Morðingjarnir
So, your second album is out, and it has received glowing reviews from every critic. Haukur: Well, I’m not going to tell you that it received better reviews that what […]
Summer Celebration
I was sure the editor of Grapevine was busting my chops when he asked me to cover The Reykjavik Grapevine’s Sólarsamba Concert at Organ. Reasons being the following: my own [&he
Agent Fresco – Dr. Spock
The concert started considerably later than I expected. The first band, Agent Fresco, recently won the Icelandic version of The Battle of the Bands so I was excited to see [&hellip
Misery Index
By the time I arrived at Organ, Celesine had already fired up the heavy machinery and set out on their path of destruction. It was a somewhat misguided journey. As […]
The Icelandic Music Awards
Everyone who’s anyone who was up for an award was at the 14th annual Icelandic Music Awards on March 18. The President, the Mayor of Reykjavík, and anyone who may […]
Músíktilraunir 2008
The top of the youthful crop was crowned this March 15 at the final round of Iceland’s 27th annual Battle of the Bands, Músíktilraunir, in the Hafnarhús Reykjavík Art Museum.
The Faroese Islands
At the same time local celebrities toasted their victories at the Icelandic Music Awards, Faroese musicians invaded Organ with a set much more energetic than any awards-party could
Hjaltalín
Dressed in their Sunday best, which in this case included top hats and tails, Hjaltalín took to the purple-lit stage at NASA in front of a dead silent crowd. With […]
Ólafur Arnalds
As Ólafur Arnalds and his four-piece ensemble trickled onto the stage of The Water Rats in London, something very rare happened – the entire audience risked a beer-soaked ba
Högni Egilsson
So, you’re nominated as songwriter andsinger of the year at the IMAs. Hjaltalín, yourband, was also nominated for song and recordof the year, as well as the Brightest Hopeaward.
Björk
Did she just say what I thought she said? That was the question on the lips of my fellow revellers as we filed out of a Shanghai auditorium after Björk’s […]
Bergur Ebbi Benediktsson
I’ll start by congratulating you on your nomination to the Icelandic Music Awards. Yes, thanks. I was very pleased to hear of it, and, you know, I was a bit […]
When the Garage Doors Open
Since 1982 Iceland’s very own garage band music competition, Battle of the Bands (Icel. Músiktilraunir), has taken place annually. The competition has allowed young artists to g
Psychedelic Normalcy
Bathed in a purplish glow, the Benny Crespo’s Gang foursome opened up the first seated rock concert in recent memory, with a series of bleeps and blurps. It was the […]
Jesus Christ Rockstar
Excitement filled the air inside The Reykjavík City Theatre minutes before the premiere of Jesus Christ Superstar. There is no mystery to the plot in Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd [&h
When Reykjavík Visits Rotterdam
It is cold, but serenely clear tonight. The atmosphere feels transparent, as if Rotterdam is opening up its sores to be assuaged by the healing music invading for the weekend [&hel
Airwaves Highlights
Art Museum – Thursday: Jenny Wilson introduced her track “Bitter” by quoting its lyric “I love to complain”; the songwriter shouldn’t have anything to complain about af
The Last Days of the Labels
The music industry is facing some troubled waters. To be precise, the business side of the music industry is in trouble; the big publishers and distributors, who, for the longest [
Better the Devil You Knew…
After the previous week’s hectic live music schedule around Reykjavík, having just a pair of bands on at Organ seemed almost a waste of time and space but thankfully at [&hellip
Folk and Frost
Despite having a capital city that sits a snowball’s throw away from the North Pole and boasts a population smaller than that of the London borough of Barnet, Iceland has [&helli