Was an Independent, Do It Yourself Blog dedicated to Icelandic music by music slut Wim Van Hooste
Was an Independent, Do It Yourself Blog dedicated to Icelandic music by music slutWim Van Hooste Moved back to I love Icelandic music & started new blog Icelandic Music Mob The Enfant Terrible of the Icelandic Music Scene - Crapule de Luxe Islandaise The Mob and I love Icelandic music
I asked my friend Veerle Van Den Broeck aka Little Fairy Tale Princess to write a review of this year's Iceland Airwaves festival.
Airwaves 2011 was superb. A few highlights, as Wim asked me. Best Concert: Mugison @ Harpa Coolest shoes: Sóley Best Off Venue: Kippi Kaninus @ KEX Best Demons in Disguise: Aela (I just adore that Snow White Costume) Weirdest object a visitor brought along: Pineapple (during the Beach House concert @ the Art Museum) Longest queue: NASA before tUnEyArDs (?) Biggest splash in a swimming pool: Elvar (of Hellvar) Chasing all the skinkas and hnakkis out of the Art Museum: HAM Best visuals: Of Monsters and Men Concert I would have wanted to see: Ólöf Arnalds Best Discovery: Samaris Best dress: Björk Coolest hairdo: Q4U's singer Elly Biggest killjoy: The weather
Good 2: Mugison's "Haglél" (his first one in Icelandic), FM Belfast's "Don't want to sleep", Björk's "Biophilia" (if you can call it an album with all the Apps).
Most disappointing album by Sykur. Just to mention one. Sorry guys.
Still prefer Sykurmolarnir.
Going Underground Morðingjarnir/The Murderers
"Sunnudagsmorgun í Reykjavik" (Sunday Morning in R'vik!)
What to do on a lazy morning/afternoon with a hangover (or not, whatever) in downtown R'vik on the last Hellv/ar/itis day of the Airwaves?
Feed the ducks @ Tjörnin lake near the City Hall. Buy yourself a hot dog with everything @ the best place in town, near the flea market/old harbour of Reykjavik. The bad boys Metallica & Bill Clinton were there long before you ;-)
Go to the Flea Market Kolarportið. Taste the rotten shark, sheep head, Icelandic candy; or just a tasty icecream will do for most of you. You can find some good (and bad) 2nd hand Icelandic music there 2. Have a kebab, pizza, sandwich on the way back. You're 100% ready for the final night & morning of Airwaves 2011 after a cup of coffee or thee.
Don't forget to drink plenty of Icelandic water, tap or other H20. The pure Air is for free.
Buy an apple in the supermarket you can eat it while waiting outside if you're unlucky. Just eat when you get in line. Make friends with people in the row before & behind you. Free you're mind & the rest will follow.
Go & see the band Hellvar (with Haukur of Morðingjarnir on bass) @ Munnharpan @ Harpa (the huge glasscube by the harbour, you already know, you can't miss it) @ 17:00 sharp. And say "Hi". Or go to Hellvar Online.
Or here for the new version:
MÓGIL Off-Venue @ Iceland Airwaves 2011@ 12Tónar, Reykjavík on 14. October 2011
The only Belgian-Icelandic band there is, as far as I know, unless you call Reykjavík! also a Belgian-Icelandic band ...
Although I think GuildfordGhost should buy a better camera next year.
Synthia in Icelandic music Worm is Green
"Synthia", on the album "Push Play" (Mikrofona, 2007)
FM Belfast
"I can feel love/Synthia" @ Botanique venue, Brussels, Belgium (February 2010)
2 songs featured on their debut album "How to make friends" (World Champion Records, 2010)
Performed for a full house: an audience of Belgian Iceland(ic music) lovers & Icelanders living/working in Belgium (& even around Belgium)
Nurses in Icelandic music
This morning I was listening to the song "Nurse, please" on the new Reykjavik! record "Locust Sounds" (Kimi Records, 2011).
