Keeping a finger on the pulse

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Drawing lines with Agent Fresco

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… Keep Reading

Live

Staring into space of Oyama

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… Keep Reading

Live

Keep on fighting, Nolo!

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… Keep Reading

Live

Burning Ottoman and Alchemia

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… Keep Reading

Live

Provoking Muck, Pink Street Boys and Oyama on Friday the 13th

I’m about to make a deal with this crazy blowing Icelandic wind. If there will be more shows like that one at Húrra on legendary Friday the 13th, I will stop caring about that horrible howling and annoying sound in the background and always wet glasses that don’t allow me to see the world around. Then the only one thing I will maybe care about will be your joyous future. Yours, mine but I’m not 100% about everyone else’s. So, should I first tell you the reason why I’m almost able to have a pact with the Devil? Well, I don’t believe the Black Friday brings good or bad luck. Although I got up on the wrong side of the bed it didn’t really matter since I had been waiting for that day so goddam long. We have all been waiting. Finally, Muck released its sophomore album entitled Your Joyous… Keep Reading

Live

Sirens are ringing all around – Low Roar

I wanna feel something again memorable sings Ryan Karazija, the frontman of the Iceland based electronic project called Low Roar. I also want to experience something remarkable, that’s why I took the opportunity to watch Low Roar live at Húrra on March 12th. Half a year has crept by since this band played onstage here in Reykjavík – not including Iceland Airwaves. This is what you get in this town once they spread their wings. I have experienced more or less memorable shows of this trio currently consisting of mentioned before Karazija, Leifur Björnsson (programming) and Logi Guðmundsson (drums) – but this one show turned out to be far better than simply good. And it’s not that easy to me to admit that there are still some artists that are able to turn me inside out. I was witness the brilliant metamorphosis of the butterfly called Low Roar that combines… Keep Reading

Live

Covering Mammút with salt

While travelling with IcelandAir pay attention to what you listen to. I sat comfortably in my seat with a thought that just in a few hours I will cheer eyes up with my favorite view and then I heard… of course Icelandic music, how could it be different? But it was something special to me. I heard songs of a huge creature that the earth rests on its back. It is believed that earthquakes occur if this animal moves. So does my personal little world. It shivers when the creature is kind of resurrected on stage. So here we have Mammút that has attracted attention since 2008 and I believe that since releasing the last album in 2013 entitled Komdu til mín svarta systir, they make magic live. To be honest, I didn’t experience on my own skin how they had changed on stage for that five years but it… Keep Reading

Wishlist

Growling with Skálmöld (and Iceland Symphony Orchestra)

It’s summer evening and entire Reykjavík just went crazy. Plenty of people enjoy Menningarnótt aka the Culture Night and use the opportunity to see numerous bands live as well as check out many art exhibitions. I’m walking down the street and don’t even notice that the song in my head can be heard not only by me. I recognize it and can’t believe it might be true. But that is Menningarnótt. Nothing is impossible and I’m listening to none other than folk metal stars Skálmöld. A few seconds later I’m standing up on Arnarhóll and can see their small silhouettes on a huge stage situated at the bottom of the hill. Although a short performance during Menningarnótt showed only in a low dose how Skálmöld can rock I wait now in anticipation for that one day I will get the opportunity to experience entire full long set. But until then… Keep Reading

Live

Driving you through the snowstorm with Fufanu

The Winter Light Festival is trying to kick the darkness out from the city. Days are getting brighter and seems like a summer depression is slowly sneaking into our life. Open your doors wider, catch some disappearing dimness as long as you can do it. Also let Fufanu in. Or better run after them in the snowstorm if you have an opportunity because it seems like lately they play more abroad than on our playground. That’s what we actually want for them, isn’t it? So good for them. Not that slowly but definitely steady Fufanu makes it to the top. Do you know this unspoken feeling under your skin when you see some band for the first time and in the calm before the storm you know that something meaningful will happen to that team? With a dark, heavy and a bit electronic sound Fufanu creates a specific atmosphere that… Keep Reading

Live

Gimme gimme gimme… goosebumps – CeaseTone

You know what? I lost my faith in many things. For example I do not believe anymore that Iceland raises only (!) phenomenal musicians. So I am picky and sometimes I arrive at a venue with the thought: surprise me, setting the bar quite high at the same time and being sure it won’t be reached. When I’m not in a good mood it’s not that easy to satisfy me with music. However, I heard CeaseTone once in a radio a year ago or so. Hafsteinn Þráinsson, a brain and a boss of the project, played solo. There was only his voice and his guitar. Oops, I did it again and forgot something very important in between. His fingers. And the way they move. Last year CeaseTone played quite a lot around but somehow I didn’t end up at the gig. But the last Saturday at Loft Hostel I couldn’t… Keep Reading

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