Hafdis Huld in the Studio recording her 2. Album

Hafdis Huld recording her Second Album
www.youtube.com/v/keuNCe5Kes0&hl&fmt=18

www.myspace.com/hafdishuld
On her blog http://hafdishuld.blogspot.com this recent post:
The first single of my second album will be released on the 1st of June in Iceland and on the 21st of June for the rest of the world. It is called "Kónguló" (Icelandic word for spider) and is written about the French man called the human spider, you know the one who climbs really high buildings without any safety equipment or anything. He is very cool stops on the outside of the 82nd floor and drinks coffee with the people that are on the inside.
I want him to be in my video for this song, I also want to climb a building in the video.... need him to teach me the tricks.
If you know him, please ask him to get in touch.

Stórsveit Nix Noltes in the Spotlight @ IMX

Founded in the autumn of 2004 by nine musicians living in Reykjavik, Iceland, Stórsveit Nix Noltes are a hugely talented and creative collective united through a mutual fascination for folk music from Bulgaria and the Balkan areas. Comprising of members of múm, Benni Hemm Hemm, Lost in Hilderness, Númer Núll, Rúnk, Kanada, Hestbak, and Kría Brekkan, among others, the group initially took shape at a class led by guitarist Hilmar Jensson at the Iceland Academy of the Arts.
Recorded in an old farmhouse in the countryside,during the long, dark days of the Icelandic winter, their debut album "Orkídeur í Havaí" was released on 12 Tonar in 2005. Well received locally, including a nomination in The Icelandic Music Awards as indie album of the year, Stórsveit Nix Noltes soon found themselves playing much bigger venues and festivals, whilst continuing to enjoy the direct social connection and intimacy of playing in small venues where people would dance the whole night through.
In 2006 US label Bubble Core released Orkídeur í Havaí in the US, allowing the band to tour much further afield. They were invited by Animal Collective as supports on both their European tour in November 2005, and in North America the following year, including a slot at SXSW festival in Texas. In the UK, they also opened up for Emiliana Torrini and Benni Hemm Hemm.

Now expanded to eleven members, Stórsveit Nix Noltes recorded their second album, Royal Family Divorce , outside Reykjavik during the last few sunny summer days of August 2006. Produced by the band themselves, the album was domestically self-released in December 2007. Remastered in October 2008, the record was picked up by UK label FatCat and is set for its first release outside of Iceland in 2009.
The members of Stórsveit Nix Noltes are Áki Ásgeirsson (trumpet, cornetto and computer), Eiríkur Orri Ólafsson (trumpet - múm / Sigur Rós), Ingi Garðar Erlendsson (trombone, sousaphone and euphonium - Benni Hemm Hemm), Kristín Anna Valtýsdóttir (accordion - múm / Animal Collective / Mice Parade / Kría Brekkan), Kristín Þóra Haraldsdóttir (violin), Hildur Ingveldard Guðnadóttir (cello - múm / Lost In Hidurness / Pan Sonic), Gestur Guðnason (electric guitar), Hallvarður Ásgeirsson (electric guitar, banjo), Guðmundur Steinn Gunnarsson (electric guitar, acoustic guitar), Páll Ívan Pálsson (double bass), and Ólafur Björn Ólafsson (drums, melodica).
OK, so Iceland - Bulgaria. What's the big connection?

Gestur: The music has a connection to what I generally seem to like in music but presents it in a exotic way.
Varði : A country of farmers and sheep.

