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Stories from another world by Árstíðir

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Árstíðir resounds best in small and intimate spaces. Therefore Cafe Rosenberg located in Reykjavík downtown seems to be an ideal venue for this kind of event and the band is totally aware of that. No wonder, since founding the band in 2008 the team has given there their most important performances. In the end vocal harmonies and acoustic sound suit so well to this place. I´m still not sure if I can find proper words to describe the official release concert of Hvel with a pretty good band Hinemoa as a warming-up act that took place there, at Cafe Rosenberg, on October 3rd in front of a packed audience. I like the way you tell stories, they move me to another world (Mér líkar svo vel hvernig þú segir sögur, þær flytja mig í annan heim) – with those words Gunnar Már Jakobsson started the show, playing a baritone guitar…

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Running after pig-legged Lísa – Grísalappalísa at Húrra

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I woke up today and I was hungry. I want to eat some high energy bassline for breakfast. Sounds like Grísalappalísa. Once upon a time, surrounded by the sea of sweat and joy I showed to my kid who is the eccentric king when it comes about live shows of the younger generation bands from Reykjavík. I’m speaking, of course, of Grísalappalísa that has arrived on the Icelandic music scene since 2012 and was born of the ashes of such successful bands as indie-punk Jakobínarina. Although my kid had her first pleasure with Lísa-seekers at Eistnaflug, I wish she could see them for the first time at Húrra and right away feel this fire that occurs only at this venue. I mean Eistnaflug still remains the best festival in the world and the guys gave a wonderful show but next year I want to pack up the crew of the…

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Eistnaflug 2015

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Today it seems like Eistnaflug reality was actually in some other dimension long time ago. But it happened. So far, it’s my third festival season in Iceland and in a state of peace of mind I can tell you I’m satisfied for the rest of 2015. Finally, I´d observed the most famous Icelandic metal festival for a few years. It´d been rather like licking candy through the wrapper. So I packed my backpack and tent and went to the small fjord in eastern Iceland with a town called Neskaupstaður that has a population of 1500 people. The amount of festivalgoers this year reached up to 3000. We are powerful, aren’t we? (more…)

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KontinuuMuck

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It was Friday night, June 12th, the time of the year when it’s still bright in Iceland even after midnight. The countdown in the darkness of Gaukurinn, a venue in downtown Reykjavík, was over. Finally, the day of musical fireworks had come, and I was armed with a beer as my excitement jumped . I was ready for the show that would proudly kick off my weekend. Only bands like the progressive post-metal Kontinuum and hardcore Muck knew how to scratch me nicely behind the ears. This year, I was told by an expert in the Icelandic music scene that Kontinuum was a band to watch. Indeed, they have played together since 2010 and recently released their second album, Kyrr. They started the show with the album-opening song that drifts between progressive post-metal and dream-wave. Immediately, ʻBreatheʼ made me feel that Kyrr would fit perfectly into my parents’ mysterious cassette…

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Journey of the time with Dynfari

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Stimulate my imagination. Dynfari with its atmospheric black metal has achieved that. They promised me a trip to another world. Experiencing live the new material from the album entitled Vegferð tímans I was profoundly moved by Dynfari and, in fact, provoked in an artistic way. Some of you have probably already heard of Dynfari since 2010 when the band was formed but I will not stop myself from giving you a meaningful comparison. The band that consists of four members on a stage (Jóhann Örn – vocal and guitar, Jón Emil – drums, Hjálmar – bass and Bragi – guitar) works for me with such a force as Sigur Rós did in the initial dark period that accompanied me while I was taking my first steps into my very own Icelandic world. You know, those times when Jónsi was still long-haired and Kjartan was joking that they play in honor…

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Blood of my blood – Klikk

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Welcome to the land of the winter sleep… but I mean more for bands than for animals. Some of the local bands have a nap due to a wealth of the side projects (in this particular case I want to write today about it’s been no less than five, at least as many as band members) then they wake up with a new energy, new songs, surely ready for the conquest of the world or at the very least their own backyard. So it happened to hardcore punkers in Klikk. The previous gig took place in November and the band flourished anew during one weekend at Húrra and Dillon whiskey bar on… wait what…? On Ascension Day?! More likely they would enjoy descending to hell. Nevermind, May 14th and 16th. I still remember the first gig of Klikk I have seen and the way how they stuck in my memory.…

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Drawing lines with Agent Fresco

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These days it’s not that easy to see a math rock quartet Agent Fresco performing live in their hometown. The band has worked on a new material for more than entire last year and we were given a gift of the possibility to listen to new songs on April 30th at Húrra. The new album will be out probably in August (finally) and guess what? It’s going to be an excellent and fresh release but played still in specific Agent Fresco’s style. The next single is released on Friday May 22nd along with all information regarding the second album in Agent Fresco´s career. After listening to a teaser of the forthcoming album, the first single entitled Dark Water, I became only hungrier for their music. A video for the song again woke up my obsession with water and even deepened it. In addition, they won me with this specific craziness…

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Staring into space of Oyama

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Beautiful, spacious and covered with a mystical fog. With a bit psychedelic and impressive elements of dream-pop but still hold in frames of 90s alternative rock. Oyama, our one and only Icelandic shoe gaze band these days. I have enjoyed following their stage progress since early 2013 when they released a debut EP and heard them live so many times that it automatically raises the bar of my expectations. On Thursday evening, April 30th, Oyama clambered to the stage at Húrra to warm up the crowd waiting with a beer in hands for Agent Fresco. The founder of this shoegazers’ gang, a guitarist and one of vocalists Úlfur Alexander Einarsson, was surrounded by his wonderful friends, beautiful minds, and together they presented material from the first full length album in the band´s career entitled Coolboy. Certainly, if someone asked me I would tell without even a second of hesitation that…

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Keep on fighting, Nolo!

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Enough is enough. Banish the winter blues from your home, fill up your glass with a delicious cocktail and do not forget about a colorful and joyful straw. Brighter days are coming and we are gonna celebrate them. Together with Nolo. Can you already smell summer in the air? I can and it provokes good memories. Nolo is a 80s electronic synth pop-rock duo created by Ívar Björnsson and Jón Gabríel Lorange. The band was founded in 2009 so let’s not forget that the guys are quite experienced. For me, they will always glow with this shiny summerish sound as I reconsidered my feelings for them the first months after I came to Iceland (sunshine, warmth, no wind…!?). In the old days in 2011 I thought Nolo just creates cheerful melodies that are a good background for careless jumping in puddles right after it stopped raining, when the sun is…

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Burning Ottoman and Alchemia

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Years ago I had a neighbor who played drums. I have never seen him in action but I guess at least a half of the huge apartment building, that I lived in and, moreover, there were more or less 140 apartments, could hear him while he was vigorously mastering his skills barely 2 floors away from me. My mom, who loves rather singer-songwriters than hard rock, has been describing him in those words: he’s a good child but he throws pancakes through the window from the 5th floor and plays drums like a caveman. I’m wondering now what would she say about Ottoman’s drummer since even I am able to say that he mistreats his drum-kit… in a good way. But going back to the point, before I will tell you a story how crazy Ottoman stole the show at Gaukurinn on March 21st a band called Alchemia deserves to…

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