Reminds me of this:
"Add this song" by GusGus, filmed @ hospital
But the one & only Sugarcubes made "Happy Nurse". A track on their 3rd album "Stick around for joy" (Smekkleysa, One Little Indian/Play It Again Sam, 1992)
The kinky punk band Æla likes to perform in nurses uniforms on stage (here Live @ Organ venue)
"Water" by The Sugarcubes
From the album "Here today, tomorrow next week!" / "Illur arfur!" (Smekkleysa/Rough Trade & One Little Indian, 1989)
Wait for me underneath the water
Wait for me I have to go now
Into the big city
She pulls me firmly towards her
Wait for me underneath the water
Wait for me here
You'll be fine underneath the water
I'll be back early next summer
We met again at the lake
After all these years,
You said "want a drink?"
I love you
And you know I will be back
Hold your breath
And nestle into the ice
Wait for me underneath the water
Wait for me and count to ten
You'll look up and I will be there
Wait for me
The lake was frozen,
You took me for a walk over the ice,
I cracked
The ice cracked
I fell into the lake
I watched you through the eyes
Love into you
Wait for me underneath the water
Wait for me and singalong
"She's coming, coming, coming"
Wait for me
I watched you through the ice
I expected you to crawl for help
I smiled, you just stood there
I tried to kiss you through the ice,
You just walked away
Or "Tidal Wave" by The Sugarcubes
If you like the singing (?) of Einar Örn Benediktsson aka EÖB, go & see him @ Faktory Main Stage tonight downtown 101. Please, Don't forget to say Goodmorning!
Let’s do something special in my final week, reviewing an Icelandic album.
And what an album. “Locust Sounds” by rockers Reykjavík!, don’t forget the exclamation mark to avoid confusion with Iceland’s capital city. Without any doubt the best album artwork I saw this year. While lying in my bath @ home, I was having my private listening party in a small Belgian hot tub. Finally Reykjavík! made their grown-up, mature record. Although the 2 previous kids, “Glacial Landscapes, Religion, Oppression & Alcohol”(2006) and “The BLOOD” (2009), were not ugly @ all. Say the rise of Reykjavik! 2.0. Or Ride is having a cozy but loud barbecue with I Adapt & Gavin Portland in the backyard, while some family & friends (Mugison e.g.) are providing the extra meat & beer. Great vocals, noisy guitars, banging drums: this is Rokk i Reykjavík - The Revenge. Certain one of the best records made in Iceland this year. Need I say more? Yes, I love the track titles. My favorite track is “Nurse, please”, of course ;-).
The album is released today on the local Kimi Records label.
See Reykjavík! @ Reykjavík, or somewhere close to you soon!?
Go & listen to the new Reykjavík! Album. And buy "Locust Sounds".
They are playing @ the moment (as we speak) Off-Venue @ Bakkus venue (opposite Amsterdam venue). You can buy it there already if you're @ Airwaves. Reykjavik @ Gogoyoko
"Hellbound Heart", a track of their 3rd Album Hellbound Heart by Reykjavík!
What's more R!'s "Cats" was the best Icelandic song of 2010 in my humble opinion. Cats - Reykjavík! by Reykjavík! Reykjavík! performed "Cats" last year for KEXP
It's time for the 37th I loveIcelandic music/Icelandic Music Maffia contribution to an international initiative, the Music Alliance Pact, aka MAP. I take part in this Blog Alliance since the start in October 2008 3 years ago. On a monthly basis music bloggers from around the globe select a track from their country which is then posted collectively and simultaneously on those blogs - giving each nation's track international exposure.
A trip around the world in 34 songs with a take off in Iceland:
This month I contributed the song "Cover the distance" by Ruddinn featuring Heiða Eiríks (Ragnheiður Eiríksdóttir).
Click the play button icon to listen to individual songs, right-click on the song title to download an mp3, or grab a .zip file of the whole 34-track compilation via MediaFire.