Was the initial idea of SNN to play Bulgarian folk songs - or did it morph into that later on?
G: It started out as a weekly get together in art school where people met and played this kind of music. The idea was to play Bulgarian folk but not to form Stórsveit Nix Noltes.
V: It was the concept from the beginning. It brought us together in a different way then before.
How did the band initially form/meet?
G: It has been forming over a long period. I remember me and Óli and maybe Hildur when we first started out. People have been added and subtracted from the band a lot. I can hardly ever remember exactly who's in the band.
V: I was in there from the start! In the beginning it was 3 guitars, drums, cello, violin, and accordion. It was a strange line up. But I liked it. The winds came in later the same winter. The weird thing about the line up was the 3 guitars. It's easy to distribute parts between 2 guitars, but 3 is harder! So we would kind of double each other. I think that created this weird sound that is still part of the band.
Kristin Anna: I was not in the school. But a music teacher there, Hilmar Jensson pulled me off the street one day and told me to come play music with these group of people, bringing whatever instrument. It hasn’t changed so much since we started being more of a band, but a member might go live in this or that country for a while and the band can still play. Lately half of the band has been studying or living abroad, so maybe that’s why Gestur has forgotten who we are.
Is it just Bulgarian folk you play, or other folk too?
V: I brought in an Icelandic folk song once. It's on the backup song list.
Hildur: We also play a Greek song, and with some songs we are not completely sure about their original origins.
K: Yes there is this Greek one. And when we are off stage and in good company we might burst ino an orchestrated karaoke song cascade.
What does the band name actually mean?
H: Stórsveit means big band in Icelandic. Nix Noltes has a ever changing meaning. The name is a bit like the band; it is a big band that changes all the time. I think the name has a completely different meaning from what we had in mind when we started.
K: Yes and the dynamic range of the meaning of the words in the name is appropriate for the music. Stór being BIG. The rest of the word, sveit, means the country, land, the farm.
In the vocabulary in our work process we use the word NIX a lot as a verb for the status or outcome of idea trying to puss through. And the Noltes connection is for anyone to give his own meaning to. At the time the name was created he clearly stood for something wasted.
You've been compared to Beirut and Hawk & A Hacksaw - what sets you apart from them?
Don’t know. Computers and electric guitars?
V: We're a new genre. It's called orchestral art noise. Coined by a British journalist.
K: Doesn’t Beirut play mostly in 4/4? We never do that. Hawk and a Hacksaw definitely have a better accordion player than we do. And I think we are much more of a happening-gathering than a band in comparison to these names.
On stage there seem to be anywhere between 9 and 12 of you - but who forms the core of the crew?
G: Everybody is vital but we are also capable of performing this music in smaller numbers. So it depends on who's playing when.
V: Everybody in the band is the front man, and the backing band at the same time. It's a unique energy, a band of 11 soloists playing together!
You toured with Animal Collective a while ago: how was that experience for you? And who else have you toured with recently?
G: Sleepless, great to have the opportunity to play a big sound to a large crowd every night. Nice guys.
V: I felt it was very inspiring to see the discipline they have, and the energy. They're the hardest working band I know about. Sometimes I was lazy and didn't feel like rigging the guitar amp, and I'd find that one of the guys from AC had already done it. They do everything themselves, even at that point, when they were already getting pretty big.
Your second album Royal Family-Divorce is about to come out - when and where was it recorded?
Late August - September 2006. It was recorded in a studio called Flís just outside of Reykjavik.
What was your approach with this one, as opposed to your debut?
G: More bold in doing whatever we wanted. I think everybody took it a bit further in his personal direction.
V: The sound developed a lot through touring. I think the main change is this attitude of being unafraid. Being right on from the very beginning.
You tend to beef up the folk with some hefty rock guitars – is this still a gameplan of yours?
G: Sure. Anything that the music brings out in you. This is intense music.
How many people are on the new joint - and do you have any surprise guests?
G: Eleven. I think there’s some bombing from road construction in the background somewhere.
And the title - what's that all about?
G: The traditional style of this music is played at weddings in Bulgaria. Our version is pretty twisted and abstracted and divorced from the tradition.
How would you describe the new album to someone who hasn't heard it or doesn't know the SNN sound?
G: Somebody said it sounded like the last party on earth, epic, loud, ancient and futuristic. I dig that.
What touring/other plans do you have for 09?
G: We'll have to wait and see. Hopefully there will be some gigs.
V: I'd like to play on another tour. It's been a while. AC, are you reading this?
www.myspace.com/storsveitnixnoltes
www.youtube.com/v/3gJ_Z3YtmYA&hl&fmt=18

Interview with Lay Low in Winnipeg Sun

Iceland's Lay Low makes her Canadian debut at the Nuna (now) Festival, but the folksinger is well known in her home country. Her country and blues-tinged CD "Please Don't Hate Me" topped the charts and earned her three Icelandic Music Awards. We chatted with her via e-mail.
Are you a household name in Iceland?
The Lay Low name sounds familiar to a lot of people. It is such a small country, and Reykjavik a small city that sometimes you can end up knowing everyone and everyone knowing you.
How did you become a country and blues singer in Iceland?
I wasn't really planning on staying in a particular genre. But it turned out that my music was a bit country and a bit bluesy sometimes. Those genres are pretty well liked, I would think. There is a big blues festival every year and I think people all over like a bit of country.
Most Canadians have only heard of Björk and perhaps Sigur Ros. What other popular bands are there in Iceland? Do you have any favourites?
There is a lot of bands around here in Iceland. And a lot of good bands, very good bands. Sin Fang Bous, Seabear, Hjaltalin, FM Belfast, Olöf Arnalds, Pikknikk if I have to name a few ... but there are many many more that I like.
What characteristics and qualities do you hear in Icelandic music that you don't hear in music from any other country?
I'm not sure what it is, but it is a fact that we live in an extraordinary country with great landscapes and powerful mountains. It must affect and come through in the music and is inspiring. A small population living on an island in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, that's what we are.
www.winnipegsun.com/entertainment/music/2009/04/23/9212496-sun.html
Lay Low
"Please don't hate me"
www.youtube.com/v/xt-uv6bcq2g&hl&fmt=18

www.laylow.is
www.myspace.com/baralovisa

Kimono Gogoyoko Videos

Kimono is working on a New Album "Easy music for difficult people".
Gogoyoko videos by Stuart Rogers, sound my Alex MacNeil (Kimono)
"Get ready for some pain to have"
www.youtube.com/v/y5T6kqsDc5M&hl&fmt=18

