BLOG – Reykjavik On Stage

02/12/2020 BLOG/REVIEWS

Disappearing into Null Dimensions

Releasing on 5 December 2020, Null Dimensions, by the five-piece Icelandic stoner doom metal Morpholith, takes a sonic journey through the cosmos, celestial bodies and darkness. The EP incorporates classic elements of the genre in a coherent way within its two expanded tracks. When it comes to creating an atmosphere and crafting well-developed compositions, Morpholith is on point. The album’s consistent sound builds tension brick by brick to shape a massive wall of amplifiers. This band has more amplifiers than musicians! Despite its heaviness, surprisingly, the EP manages not to smash the listener’s eardrums. In the past five years since Morpholith’s formation, the band has grown in confidence. Their debut release in April 2016, Void Emission, was followed by live performances that propelled the band’s success beyond the local scene. Morpholith has already made appearances away from their tiny, dark island. It is worth mentioning that they won the international… Keep Reading

06/09/2020 BLOG/IS

Fyrirmyndarhljóðfæraleikur í framlínunni

Pistillinn var skrifaður fyrir Tengivagninn á Rás1 og birtist þar, þriðjudaginn 25. ágúst 2020. Þegar ég var á tvítugsaldri leitaði ég mér að fyrirmyndum í tónlist sem gætu mögulega orðið mér hvatning til að finna mér nýtt hljóðfæri. Ég var þá strax dottin ofan í íslenska tónlist og fann að í nútíma poppi, pönki og rokki gátu stelpur alveg rokkað á gítara, bassa og trommur, til dæmis í hljómsveitum eins og Mammút og Vicky. Í dag ætla ég að sýna þessari stúlku – mér sjálfri fyrir 10 árum – hvernig hefðbundna senan hefur vaxið, blómstrað og jafnvel tindrað, hérlendis sem erlendis. Ein þeirra íslensku hljómsveita sem nýlega hafa vakið eftirtekt er pönkhljómsveitin Dream Wife, sem var stofnuð árið 2015. Hún hefur verið mjög virk í Bretlandi og haldið tónleika víða um heim. Einn meðlimanna er íslensk tónlistarkona, Rakel Mjöll Leifsdóttir, sem ég hef fylgst með síðasta áratug. Það gleður mig… Keep Reading

06/09/2020 BLOG/IS

Geislandi hljóðsköpun kvenna

Pistillinn var skrifaður fyrir Tengivagninn á Rás1 og birtist þar, þriðjudaginn 11. ágúst 2020. Laugardagar eru djassdagar á mínu heimili og nýlega kom í ljós að sunnudagar, sérstaklega í sumar, eru tónleikadagar, réttara sagt Pikknikk Tónleika dagar. Það er vikuleg tónleikasería Norræna hússins, sem haldin er í góðu veðri undir berum himni. Gæsir og endur synda á tjörninni við húsið og útsýnið yfir borgina er einstakt. Í huggulegu og fallegu umhverfi gróðarhússins hélt ég eitt augnablik að ég væri stödd í sænskri sveit. En rödd MIMRU, söngkonnunar og lagahöfundarins Maríu Magnúsdóttur, lokkaði mig tilbaka til Reykjavíkur. MIMRA gaf út fyrstu plötuna sína “Sinking Island” árið 2017 og vakti strax athygli. Því tel ég mig rosalega heppna að hafa sótt tónleikana í Norræna Húsinu þar sem hún frumflutti nýjasta lagið sitt “Sister”. En lykillinn að pistlinum í dag var lokalag tónleikanna “Right Where You Belong”, sem hljómaði út úr gróðurhúsinu í… Keep Reading

06/09/2020 BLOG/IS

Dans er melting fyrir sálina

Pistillinn var skrifaður fyrir Tengivagninn á Rás1 og birtist þar, miðvikudaginn 22. júlí 2020, og á vefsíðu RÚV, mánudaginn 27. júlí 2020. Allir að þurfa að dansa, allavega stundum. Dansa til að hreinsa út tilfinningar sínar eða dansa til að finna aftur gleðina. Hér á Íslandi er algengt að dansa eins og hálfviti þó það sé bannað að vera fáviti, eins og allir vita. Svo getur maður dansað innra með sér og varla hreyft líkamann, þannig að maður fái ekki titilinn „partýdýrið á dansgólfinu“. Það má dansa þangað til að maður nær ekki lengur andanum eða til þess að finna lausnir á gátum lífsins. Það má dansa rólega í niðamyrkri eða kröftuglega í birtunni þegar sólin er ekki enn sest – og öfugt. Dans er meltingarvegur sálarinnar að mínu mati. Þá mætti spyrja, hvers konar nútímatónlist fær okkur til að dansa? Þá rifjast upp fyrir mér allir tónleikarnir, sem hafa… Keep Reading

