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The newest band of Iceland – Sprezzatura

Unnur Sara Eldjárn, who released last year her solo album, and Óli Hrafn Jónasson, known also as Holy Hrafn, met at Secret Solstice this year and soon after that they started making music together as Sprezzatura. The project is about one month old and has already shared a brand new song entitled Ert´ ekk´ í fíling that is a rhetorical question ‘aren´t you in mood’? So get into summer evening mood and listen to Sprezzatura! Speaking about the duo’s name, Óli Hrafn referenced to Shakespeare. While writing an essay about the poet long time ago, the term sprezzatura caught his attention. It means a certain nonchalance, studied carelessness, illusion of effortless. Sprezzatura popped up recently in his mind because he finds it an interesting word. Watch out! Everybody will be in mood 27th August at Gaukurinn when the duo will perform live the first time. Don’t be afraid also to… Keep Reading

Live

Vök doesn´t keep me waiting anymore

Sometimes you need just the right moment to say that the show wiped you off the face of the earth. Seeing a band Vök and a solo project called EinarIndra warming up the audience on 21st July 2016 at Húrra, I realised that perhaps that was that moment. It hasn´t been too long since I experienced the same line up at KEX Hostel and then I dreamed of feeling real emotions during live show in a dark, small and enclosed space. So it happened, this space turned out to be the currently best concert venue in downtown. Húrra! Opening of the evening was made by EinarIndra, electronic/indie solo artist, who this year successfully acquainted Polish audience with his music so I was incredibly curious of him. In a dark surrounding his music and distinctive voice affected on a brain with a broad direct sonic stream. Pleasure. There were precisely such… Keep Reading

News

Indridi shares first single

One of very talented young artists of Reykjavík is Indriði Ingólfsson, a musician born of local DIY punk scene. Being a lead guitarist in hardcore band Muck is just a part of his artistic activity. Except that, he is also a visual artist and has collaborated on both grounds – music and visual arts – with, to mention a few, Úlfur Hansson (Swords of Chaos, Klive), The Heavy Experience and Jófríður Ákadóttir (Samaris, Pascal Pinon, JFDR). Luckily for us, delicate melodies with Indriði´s mesmerizing deep emotional voice will be released on his solo debut 12-inch vinyl LP entitled Makril on 29th July via Figure Eight Records. The album contains 10 original songs written and recorded by Indriði. The first single is entitled Dreamcat. You can listen to it below and you have my full recommendation! The initial album spark came when Indriði and Kristín Anna Valtýsdóttir (múm) presented an visual/audio… Keep Reading

Albums

CeaseTone – Two Strangers

*Originally written for muzykaislandzka.pl – Polish website about Icelandic music, visit the website and share some love there! :) Lately reviewing albums happens rarely to me but while I was listening to something surprising from the Icelandic music shelf and completely fresh in its sound I couldn’t stop myself from sharing good news. A long-awaited debut album of the ambitious young team called CeaseTone has been released at the end of May 2016. When was the last time that you listened to something new that is a fusion of electronic pop and indie rock? Let me offer you something that you actually cannot refuse: put on your headphones or turn the sound up – 10 songs from Two Strangers will take you on a nice trip. This young team is an example of why I love to follow the Icelandic music scene. Three years ago, In 2013, the leader of… Keep Reading

News

Debut EP of Lightspeed Legend out 30th June!

Lightspeed Legend is a brain child of Baldvin Freyr Þorsteinsson (known of Sign). The band plays rock and blends together 80’s glam, elements of metal and guitar solos so you can enjoy this pure energy of rock’n’roll. On 30th June (next Thursday), Beautiful Vice is released – a debut EP from Lighespeed Legends that contains 6 original compositions. I’m so looking forward to listening to the studio versions of the songs and at the same time I’m pretty sure the album will meet my expectations of a great quality. In the end, musicians that have played in bands like Sign, Ask the Slave, Momentum, Ophidian I, Endless Dark and Future Future know how to create something amazing and the material was recorded by producer Axel Flex Árnason (who stands behind albums of Skálmöld, The Vintage Caravan and many many others). Lightspeed Legend is set to play Eistnaflug Festival on 6-9th… Keep Reading

