Earth Blood Magic: Kontinuum
The majority of Kontinuum’s Candlelight Records debut, ‘Earth Blood Magic,’ feels painstakingly familiar. The first three tracks pass without any bearing on memory. On paper
Tanya And Marlon: Quillock
‘Quillock,’ the debut EP from Tanya And Marlon (of PLX and Anonymous), sees these stalwarts of Iceland’s electronica scene expand their old-school influenced bass groove to s
Úlfur: White Mountain
Beneath the Norwegian black metal font and gray glacial formations on its cover, listeners will unexpectedly find some of the warmest and most redemptive music produced in recent m
Sin Fang: Flowers
Picture the last fleeting moments of your life, the minutes, or in most cases seconds you have to live. What do you suppose would occupy your last thoughts? Likely an […]
D.I.Y Or Die!
It’s been a rather busy 12 months for DJ/musician Frímann Ísleifur Frímannsson and designer Nicolas Kunysz. Frímann launched Skeleton Horse, a magazine of art, music and othe
RELEASE THE WACKEN!!
One of the great things about Iceland is the way different social/cultural circles sometimes end up sharing the same oxygen in unusual surroundings. So it came to pass on a [&helli
Ice And Sand
It’s not often that most Icelanders find themselves in the middle of the desert. Of Monsters and Men’s Nanna Bryndís Hilmarsdóttir isn’t quite sure how to handl
Futuregrapher: LP
Futuregrapher makes jungle. Rapid-fire beats composed from familiar breaks, dreamy pads with major sevenths, vocal samples and the occasional jazzy riffs: It’s all in here. O
Doom On, Drown In Drone, And Sludge Out
Finally, after all these years of waiting I have finally seen a growth in the Icelandic doom/stoner scene. I remember when I started out 8 years ago with my band […]
Retro Stefson: Retro Stefson
If there’s a band that best embodies the “party” spirit of Iceland’s music scene over the last several years, then Retro Stefson must surely be close contenders. This inter
On A Date With: Retro Stefson
“Do you remember Dudley, Raleigh St. Clair’s test subject in ‘The Royal Tenenbaums’? Well, I think he’s got the same syndrome,” Retro Stefson frontman Unnsteinn explain
Ophidian I: Solvet Saeclum
‘Solvet Saeclum’ hints at greatness, but the band has yet to control their overzealous enthusiasm. ‘Solvet Saeclum’ is crisp and cutting like latter day Death but without t
The Winner Takes It All
It’s that time of the year again! Since 1982, the annual Músiktilraunir (Iceland Music Experiments) competition has been waged to find the best in new, unsigned music from Icela
The Ásgeir Trausti Folk Explosion
At the age of 21, Ásgeir Trausti has captivated a country with the release of his debut album ‘Dýrð í dauðaþögn’ and success has not slowed the young artist as […
I’ve Never Been North
Close to the northernmost tip of Iceland lies Ísafjörður, a small town nestled deep in the crook of Skutulsfjörður. Several hours of mountain road from the lights of Reykjaví
Pascal Pinon: Twosomeness
Pascal Pinon is fairly well known on the Reykjavík music scene for their quiet ways and low-key performance style. Following up their widely acclaimed first album with ‘Twosomen
Dream Central Station
First of all, hats off to Dream Central Station for covering an obvious inspiration (Brian Jonestown Massacre’s “Feel So Good”) on their self-titled debut record. This is an
VIDEO: An Interview With Aldrei Fór Ég Suður’s Rocker-In-Chief
The Grapevine flew to Ísafjörður last Monday to learn what’s in store for the tenth edition of Aldrei fór ég suður, a free rock festival that takes place every Easter [&hel
Paul Corley: Disquiet
Paul Corley is the latest addition to Bedroom Community’s tightly knit roster. If you are familiar with their output, then you should have a ballpark idea of where this release [
All In The Family
It doesn’t get much more romantic than in the world of folk, where music is looked upon as a phenomenon of shared experience. To the extent that folk emphasises storytelling [&he
Heat + Dirt + Pressure = Destruction: The Diamond Version Interview
In 1996 musicians Olaf Bender and friend Frank Bretschneider got together to make the German music label Rastermusik as a platform to create a bridge between music and art that [&h