"Tomorrow"
www.youtube.com/v/OIhWUJofViw&hl&fmt=18

www.myspace.com/kimono

We Made God "Gizmo"

We Made God
"Gizmo", a Video by Óskar Bragi Stefánsson for a song of their Album "As we sleep"
www.youtube.com/v/rsHHKBy_ezE&hl&fmt=18

www.myspace.com/wemadegod

Agent Fresco "Above these city lights"

Agent Fresco
"Above these city lights"
www.youtube.com/v/4XA0rtiNzWk&hl&fmt=18

www.myspace.com/agentfresco

Song of the 109. Week: "Krókódílamaðurinn" by Íkarus

109. Song of the Week is Íkarus' Song: "Krókódílamaðurinn".
The band members of Íkarus were: Tolli Morthens, Megas, Kormákur Geirharðsson & Bergþór Morthens. Two releases on Gramm Label: "The Boys from Chicago" in 1983 with the song "Krókódílamaðurinn", and 2. one "Rás 5-20" (1984).

Icelandic Music Compilations: Made in Iceland 1 (Iceland Music Export)

Made in Iceland - 15 Tracks of Sheer Delight
"It's hard to believe anything with a beat could grow in a landscape as otherworldly and physically inhospitable as that of Iceland. Mother Nature, in all her harshest majesty, is the headline act here. She is not easily upstaged. Nevertheless, in a small rehearsal space on a snowy, windblown side street in central Reykjavik, a local band called the Sugarcubes is busy proving that rock & roll is not only alive and well here but mutating into shapes as odd and wondrous as the geologist's paradise outside."
Words of David Fricke, Rolling Stone, July 1988
The above is how David Fricke summed up the experience of his first visit to Iceland in Rolling Stone magazine, exactly 20 years ago. The Sugarcubes succeeded in creating a cultural export that has prevailed ever since and continues to inspire their fellow countrymen and women. The Icelandic music scene has flourished in the last two decades and has repeatedly hit the headlines of Rolling Stone and other world class music magazines, as well as broadsheets and broadcast media. The success and profile of Icelandic music has continued to expand with the likes of Björk, Sigur Rós and a growing number of Icelandic bands and artists touring the world and contributing to the international scene. Music lovers from around the globe flock to events such as the Iceland Airwaves Festival to discover the latest trends in the ever-evolving sonic melting pot that is the Icelandic music scene.
The creative and playful force that characterizes the Icelandic music is constantly vibrant and evolving. The Made in Iceland project showcases 15 of the key artists who have released albums this year, and are working on promoting themselves internationally.
www.icelandmusic.is

FM Belfast "Lotus"
Iceland's FM Belfast started out as a duo during Christmas 2005 when Árni R Hlöðversson and Lóa H. Hjalmtysdottir made a song as a present for their friends. What was initially thought of as a studio concern became a live band in the summer of 2006 when Árni and Lóa performed an art opening in a cave in the Faeroe Islands. Later that year Árni Vilhjálmsson and Örvar Þ. Smárason (múm) joined the band. 2007 saw FM Belfast establish themselves as one of Iceland's premier live shows, playing the closing set at that year's Airwaves festival. Onstage, FM Belfast's membership varies from 3 to 8 players depending on who can make it. This year, the group hit the road playing festivals in Europe and the U.S, garnering universal praise. The Austin Chronicle listed them as one of the bands to watch at SxSW and the Denver Post named them one of the top 10 new finds. Spin Magazine caught on and made them Artist Of The Day. FM Belfast have just completed a remix of múm's Dancing Behind My Eyelids, which will be released this summer. The band is currently preparing to release their debut album, How to make friends, this fall.
www.fmbelfast.com
www.myspace.com/fmbelfast
Contact: Árni Rúnar Hlöðversson – drarni@gmail.com


Steed Lord "Who U Wit?"
Collectively known as Steed Lord, foursome M.E.G.A., Kali, Demo and AC Bananas grind out their own genre of club music with finesse. Sporting shamelessly filthy beats, mad melodies, crunk synths and killer hooks, the band’s patented brand of club bangers coupled with their clear creative vision (they recently designed prints for H&M retail which sold out last fall in over 52 countries) make up a unique experience. Steed Lord have generated an impressive amount of buzz in the band’s relatively short lifespan, and the imminent release of their début full length is sure to increase their notoriety even further. Already, the band has played shows in Europe and the US, been remixed by legends like DJ Mehdi, Crookers, Mano & DJ Klever and appeared on more blogs, mixtapes and magazines than you could imagine.
www.myspace.com/steedlord
Contact: Manger, Róbert Aron Magnússon – kronikent@gmail.com