Live

Sisterhood of Reykjavík

In the evening of April 13th an unusual concert took place at Loft Hostel. Three good friends joined their forces and together, armed only with guitars, created a delicate mood and almost family atmosphere. On the stage each of them charms with a voice, though they are so different from each other. Ladies and gentlemen – Myrra Rós, Halla Norðfjörð and Elín Ey. Music of those three young women has been familiar to me for some longer time. Their united performance made tears well up in my eyes. A singer/songwriter that came up first on the stage that night was Myrra Rós backed by her friend Pete Uhlenbruch that also delights people with his solo project Owls Of The Swamp. Myrra enchants listeners not only in Iceland, but also in continental Europe. She has been on friendly terms with her guitar since she was 20 and had taken active part… Keep Reading

Live

Spin the full circle with Ceasetone

I can actually still sign with all my limbs under emotions I expressed after the evening that I saw an indie-electro-rock band Ceasetone in action at Loft Hostel the first time although it has been one year since then. Now, at the same venue I was offered to watch a premiere screening of the video for the song entitled The Bright Side that by the way was produced by no one else than the guitarist, singer and brain of Ceasetone – Hafsteinn Þráinsson. Ceasetone was formed in 2012 as an acoustic solo project of Hafsteinn and two years later expanded a big rich sound escaping sometimes into experimental and jazzy soundscapes performed by four piece that consists of young and talented musicians – Hafsteinn was joined by Sólrún Mjöll Kjartansdóttir on drums, Jökull Brynjarsson on synths and keyboard and Steinar Karlsson on bass. The band is actively preparing to release… Keep Reading

Other/Wishlist

Walking down the street with Mínus

Decluttering can be sometimes a good thing. Especially when you find a sheet of paper with 10 names of Icelandic bands that you must see some day and the first on this list is… Mínus. Once I read they were a separate chapter in the history of Icelandic rock music. Or maybe I should say they still are? The band was formed as a five-piece in the fall of 1998 and inspired by bands like Converge or Dillinger Escape Plan turned quickly into a giant of Icelandic hardcore music scene. Now, 18 years later I´m still waiting for their next (fifth in the career) album that was recorded at Kolsstaðir in 2010 and supposed to be released in November the same year but apparently karma didn´t allow this to happen. Maybe it´s hopeless since we have 2016 but I still believe that one day I will see them live for… Keep Reading

Live

This mess Útidúr has been doing

I miss summer. I miss brigthness that doesn´t allow darkness to appear. You can feel life everywhere and simply you want to do everything. Additionally, summer smells like another bands blossoming on the local scene. Smells like Útidúr that was formed in 2009 in Reykjavík. Its fathers are the singer and guitarist Gunnar Örn Egilsson, who sounds like Icelandic version of Zach Condon of Beirut, and talented keyboardist Kristinn Roach Gunnarsson. Definitely, this chamber-pop with a deep reaching vocal can touch a lot of sensitive hearts. Well, ok, I give up, I wouldn’t have sunk so deep into Icelandic music if I didn’t hear of Útidúr. Since the beginning of my adventure with Útidúr, they have released another album, jaggled members a bit and still remains one of those precious special bands. They have made quite a good mess on Icelandic music scene. This almost little orchestra started with a… Keep Reading

Other

God’s lonely man – Pétur Ben

For actually a few years I haven’t celebrated Easter but Aldrei Fór Ég Suður festival in West Fjords instead. Of course, my luck hasn’t let me also last year to end up in Ísafjörður in person (maybe 2016?) but at least it reminded me how I discovered one of the most impressive and estimable artists of Iceland. Believe me, watching an annual broadcast of all the performances of Aldrei Fór Ég Suður while sitting in not too comfortable chair is probably not the best idea so it happened I had a nap. But can you imagine that you are waking up to the sounds that knock your socks off? Then I didn’t know who was performing with that entire band but I found out quite quick that his name is Pétur. Pétur Ben. After several years of following this artist I have to admit one thing – whatever Pétur Ben… Keep Reading

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