ARGENTINA: Zonaindie Flopa/Minimal - Atolondrón
A couple of months ago, the indie supergroup formed by Flopa Lestani, Mariano "Manza" Esaín and Ariel Minimal reunited for several sold-out concerts in Buenos Aires. The experience was so positive that Flopa and Minimal decided to step into the studio to record some songs, and the result is an EP called Reducción de Daños. Atolondrón was written by Flopa and is our favorite track from it, but you can download the whole EP for free from their website.
AUSTRALIA: Who The Bloody Hell Are They? Option Command - Break Even
Option Command (who has previously released gorgeous music under the name Broken Chip) hails from the Blue Mountains outside of Sydney. Where his former project often focused on texture and mood, Option Command is a more beat-oriented project. Break Even sounds like playing Atari in a canyon, and is a good blend of the two musical personas. Both are worth checking out.
BRAZIL: Meio Desligado Lirinha - Adebayor
Jose de Paes Lira, best known as Lirinha, is the former vocalist of Brazilian group Cordel do Fogo Encantado, who have produced some of the most consistent works in terms of updating regional sounds from Brazil's northeast. In Lirinha's first solo album, the results are somewhere between alternative rock and a new take on mangue beat. His excellent CD is available for free download at his website.
CANADA: I(Heart)Music Sound Of Lions - Enders
Yes, Sound Of Lions borrow somewhat liberally from 90s trip-hop generally, and Portishead in particular. However, as Enders - and the rest of their debut, 11:44 - demonstrates, they're so good at making the old genre sound fresh and new, it's easy to overlook a little thievery when the end results are so incredibly listenable.
CHILE: Super 45 Nuevacosta - Todo Fácil
Four-piece outfit Nuevacosta released their debut offering, Costa Brava EP (available for free at their website) this year under the Casa Joven and Espacio Cellar labels. Through these six songs, the band explores new wave sounds and early 90s Chilean pop, creating dark, lo-fi, atmospheric soundscapes.
CHINA: Wooozy Eat Alien's Brain - Sick Body Dance
Eat Alien's Brain are an electro duo from Chengdu, who formed in August 2010. Loco and Umar, both in their early 20s, use music to express their attitude towards freedom. Their sound is hard to define - electro/dance with a bit of Nintendocore/chiptune/crunk. They were highly recommended by the NME, who described them as "Crystal Castle bound up with Burial and Sepultura".
DENMARK: All Scandinavian Laura Drescher - I Do I Will
I can't really tell you much about Laura Drescher other than she was born in Spain, raised in Denmark, and that she released both an EP (Polyest) and an album (Hallucinations Of A Good Life) last year. Oh, and she's not sore on the eyes either. It's gloomy and groovy electronica - here represented by I Do I Will from Hallucinations Of A Good Life - and if you like what you hear, head for SoundCloud where you can download both album and EP for free.
ENGLAND: The Guardian Music Blog Daley - Smoking Gun
A new blue-eyed soul boy from Manchester, Gareth "Daley" Daley looks set to be the first genuinely interesting British artist to operate in that area since David McAlmont or Lewis Taylor. He was a nominee on this year's BBC Sound of 2011 poll, has already tasted chart success, having sung on Long Way Home from Wretch 32's top-5 debut album as well as on the Gorillaz track Doncamatic, which he co-wrote with Damon Albarn. Now he's signed to A&M and working on his own debut album, due out in 2012, with Suede guitarist and Duffy producer Bernard Butler as well as Dre of Dre & Vidal (Alicia Keys, Usher) and Shea Taylor (Ne-Yo, Beyoncé).
FINLAND: Glue Koria Kitten Riot - An Anthem From The 80's
Koria Kitten Riot is the project of singer-songwriter Antti Reikko and it brings well-crafted pop songs, full of detail and ambitious instrumentation. It puts together the intimacy of the songwriter and grandiose arrangements in a manner that reminds us of Bright Eyes. An Anthem From The 80's is a melancholic song about long-gone happy times and is taken from Koria Kitten Riot's second album, The Lows & The Highs, out this month.