Seabear "Libraries"
Seabear’s enchanting melodies and soft-spoken aesthetic has brought the band great levels of success since its inception as a solo project for founder Sindri Már Sigfússon. Originally envisioned as a way to pass boredom for Sindri, he found himself in great demand from a rapidly growing fan base after self-releasing the Singing Arc EP in 2004. Drafting in a couple of friends to help with live shows, Seabear quickly evolved into a full-blown, seven strong band that has entertained crowds all across the world, both in a live setting and with their instant-classic début, The Ghost That Carried Us Away, released in 2007 by Morr Music. Still touring on the strength of that LP, Seabear is already rehearsing material for their follow up full-length, while Sindri Már keeps the creative juices flowing by scoring documentaries and his new solo project, Sin Fang Bous which will be released via Morr Music in early 2009.
www.seabearia.com
www.myspace.com/seabear
Contact: Label representative, Florian Zimmer – flow@morrmusic.com

Emiliana Torrini "Fireheads"
Following on from her critically acclaimed sets, Love In The Time Of Science and Fisherman's Woman, Icelandic songstress Emiliana Torrini’s latest LP, Me And Armini, sees her working once again with her long time producer/collaborator Dan Carey. The resulting album is a hugely ambitious and aspirational pop record with Emilíana’s soaring voice centre stage, bolstered by a rich gamut of musical styles. The pedigree paring of Emiliana's song writing and Carey's sonic alchemy previously combined to world-beating effect when they co-wrote/produced 'Slow' for Kylie Minogue, and individually when Emilíana sang ‘Gollum’s Song’ on the Lord Of The Rings soundtrack. Suffice to say their latest offspring already looks destined to top 2008 year-end lists.
www.emilianatorrini.com
www.myspace.com/emilianatorrini
Contact: Manager, Robert Linney – robert@mblmusic.com


Bang Gang "The World is Gray"
Barði Jóhannsson has been making music under the Bang Gang moniker for well over a decade now, gaining international notoriety for his ambitious, carefully-crafted take on melancholy pop. Bang Gang’s 2000 début, You, was met with great fanfare and critical revelry, while the follow-up, 2003’s Something Wrong, cemented his artistic and commercial success. Jóhannsson’s notable 2003 collaboration with French artist Keren Ann, Lady & Bird, and a slew of other projects have also served to further his career. Bang Gang’s third full-length, Ghosts from the Past, is currently being released in various markets worldwide to critical acclaim.
www.banggang.net
www.myspace.com/banggangband
Contact: Barði Jóhannsson - bangehf@mi.is

Hjaltalín "Traffic Music"
Hjaltalín are Iceland's newest soon-to-be exports. Nominated for five Icelandic Music Awards last March, they went on to win the ‘Best Songwriter’ and ‘Brightest Hope’ categories. Hailing from Reykjavík, Hjaltalín is as promising as any of the other beautiful and eclectic artists the country has thrown up. With eight members, it's difficult to determine whether they should be called a small orchestra, a mutated, overgrown rock band or something else entirely. Besides the regular guitar, bass and drums, the band also uses piano, accordion, bassoon, clarinet, cello and a violin, to compliment the exquisite lilt of Högni and Sigga's vocals. Their debut album, Sleepdrunk Seasons, released to great acclaim in Iceland last December, was produced by Benni Hemm Hemm and Gunni Tynes of múm. The album is due for imminent Scandinavian-wide release and will hit the UK and the rest of Europe on October 6th.
www.myspace.com/hjaltalinband
Contact: Hjaltalín – hjaltalinband@gmail.com

Ólöf Arnalds "Klara"
A self trained guitarist and master of a variety of instruments, Icelandic folk singer Ólöf Arnalds has been a prominent figure in her native music scene for a number of years. Between 2003 and 2007, Ólöf was an active member of múm, contributing violin, viola, guitar, and vocals both live and on record. However, it's her solo debut, Við og við, that continues to garner widespread acclaim. Produced by Kjartan Sveinsson from Sigur Rós, Við og við won Best Alternative Album at the 2007 Iceland Music Awards as well as 'Record of the Year' at Iceland's biggest daily newspaper, Morgunblaðið, beating out both Björk and múm. Ólöf has been chosen to play this years Womex and is currently working on a new album, due in 2009.
www.myspace.com/olofarnalds
Contact: Manager, Stuart Rogers - stuartrogers@gmail.com


Borko "Shoo Ba Ba"
Borko or Björn Kristjánsson is the glowing light mirrored in the eyes of women all over the world and his music serves as a shining beacon to that effect. On his latest offspring, entitled Celebrating Life, Borko brings together melancholy and rhythm-machines in a unique way, playing on his passion for the repetitive and altogether explosive enthusiasm. It is a scintillating blend. Borko has been prolific in writing music for both theatre and modern dance as well as honing the art of "lifskunstner" to a frolicky science. Everywhere he goes, he brings joy. Early 2008, Borko successfully undertook a European tour with múm that coincided with the international release of Celebrating Life via Morr Music. This fall, Borko is set to go on a four-week tour of Europe with labelmates and fellow Icelanders Seabear, as well as performing at German Showcase festivals Popkomm in Berlin and Reeperbahn in Hamburg.
www.myspace.com/borkoborko
Contact: Label representative, Florian Zimmer – flow@morrmusic.com

