An Appreciated Invasion of Flying Stars and Inflated Santas
Detroit native Sufjan Stevens has built quite a fan base in Iceland, so it was not surprising that his two shows last month sold out in a matter of minutes […]
Jóhann Jóhannsson – IBM 1401, A User’s Manual
An album inspired by recordings of electromagnetic waves emitting from an obsolete computer the size of a large refrigerator. Sounds fun? Not really but this actually is a highly e
Sugarcubes Reconnect and Eventually Triumph
Some artists are only discovered posthumously. So it seems to have been with the Sugarcubes who returned to perform a concert last Friday in celebration of the 20th anniversary of
The Foghorns – New Low
The Foghorns have been pretty active in the music scene the past couple of years, playing numerous shows but never drawing a big crowd. The brainchild of former Grapevine editor, [
Bríet Sunna – Bara ef þú kemur með
Sena, the biggest record label on the market, seems to have an endless supply of former Icelandic Idol contestants to put in front of a microphone, covering old songs like [&hellip
Skakkamanage – Lab of Love
Supposedly there’s a whole generation of young artists and musicians who all have the same perspective on their work to justify the title “the cute generation”. The pillars o
Various Artists – Pældu í því sem pælandi er í
This is the second Megas tribute CD ever to surface in the history of mankind. Thirteen various artists and bands have a go at his songs with similar results. Each […]
Regína Ósk – Í djúpum dal
This is an album filled with love and religious songs. Regína Ósk is more than a capable singer and producer Barði Jóhannsson of Bang Gang is a competent producer. The [&hellip
Bubbi – 06.06.06
This 2-CD set is the live recording of Bubbi’s 50th birthday concert, which he managed to sell out in at least two different ways. The venue was packed with people […]
Birthday’s Birthday
Seeing that the legendary Sugarcubes (Sykurmolarnir) haven’t played in public together since November 1992, the news on the groups’ November 17th reunion came as a pleasant sur
Lay Low – Please don’t hate me
Lay Low’s country blues is a breath of fresh air into Icelandic music life. Especially considering the fact that girls of her age hardly ever produce anything this original. Lay
Spontaneous Self-Pleasuring
Meeting up with legendary electro hitmongers Daft Punk backstage at NASA for a short interview, just minutes before one half of the eclectic duo took the stage to perform a [&helli
Hildur Vala – Lalala
Hildur Vala, the winner of the hugely popular TV show/singing competition Icelandic Idol, is back with her second album and this time it’s not an album of covers but all [&hellip
Nashville in the North
In explaining the success of Iceland Airwaves, the organisers, Mr. Destiny, surprised me by explaining that 9/11 had a strong effect on the festival. Coming up on 2001, Airwaves fe
Airwaves Highlights
The star of the show in almost every way was Valgeir Sigurðsson, whose new Bedroom Community label served as the evening’s thread and whose performance – egoless, seated off t
Tómas R. Einarsson – Romm Tomm Tomm
Bassist Tómas R. Einarsson is an institution in the small Icelandic jazz world. He is known for excellent bass playing on numerous albums with a handful of bands. Apparently he [&
Brain Police – Beyond the Wasteland
Veteran rockers Brain Police return with their fourth studio album, sporting a new guitarist, Búi Bendtsen. The result is more guitar heavy than past albums without losing their d
Toggi – Puppy
Toggi has spent the last three years honing his début album and it shows. The first single, Heart in Line, is a polished melancholy acoustic pop tune – complete with […]
Donni And Clout – Monkey Paw
Ah yes, improv music: Why? Why the fuck? This is stupid and retarded jam music for stupid and retarded people, and if that isn’t bad enough, they’ve taken the liberty […
Fighting Shit – Forgotten Daughters, Abandoned Sons
Fighting Shit’s second full-lengther is a tasty, if somewhat shallow chunk of thrashcore that speeds through its half-hour with vigorous power, stopping just long enough in the q
Gestir – Burtur Frá Toftunum
This Faroese melodrama doesn’t really focus on its strengths enough to create the rain-drenched mental murk it strives for, but there are slices of brilliance here, such as the c