GERMANY: Blogpartei BOY - This Is The Beginning
BOY are a little hyped in Germany right now. Valeska and Sonja just released their debut Mutual Friends via Groenland Records, which features warm and cosy folk-pop songs. They are written and sung so well that you instantly forget summer was awful this year and start enjoying the Indian summer.
GREECE: Mouxlaloulouda The You And What Army Faction - I Used A Blade To Carve Me A New Smile
The You And What Army Faction set their distortion pedals on stun and amplify each strummed string to produce a crushing, absorbing and raw wall-of-sound repetition where chaos and beauty ravish each other within the same song. Their artful contrasts and angular arrangements are imbued with instrumental dexterity and coherent ideas and balanced between formlessness and structure, melody and cacophony. Here's a vibrating preview from their upcoming sophomore album.
ICELAND: Icelandic Music Maffia Ruddinn - Cover The Distance
Ruddinn is one guy, Bertel Ólafsson from Hafnarfjörður, who has released three albums to date. Ruddinn works primarily alone but receives a helping hand occasionally. He mixes electro pop with indie guitar and a dash of 80s shoegaze. Cover The Distance, a track from his third album I Need A Vacation, features Heiða Eiríksdóttir of the band Hellvar on vocals.
INDONESIA: Deathrockstar BRNDLS - Start Bleeding
BRNDLS have helped shape today's Indonesian garage rock scene with their harsh sound, raw attitude and foul-mouthed frontman. Also known as The Brandals, they have just brought out their latest album that stole the XTRMNTR concept and delivered their most well-produced release to date.
IRELAND: Nialler9 Tieranniesaur - In The Sargasso
Strutting disco-infused funky indie tunes that recall the experimental new wave pop visions of ESG and Tom Tom Club don't come by every day. So Tieranniesaur standout. This Irish six-piece revel in fun, old-school danceable thrills and their self-titled debut album is one of the best releases Ireland has to offer this year.
ITALY: Polaroid A Classic Education - Forever Boy
Produced by Jarvis Taveniere of Woods, Call It Blazing is undoubtedly the most eagerly-awaited indie rock album in Italy this year, but not only in Italy. A Classic Education have released two EPs and a single, traveled the US, Canada and UK, played SXSW and CMJ, and are touring Europe with British Sea Power right now. They are definitely one of the best things to have happened to the music in my country in the past decade. Their sound is magnificent, warm, ambitious and timeless.
JAPAN: Make Believe Melodies Canopies And Drapes - Sleeping Under The Bed
Sleeping Under The Bed twinkles from the get-go, Tokyo solo artist Canopies And Drapes setting up a glowing dream of a song about hearts melting like ice cream and perfect lovers. Yet this, the highlight off her debut EP, conceals some darkness around the corners. The minimalist structure allows for some chilly synths to stand out, and then she steps back from all the gooey love talk for a frank final line: “Where should I go? I got lost.” It sounds gorgeous from the start, but grows more complicated with time.
MALTA: Stagedive Malta Beangrowers - The Priest
Beangrowers are a rare and delicate breed of band - managing to be intelligent without being ponderous, fun without being silly, outrageously poppy without being cheesy, and rocking without being clichéd or predictable. This female-fronted three-piece are Malta's biggest music exports, with a following on both sides of the Atlantic. This track is from their album Dance Dance Baby, which has just been re-released digitally.
MEXICO: Red Bull Panamérika Robota - Troqueladora
Dystopian scenarios are inherent to industrial music, with narratives and textures well explored by artists on the Mute roster - from Throbbing Gristle and The Normal, to Suicide and Add (N) to X. Mexico City trio Robota particularly share Add (N) to X's aesthetic based on a vintage electronic junk sado-fetishism. Troqueladora is taken from their "vibrant" second album, Vulgar Display Of Power. No, there's no relation with Pantera other than pure cyber-punk irony.