Valgeir Sigurðsson "Focal Point"
Best known for his work as a collaborator and producer Valgeir has for the past decade provided a breeding ground for numerous local and international artists in his Greenhouse Recording Studios in Reykjavik. He stepped forward in 2006 with the launch of boutique label Bedroom Community, in collaboration with composers Nico Muhly and Ben Frost, and released his long due solo album Ekvílibríum in September 2007 to great critical acclaim. Valgeir has since toured Europe and the U.S. twice over promoting the record, and is now in the process of writing its follow up. An avid composer, Valgeir has also been confirmed to score the much-anticipated Icelandic film Dreamland.
www.bedroomcommunity.net
www.myspace.com/valgeirs
Contact:Bedroom Community – herro@bedroomcommunity.net

Ólafur Arnalds "3055"
Only 21 years of age, Ólafur hails from the suburban Icelandic town, Mosfellsbær He has immersed himself completely in the world of delicate symphonic compositions in a near weightless orchestral undertaking. His debut, Eulogy for Evolution, takes the listener on a journey, representing different periods in life, from birth to death. The follow-up EP, Variations of Static, keeps the classical foundations of his debut album while incorporating crackling electronics and the dead voice of a machine; like vague memories of tradition lost within the digital age we all live in. Last winter Ólafur performed at unique venues in the UK before he continued playing mostly sold out shows throughout the rest of Europe. Over five hundred people came to see Ólafur at the State-X Newforms Festival in Den Haag alongside Aphex Twin as well as at Iceland Airwaves with Amiina & Jóhann Jóhannsson in Brussels. He set out on an extensive one-month European tour including a headline show in front of 1.000 people at London’s Barbican on June 20th. Fellow Icelanders Sigur Rós invited Ólafur to open some of their European shows in mid August, after which he will embark on a full UK tour in October and return to Iceland in November to record his second full-length album.
www.olafurarnalds.com
www.myspace.com/olafurarnalds
Contact: Geoff Wener (Riot Act Management), geoffwener@hotmail.com
Phone +44(0)7802 757999

Benny Crespo's Gang "12223"
There's nothing modest about Benny Crespo's Gang. Consisting of four very different individuals, the band's dynamic mixture of over the top hard rock and eerie synth powered lullabies is truly unique and haunting. They have often been described as one of the most interesting bands in Iceland, and with good reason. Benny Crespo’s Gang’s self-titled 2007 début was gobbled up by local rock-enthusiasts and received top marks from all who reviewed it. Their legendary live shows have consistently made new fans out of anyone who happens to be in the vicinity, and their much-hyped performances at the Iceland Airwaves and Aldrei fór ég suður festivals have earned them fans from all over the world and positive reviews in publications such as NME and Clash Magazine. The band is currently plotting further steps towards world domination and plan to tour the world extensively.
www.myspace.com/bennycresposgang
Contact: Magnús Árni Öder – magnusarnioder@simnet.is

Sigur Rós "Inní mér syngur vitleysingur"
The good men of Sigur Rós have been pushing musical boundaries and gaining fans ever since forming the group back in 1994. The band quickly became a cult-favourite in Iceland with the release of their atmospheric début, Von, before winning over the whole of the country with follow-up Ágætis Byrjun in 1998. Ágætis Byrjun was an instant critical and commercial success in Iceland, and through word of mouth, glowing reviews and perfectly executed shows the band amassed fans all over the world, setting the tone for what was to come. Following the massive success of Ágætis Byrjun was never going to be an easy task, but Sigur Rós have been coming on strong with every release ever since – (), Takk and June’s Með suð í eyrum við syngjum endalaust... have all strengthened and spread the band’s world-wide reputation beyond a doubt. Sigur Rós are a unique and inventive band in the best sense and remain one ofIceland’s finest ambassadors for music and creativity.
www.sigur-ros.com
www.myspace.com/sigurros
Contact: Manager, John Best – john@bestest.co.uk

Reykjavík! "Æji, plís"
Reykjavík! should need no introduction to the discerning music snob or his friend, the brutish cro-mag. Their 2006 Valgeir Sigurðsson (Björk, Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy) produced début, Glacial Landscapes, Religion, Oppression and Alcohol was pretty much salivated over by everyone who came in contact with it, topping every Icelandic critics’ list and scoring them spots at shows and festivals all over the world including appearances at SXSW, MiDEM, Eurosonic, By:larm, Spot and Les Grandes Traversées. They also played a lot of squats, dirty clubs, people’s homes and a submarine shelter. 2008 has seen Reykjavík! tarnishing their already abrasive style. Scrapping a half-finished album, the band decided to go all out and make the sonic boom of white noise that they had yearned for. Enter a collaboration with Bedroom Community artist Ben Frost, who has brought out the darker side of Reykjavík! in a big, bad, brutal way.
www.myspace.com/reykjaviktheband
Contact: Haukur S. Magnússon – hauxotron@gmail.com

