‘Rokk í Reykjavík’ documentary got yet another kick in the groin when the radio show Áfangar (“Phases”) was force
Nóra: Er einhver að hlusta
You start a band with your mates. Your band has umpteen members with instruments such as violin, harp and washboard. Then someone asks you what your band sounds like. And […
Funeral Brass & Jazzy Brass
Grapevine Grassroots #18 took place on July 23rd, and featured an avant-garde piece by brass trio, Mora, selected readings by Sigurður Þórir Ámundason from his poetry book ‘S
Ourlives: We Lost The Race
Thanks, you bastards. I was having a zonked-out Sunday there, minding my own business, before your proggy, introspective tunes made my hangover come up again. This is not, of cours
Electronica Under the Glacier
Alright, so the second weekend in August is fixing up to be pretty legendary. Why’s that? Because Iceland’s first electronic and experimental music festival is going to kick of
Ljótu Hálfvitarnir: Ljótu Hálfvitarnir
Am I the only one not entertained by this stupid gypsy-folk shtick? This ridiculous bullshit pretty much writes itself and should by no means consider itself music, but if it’s [
I’m Not Afraid Of Anyone
After becoming a breakaway hit in 2008 while competing to represent Iceland in the Eurovision song contest, 25-year old Icelandic-American performer Haffi Haff has worked his way u