05/09/2020 BLOG/IS

Segulmögnuð áhrif tónlistar eftir samkomubann

Pistillinn var skrifaður fyrir Tengivagninn á Rás1 og birtist þar, miðvikudaginn 8. júlí 2020, og á vefsíðu RÚV, sunnudaginn 12. júlí 2020. Samkomubannið hafði í för með sér algjört tónleikabann. Fyrir mér varð það fullkomið tækifæri til að pæla í mikilvægi lifandi tónlistarflutnings. Tónleikar eru ekki bara veisla fyrir eyrað, þeir eru líka sjónræn upplifun, tónlistin vekur tilfinningar og jafnvel gæsahúð. Margra vikna bið eftir lifandi tónlistarflutningi kveikti hjá mér áhugaverðar vangaveltur um nándina sem skapast á tónleikum, milli flytjenda tónlistar og hlustenda, og hversu mikilvæg hún er. Fyrir nokkrum vikum fékk ég þessar hugmyndir staðfestar á tónleikum Árstíða á Café Rosenberg, en þeir félagar kunna vel að mynda sterk tengsl við áhorfendur. Andrúmsloftið á tónleikastaðnum magnaði upp þessa tengingu. Café Rosenberg er nú tekinn til starfa á nýjum stað eftir nokkurra ára hlé og ég vona innilega að framhald verði á flutningi gæðatónlistar í nándinni sem skapast í þessu… Keep Reading

01/04/2020 BLOG

Right Where MIMRA Belongs

At the beginning of this year, the electro-acoustic orchestral pop music project MIMRA released its latest single ‘Right Where You Belong’. Behind the project is María Magnúsdóttir, born in Iceland in 1984. María is a singer, composer, producer, and music teacher as well as a vocal tutor. Even before releasing her solo material as MIMRA, she had gained well-earned attention throughout the years for her wide-range jazz vocals and distinctive musical arrangements. María carves her own sonic space between the electronic vibes of beats, loops and synths, and multi-layered classic arrangements. We met on the occasion of her single release to talk about her musical path. Musical Upbringing Perhaps María’s parents were not deeply immersed in music, but María still grew up in a house with a record player and a few albums. The music heard in her home ranged from Vivaldi to classical and church music to…Stuðmenn. ‘I think… Keep Reading

18/03/2020 BLOG/REVIEWS

Ásgeir – Bury The Moon

I thought my head was going to explode with the very first bone-crushing, thick, distorted, nine-string guitar riff, immediately followed by one of the most bloodcurdling metal growls ever heard, so brutal I thought a demon would… Wait, that’s not right. Oh! Ásgeir! Right! Sorry. Ásgeir’s newest release, Bury the Moon, is a modern electronic/acoustic classic, overlapping with imagination, sou and soundscapes and immersed in the nature sounds of Iceland, his home country. I was already looking forward to this album after hearing his early, solid singles, such as ‘Pictures’; the nature-infused, lyrical, storytelling ‘Youth’ (which is accompanied by a great music video); and the thick bass, imagination-tickling ‘Lazy Giants’. I found myself pleasantly surprised with the entire work! After digging into the songs between the singles, I found that Ásgeir had created a well-constructed and powerful work of art. It took no time at all to find the great… Keep Reading

10/03/2020 BLOG/REVIEWS

Storm warning: Hurricane KARÍTAS is here

Last year, I fled dark and stormy Iceland and travelled to a nicer climate on the other side of the globe for the winter. However, for some unexplainable reasons, even while enjoying the sun on my balcony, I still get homesick! My cure for that horrid feeling: a five-track album called Songs 4 Crying, released in late 2019 by a relatively unknown artist. Her name is KARÍTAS. The feeling starts creeping up on you from the very start, during the shadowy vocal echoes of the intro. By leaning into the melancholic hopelessness of the dark and gloomy Icelandic winter, I find the remedy for my homesickness. After a second listen, the singer’s references to the other songs on the album become noticeable, and all the admirable work that went into the debut EP of KARÍTAS is apparent. Having such a developed and unique sound on your very first release is… Keep Reading

29/01/2020 BLOG

Nostalgic boys or explosive musicians? Lucy In Blue Q&A

‘We’re just nostalgic boys, rarely connecting with the current trends in popular music. We just wanted to make some rock and roll, but with a dynamic flow and sophistication’ describe themselves Lucy In Blue, a rock quartet formed in 2013 by Arnaldur Ingi Jónsson (keys, vocals), Steinþór Bjarni Gíslason (guitar, vocals), Matthías Hlífar Mogensen (bass) and Kolbeinn Þórsson (drums). A few months after the formation of the band they took the stage by storm at the annual young talents music contest Músíktilraunir and got the 2nd place. No doubt, one can’t resist their explosive pure joy of live performance. 2019 was favourable to Lucy In Blue. Their sophomore album, In Flight, went out on 12th April that year via Norwegian label Karisma Records. Its release show took place at Roadburn Festival in the Netherlands, as the band’s potential was noticed by Walter Hoeijmakers, the artistic director of the festival. The… Keep Reading

24/01/2020 BLOG

Myrkvi

Myrkvi is Magnús Thorlacius’ moniker as a solo musician, but some might already discover him as a member of an indie rock band called Vio. The band won the Icelandic annual Battle of the Bands (Músíktilraunir) in 2014, and Magnús was named the Best Singer of that edition. Critically acclaimed band´s debut was showered with several awards’ nominations. Sonic experience growing step by step and determination in the creative process have led Magnús to release his first solo song ‘Sér Um Sig’. Check it out! Myrkvi plans to take the world by storm in 2020, presenting a fresh sound to all fans of Icelandic indie music. The force is strong with this one, as he kicks off his live shows thread right away in Germany! ‘Sér Um Sig’ is just a beginning, to be followed by more songs and an album release in the summer. Myrkvi’s music makes you feel… Keep Reading