Mugison "Mugiboogie"
Three years ago, Mugison traded his laptop in for a bass player and a drummer of flesh and blood, cranked the amp and went on a mission. His third album, Mugiboogie is driven by the lust for life, love, and sex - a classic rock 'n' roll album in that sense but yet he manages to surprise and entertain in each song. He spent the good part of three years howling in his garage until the songs felt right, felt real and beyond all, felt good. Mugiboogie became a platinum seller in Iceland and granted him a support slot with Queens of the Stone Age earlier this year. Call him a schizophrenic, call him possessed, a monkey with attention-deficit disorder but make no mistakes - he's on a mission. He promised to give it all he got, to turn his inside out and this is what that sounds like.
www.mugison.com
www.myspace.com/mugison
Contact: Örn Elías Guðmundsson – mugison@gmail.com

Sign "The Hope"
The Sign story is truly unique. The five piece play direct, unpretentious rock songs, underlaid with driving and emotive riffs and the distinctive powerful voice of Solberg. With full Kerrang! backing behind them Sign have worked their profile in the UK since the self-released album, Thank God for Scilence, in 2006, resulting in them opening the main stage at Download festival this summer. Sign have mastered the skills of exciting live performances through relentless touring schedules. Produced by the band itself, Sign’s second English-language full-length, The Hope, sees them take their ambitions to the next level. Songs such as ‘The Hope’,‘Moveless’ and ‘Immobilized By Fear’ show Sign can not only write a killer hook and riffs which shred like the best, but they are fully cable of writing catchy fist in the air choruses that will have you begging for more. The Hope is an album that has seen the band emerge as one of 2008’s most exciting rock prospects.
www.sign.is
www.myspace.com/sign
Contact: Manager Gis von Ice – gis@hillmedia.com

Icelandic Music Compilations: Made in Iceland 2 (Iceland Music Export)

Made in Iceland 2
The spunky second edition of the compilation series by Iceland Music Export, a project that began in autumn, 2008. The aim of the series is to profile the latest exciting sounds to emerge from the kaleidoscopic and ever-evolving Icelandic music scene. As with the 15 bands showcased on Made in Iceland 1, all the artists here have released a new album recently and are touring both in Iceland and abroad.
Iceland has been known for its high-quality musical exports since The Sugarcubes landed a Top 20 UK Chart position for their single "Birthday" back in 1986. Since then, bands like Björk and Sigur Rós have confirmed their achievement was not a one off. Icelandic music left its fingerprint on the international scene a long time ago, and continues to do so today.
The Made In Iceland project provides a window onto the latest music releases and internationally active projects from Iceland.
www.icelandmusic.is

Dikta "Just getting started"
The four members of indie-rock band Dikta - Haukur, Skúli and the two Jóns - have been friends since early childhood. After forming the band in 1999, they soon gained a large following for their unique, heavy yet soulful haunting sound. In 2006, Dikta released their second album, Hunting For Happiness on the Sugarcubes-owned label Smekkleysa/Bad Taste. Produced by Ace of the recently reunited UK band Skunk Anansie, it quickly became one of Iceland's best selling rock albums, with three of its singles reaching the top of the charts.
Their performance at Iceland Airwaves in front of a packed venue earned them a write up in Rolling Stone magazine, and after hitting the local venues for a year, Dikta headed out to play clubs in London, Copenhagen, Los Angeles and New York, where they shared stages with bands like We Are Scientists, Ra Ra Riot, CSS and Vampire Weekend, and quickly became known for their powerful, yet intimate live shows. Dikta is currently recording material for their self-produced third album, due out later this year.
www.dikta.net
www.myspace.com/dikta
www.sonicbids.com/dikta
Contact: Management, Maike Both – maike@dikta.net

Lay Low "Last time around"
Iceland's bluesiest chanteuse Lovísa Elísabet Sigrúnardóttir - a.k.a. Lay Low - is ready with a new album. After setting worlds ablaze and topping the Icelandic charts with her 2006 debut Please Don't Hate Me, the unassuming starlet is back with a new record that continues her forays into traditional blues and country sounds. Recorded at Toe Rag Studios in London with producer Liam Watson (White Stripes & Pete Molinari), the new record is titled Farewell Good Night's Sleep, and features musicians such as Carwyn Ellis, Ed Turner, Rupert Brown, Matt Radford, Jason Wilson and BJ Cole.
www.laylow.is
www.myspace.com/baralovisa
Contact: Manager, Kári Sturluson – kari@mgmt.is