NETHERLANDS: Unfold Amsterdam Chris Kok - Sounds Of Sirens
Since studying 'pop' at the Amsterdam Conservatory, Chris Kok has spent the past couple of years working on songcraft and stepping out to play live at every opportunity – be it contests, open mic nights, festivals or art openings – all while freely distributing his music online. The graft seems to be paying off, and now working with a full band, even his most intimate acoustic troubadour pieces are taking epic turns. Sounds Of Sirens is the kind of atmospheric pop Snow Patrol should be making, and that's merely one template from his sonic arsenal. Look out for a full album from Kok and his band Civil Union later this year, plus listen to his new self-titled acoustic EP (including a version of Sounds Of Sirens) on Bandcamp.
NEW ZEALAND: Einstein Music Journal St. Rupertsberg - In Albania
Wellington octet St Rupertsberg began in 2009 when Kate Whelen assembled a group of female musicians to start a rather unique band. Now, after gaining rave reviews from critics and audience members at this year's Campus A Low Hum festival, word of the group's musical prowess has spread. Performing together like a multi-talented musical circus, the band members take turns playing various instruments, including trumpets, clarinets, trombones, synthesisers and percussion. But the main highlight is an all-inclusive vocal chorus. Their debut EP is available now from Bandcamp.
NORWAY: Birds Sometimes Dance Autonomia - Steiner Å Stå På
Autonomia are a great and hidden gem from the large underground of Norwegian music, with members from veteran bands such as Freeshine, Dunderhonning and Far From Tellus. Singing in Norwegian, their music is eclectic and it can shift from sweet and rough indie-pop with Hüsker Dü guitars to long, slow and heavy post-rock/post-hardcore anthems reminiscent of bands like Envy and Neurosis.
PERU: SoTB Royalvalet - Escorpio y Rimel
Royalvalet is a project formed by musicians who had their beginnings in other bands. When it comes to composing a song, each member gives his contribution with full freedom, there are no creative limitations. Led by Salim Vera, Royalvalet began in March 2010 and have released three highly creative rock singles to date.
PORTUGAL: Posso Ouvir Um Disco? The Klinton Kings - Rulin'
The Klinton Kings is the project of Lewis M, a recent graduate of Oporto College of Arts and Music. He has just a few songs available online. However, his most promising single, Rulin', which was recently available on a CD of new Portuguese acts, transmits a maturity and creativity rarely heard in most first singles. A debut album is expected in 2012.
ROMANIA: Babylon Noise Moonlight Breakfast - Still
Self-characterized as a retro electro band, Moonlight Breakfast is one of the freshest presences on the Romanian alternative music stage. In only a couple of months after getting together for this project, they reached the top position in Romania's alternative radio charts.
RUSSIA: Big Echo InWhite - Sea
One of the cutest Russian indie-pop bands, InWhite is looking forward to their upcoming album. Sea is a beautiful piano-driven song that can carry you away from a seaside to the storm.
SCOTLAND: The Pop Cop Panda Su - I Begin
The title track of Panda Su's second EP illustrates her appeal: dark, intelligent pop with all sense of vulnerability left intact. Apart from her occasional on-stage face paint, the Panda Su package is never black and white. Her music often draws on experimental sounds, but never at the expense of melody. Her lyrics, both fragile and cryptic, demand attention – I Begin finds Su repeating the poignant lines, "I should try to remember/I should try to forget". It's apt that Su Shaw named the outlet for her music after an endangered creature - songs of this quality really are rather rare.
