Krútt or Being cute in Icelandic Music scene - What's in a name ?

Krútt is one of those words that defy translation but has nonetheless been used in Iceland to characterize a whole generation of creative young Icelanders. Krútt is ‘cute’ even ‘cuddly’ but also ‘clever’ and irresistible attractive in a childlike way – precocious but still, perhaps, a bit naïve. The term certainly does not correspond directly with any particular international style or ideological formation, it is not employed in self-conscious emulation of art-historical terminology as were ‘expressionism’, ‘constructivism’, ‘abstract-expressionism’ and ‘pop-art’ which all became current in Iceland a decade or so after they had had their heyday on the continent or in the United States. It seems rather to be used in defiance of such labels and as a deliberate attempt to evade categorization, perhaps specifically to confound journalists and writers seeking a convenient label for what they feel is a particularly ‘Icelandic’ approach to art and music.
Source:
www.cia.is/news/august05/krutts.htm
"Cute" Video by Sigur Rós with subtitles in English !
www.youtube.com/watch?v=zMql7e927HQ


Interview by Henrik Björnsson (of Singapore Sling fame) with Skakkamanage @ http://www.reykjavik.com/ after the release their first Album "Lab of Love". Band is husband-and-wife, Svavar Pétur Eysteinsson and Berglind Häsler, with the help of Þormóður Dagsson on drums and multi-instrumentalists Örvar and Borkó.

That's a good thing, for their record ain't no piece of crap. It's sweet and lo-fi lo-fi, catchy and clever, care-free and funny, has the occasional rock-out and is obviously made with LOVE.
"Some people, though, might dismiss it as krútt (loosely translated sweet or cute), which is a label that"s been put on a certain generation (krúttkynslóðin) here in Iceland that's making music and other kinds of art. People who, perhaps, share and portray a certain kind of innocence and friendliness. Or not. Its always a bit weird to label music like that. Many people label our music as Krútt but no one really knows what that means. We think that our music appeals to a large group of people them being hip hoppers or death rockers. Labelling music like that can be repellent to other people and that's a shame. But we definitely called this definition upon ourselves when we held a music festival last year that was called Krútt. The aim with that festival was really to kill that definition that was made up by the media but the media just did not get the joke so it used now more than ever."

Another source: Fréttablaðið, 4. August 2007
Article Meira en bara eitthvert krútt by Steinþór Helgi Arnsteinsson
Music made by Sigur Rós and others
Origin of the name:
Ragnar Pétursson in Magazin Mannlíf, autumn 2002.
Gerður Kristný, Editor of Mannlif

In the book Eru ekki allir í stuði? written by Dr. Gunni: Krútt is described as „notalega og að mestu testósterónlausa", which translates as "cosily / snugly / comfortable and most of all without testosteron"

Svipað and grunge

Þorkell Máni Pétursson, Radioman @ X-inu 977 Radiostation has used the word krútt a lot.
When Sigur Rós played @ Klambratúni they brought their own cooking-pots and food with them.

Haukur S. Magnússon, member of the band Reykjavík! and journalist for Reykjavík Grapevine Magazine:
„Á sínum tíma vildi enginn flokka sig undir grunge. Það þorir enginn að viðurkenna að hann sé að spila inn í ákveðna senu. [...] Ég sem blaðamður veit að orð eru til þess fallin að láta fólk vita hvað maður meinar. Sem slíkt held ég að krútt virki mjög vel og fólk átti sig á hvað þú átt við. Þessi tónlist eða þessi hópur gæti samt heitið hvað sem er."

Review of the album by amiina, "Kurr"
„Öllu má þó ofgera og ekki er laust við að Amiina [sic] gangi á köflum of langt í krúttleikanum. Textar um lúpínur og sumar ruglur (hvað svo sem það þýðir) eru kannski í það krúttlegasta, svo ekki sé talað um Teletubbiesleg-hljóð sem heyra má í einstaka lagi."

Umhverfið ekki flúið

Goddur, Professor @ Listaháskóla Íslands (Art School) about krútt:
„Þetta er fólk sem er að gerjast upp úr aldamótunum og er að greina sig frá 90s-liði. Það er raunverulega í eðli sínu rómantískt, þar sem verið er að leita að innri sannindum, barninu í sjálfu sér, einhverju sem er göfugt og ekta."
„Orðið krútt er heldur ekki skapað af þeim sjálfum, heldur af kynslóð foreldra þeirra."
„Við verðum að hafa eitt í huga, að það eru tiltölulega fáir sem gera þetta, eins og var til dæmis í tilfelli hippanna og pönkaranna. Heil kynslóð er stimpluð út af fáu fólki því þessi fámenna stefna er síðan gerð að verslunarvöru, húsbúnaði, veggfóðri, kvikmyndum, músík og svo framvegis og verður einkenni ákveðins tímabils."

Post-krútt = Prútt

New bands like Hjaltalín, Sprengjuhöllin and Retro Stefson
Different than múm, Sigur Rós and Rúnk

Source:
www.visir.is/article/20070804/LIFID09/108040109
Isn't this cute ?
www.youtube.com/v/QBPxnnRHpd8&hl