Bob Justman "Alone Tonight"
Bob Justman is one of many monikers for producer, DJ and self-taught multi-instrumentalist Kristinn Gunnar Blöndal, who has been a prominent figure in the Icelandic music scene for the past decade or so. The song featured on this compilation is taken from his debut solo album Happiness & Woe, and is heavily influenced by the rough, dirty and drunken aspects of the southern Americana music tradition. Happiness & Woe was released in mid-January this year. Comprised of twelve tracks, ranging from gritty blues to torch songs to cinematic instrumentals, the album has gotten excellent reviews in the Icelandic press. Produced by Gunnar Örn Tynes of múm, it features many a guest musician and various odd instruments, including the only fireable cannon in Iceland and the bells of Reykjavik’s Cathedral, Hallgrímskrikja. The album is released in Iceland on the Bad Taste label.
www.myspace.com/bobjustman
Contact: Manager, Jón Trausti Sigurðarson– jontrausti@grapevine.is

Jeff Who? "Congratulations"
Jeff Who? is a five piece rock band from Reykjavík, known for their catchy tunes and classic good looks. Their sophisticated modern sound, influenced by ’70 rock and ’80 pop, has gradually paved its way into Iceland’s music scene. Death Before Disco, their debut album, was released in 2005 earning them a steady following and an opening slot for Franz Ferdinand. In late 2008, the band released the self-titled album, Jeff Who?. With punchier beats and string arrangements from Anton Patzner (of Bright Eyes fame) their sound was bigger and edgier than before. The album got great reviews from the local press and was nominated as the album of the year at the 2009 Icelandic Music Awards.
www.myspace.com/jeffwhoband
Contact: Band contact, Elís Pétursson – robert@mblmusic.com

Gus Gus "Moss"
Gus Gus originally spawned from a short film made by Siggi Kjartansson and Stefán Árni (a.k.a. Árni & Kinski) called Pleasure. Initially the band was acclaimed as an avant-garde collective of musicians, producers, filmmakers and performers. They mixed together different mediums to create a unique mixture of sound and vision. Their trademark style is combined with funky bass, streamlined synths and the intelligent use of technology and art.
The GusGus of today (and the future) is a three-piece techno-band consisting of the producers Veiran and President Bongo and singer Daníel Ágúst who’s back full time after being quite absent. Their sixth album, 24/7, is wrapped up and ready and will see the light of day in June. The album will be released internationally as other releases. Their prior releases have been released and distributed all around the world by labels like 4AD, Warner, Moonshine, Gung Ho!, Great Stuff and their very own Pineapple Records.
www.gusgus.com
www.myspace.com/gusgus
Contact: Sebastian Bohnenberger: sebi@greatstuff.eu.com

Dísa "Anniversary"
Dísa is a 21-year-old singer/songwriter who released her debut album in the summer of 2008. The project was developed over the last two years with a number of different collaborators such as Cameron McVie, Mark Ronson and Shelly Poole. The final result, however, is very much her own distinctive writing and performing style, produced by a couple of Icelandic names such as Barði Jóhannsson, Ragnhildur Gísladóttir and Anglo-American Sam Frank. Disa’s debut album features her distinctively personal, slightly avant-garde yet melodic pop approach, embellished with a unique postmodern production style. The album received top reviews from every newspaper and music magazine in Iceland and the two album singles Anniversary and Temptation have already hit the top of the Icelandic charts.
www.myspace.com/disamusic
Contact: Bryndís Jakobsdóttir – b.northpearl@gmail.com

Mammút "Svefnsýkt"
Only a couple of months after their formation Mammút won the Icelandic Battle of the Bands, armed with only three songs in total. The band members - two boys and three girls - were mere babies then (14 - 16) and not prepared for such a thing. But they didn't give up: oh no! Two years and loads of gigs later their eponymous debut album was released through Iceland's legendary Smekkleysa record label. Then in 2006 Mammút played a breakthrough gig at the Iceland Airwaves festival, which led to David Fricke from Rolling Stone magazine writing about them and calling them "a really good band". In 2008 the band released their second album, Karkari, to great response.
Mammút have played several festivals around the globe including SXSW in Texas and In The City in Manchester, as well as supporting Belgian rockers dEUS both in Iceland and Germany. Three of Mammút's song have hit #1 at the hit list on radio station X-ið 977 - Iceland's only rock station. Now the band are fresh and energetic and ready to ride the world like a big fat horse!
www.myspace.com/mammut
Contact: Arnar Pétursson - info.mammut@gmail.com

Retro Stefson "Montana"
Retro Stefson are one of the most popular up and coming bands in Iceland right now. Having formed in 2005 at the behest of youth workers (Bóas from Reykjavík! and Árni from FM Belfast) from the school they went to (the members were then only 13 – 15 years old), the band have performed at countless clubs, festivals and showcases and have gathered a big following in the independent Icelandic music scene. It’s not easy to put Retro Stefson into any kind of musical genre. They try to take their music to a new landscape that none of their countrymen in Iceland have been before. It’s pop and rock, disco and ska, and God knows what.
Retro Stefson are first and foremost a live band you simply have to experience! Their first album Montaña was released by Kimi Records in Iceland late last year and received rave reviews. “If Retro Stefson was an animal it would be a mixture of a squirrel and a lizard and a baby chimp. In other words a lemur, with some lizard in it.” - Retro Stefson
www.myspace.com/retrostefsonmusic
Contact: Kimi Records - kimirecords@kimirecords.net