SINGAPORE: I'm Waking Up To... Etc - Big Girl's Blouse
Etc is truly one of Singapore's best-kept secrets. There are no fancy fashions or trends associated with the duo of Ben Harrison and Harvey Chamberlain, just well-written guitar-rock to a steady beat. Harrison's jangle-raggedy guitar work is exciting and tasteful enough to balance perfectly atop Chamberlain's near-primal approach to the beat, yet also easy enough for that slacker sway. They have an album in the works, but we'll make do with their generous online singles in the meantime.
SOUTH AFRICA: Musical Mover & Shaker! 140 - Say It Better
Meet your new favourite power-pop, tongue-in-cheek, somewhat satirical band. Meet 140. They recently released their debut single Say It Better, a synth-drenched pop song. But not to be stereotyped or confined, the band's next single could range from indie-rock to anything they feel their listeners would like. With a unique, zany and out-there approach, 140 is band whose mantra is to do things differently. In fact, it's experimentation that will keep everyone engaged and interested in this provoking new set of creatives.
SOUTH KOREA: Indieful ROK Mighty Coala - Seoul
Indie-pop band Mighty Coala has been around for many years, but it wasn't until this month that their first album For Bright And Healthy Mornings, mixed by Yeol Park of August MAP band Pigibit5, was released. With a preference for short songs that are both fun to play and listen to, Mighty Coala offer a rich sound with plenty of curiosities. Seoul is an uplifting tune dedicated to the city where they live and the city they love.
SPAIN: Musikorner Las Tocayas - Hombres
Las Tocayas, despite their name, are not an all-girl band; they're actually two girls and a boy who met through an internet forum dedicated to Spanish indie band Los Planetas. If we said that their influences include The Flaming Lips, Surfin' Bichos, Nacho Vegas and The National, you wouldn't believe us, but, yes, we mean it. Their music can be described as hedonistic and their lyrics are rather irreverent and joyful. Maybe, as they confess, they're more inspired by everyday life, television, their gossiping neighbours and Jon Secada. Hombres is a hilarious ode to men and what we can and cannot expect from them.
SWEDEN: Swedesplease Poor Lifestyle - These Times
Hardcore and punk should be immediate and Poor Lifestyle certainly is. You may argue that this song is breaking no new ground and I'd say you're right - that's the beauty of it. This song will be coming out in Sweden on a split 7" with friends The Wallrides sometime soon.
SWITZERLAND: 78s Evelinn Trouble - I'm On Fire
Evelinn Trouble has, in her still very young career, gone through some major changes. The Zurich resident started off as an 18-year-old releasing a very intimate singer-songwriter record, alone in her bedroom. She was soon discovered and heartened by the Swiss indie scene and last month brought out her sophomore record Television Religion, which presents her as a 'femme fatale'. It's great pleasure seeing her grow.
UNITED STATES: I Guess I'm Floating Young Man - Enough
The compositions of Colin Caulfield, playing under the moniker Young Man, have come full circle on his latest LP titled Ideas Of Distance. An achingly beautiful album with more layers than an Arctic explorer, Enough is a track that boils up slowly like water left on the stove. Except each rising bubble is a different sonic explosion and instead of bursting on the surface in watery, translucent explosion, you can see the melodic colors dispersing in swirls of steam.
VENEZUELA: Música y Más Limpiacabezales - MéridaLimpiacabezales was formed in 1998 by Claudio Sanchez, Orlando Toro and Carlos Eljuri. After a few shows in several cities across Venezuela, they released their first EP this year, which features five songs that serve as a teaser for their album, expected to come out later this year.
Icelandic Music Maffia
C U All @ 
aka Rock in Reykjavik 2.0 
It's time for the 37th 
ARGENTINA: 
AUSTRALIA: 
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CHILE: 
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ENGLAND: 
FINLAND: 
GERMANY: 
GREECE: 
ICELAND: 
INDONESIA: 
IRELAND: 
ITALY: 
JAPAN: 
MALTA: 
MEXICO: 
NETHERLANDS: 
NEW ZEALAND: 
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PERU: 
PORTUGAL: 
ROMANIA: 
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