Ghostigital "Hovering Hoover Skates"
It seems that when Einar Örn enlists another artist to work with him, it’s like collaborating with the Cubists, or the Dadaists in musical form. His partner in this case, with the movement named Ghostigital, is Curver. Welcome! You’re really in for a fantastic treat. While their genre-mashing debut In Cod We Trust pulls the aesthetic rug out from under a listener’s expectations, one should not fear that they are lost in a pop music sea. Ghostigital fashions an aural forest of industrial, Bel Canto, Jazz, Rap, ‘80’s New Wave, and Electronic music – just not necessarily in that order or only at one time.
As well as In Cod We Trust, Ghostigital have released a live album - Radium - another live recording called Sirkus Requiem and have also composed the ambient project Aero, along with collaborators Finnbogi Pétursson and Skúli Sverrisson. Hovering Hoover Skates is taken from their new and forthcoming yet un-named record to be released in 2009.
www.ghostigital.com
www.myspace.com/ghostigital
Contact: info@ghostigital.com

Sprengjuhöllin "Worry 'Till Spring"
Sprengjuhöllin is an indie-pop group from Reykjavik founded in 2005. The band has already seen much success in its home country. After having monopolized the top spot of the official Icelandic singles chart for a total of 27 weeks in 2007, the band released the best-selling and critically lauded Tímarnir okkar (Our Times) and became a household name in Iceland. The following year the band released the ambitious Bestu kveðjur (Best Regards), which has nearly gone gold in Iceland and spawned two successful singles so far.
Worry Till Spring was originally a self-released single that later appeared on Tímarnir okkar. An Icelandic version of the song was the most popular song of 2007 in Iceland and spent ten weeks at the top of the charts. The song is a simple melancholic statement of lost love with a vital twist of hope. A true pop ballad for those heart-wrenching O.C.-moments. www.myspace.com/sprengjuhollin
Contact: Jón Trausti Sigurðarson - jontrausti@gmail.com

Sin Fang Bous "Catch The Light"
Welcome to the Wunderkammer. Sin Fang Bous is a project by Sindri Már Sigfússon from Reykjavik, who also founded the band Seabear. While Seabear focuses on folky music, Sin Fang Bous is Sindri‘s playground for his more experimental songs. Sigfússon took his time; he let time blow through the tracks: gravitation processes, drifts and accumulations. The result is Clangour: what began as a miniature – a voice, a guitar – changed its textures and re-colored its leaves. Reduced to the max and equally concentrated to its essence, the songs, sounds and samples are crystal clear and yet able to raise a storm.
Released on Morr Music in February 2009 the album has received comparisons to likeminded bands such as Animal Collective, Caribou, Deerhunter and Panda Bear. Sin Fang Bous will be touring Europe in May and June 2009 accompanied by their labelmates Borko and It’s A Musical.
www.myspace.com/sinfangbous
Contact: Manager, Thomas Morr – thomas@morrmusic.com

Skakkamanage "Smell You Later"
During the cold winter of 2003, husband and wife Svavar and Berglind went to Berlin on holiday. On ice cold feet they rambled into a small shop packed with instruments and out they walked with a guitar and a keyboard. When they came back to Iceland the couple sat down with their friend Tony and offered him a position on drums. Soon more friends entered the band. Now, six years, two albums and a 7" later, the band has released their excellent album All Over The Face, which listeners and critics are drooling over.
Skakkamanage goes all over the place on All Over the Face, veering from bittersweet ballads to guitar driven noise-rock and quirky pop songs. And the overall sound is so thick and juicy that you could easily feast on it. The outcome is a personal, revealing and fun album that has a deep impact on those who care to listen. The band are happy to introduce Smell You Later, a song about love in a sock drawer.
www.skakkapopp.is
www.myspace.com/skakkamanage
Contact: Svavar Pétur Eysteinsson– svavar@skakkapopp.is

Elíza "Empire Fall"
Best known as the former lead singer of the band Bellatrix, Elíza Geirsdottir Newman released her debut solo album Empire Fall in 2008. Empire Fall is written and arranged by Elíza and was released to critical acclaim in Britain and Iceland, followed by a double A-side single in March 2008. Eliza has been building up a buzz around the album with sell out shows in London and appearances at the Iceland Airwaves festival as well as supporting bands such as The Duke Spirit.
Elíza was just a teen when she formed the punk-rock outfit Bellatrix/Kolrassa Krókríðandi who earned the tag of hottest bands to come out of Iceland, releasing albums on The Sugarcubes’ Bad Taste label as well as Fierce Panda, and co-headlining a UK tour with Coldplay. The media focus was unrelenting, and after headlining the Carling Stage at the Reading Festival, Elíza took time out to embark on an intense course of study in operatic arts in London. With Empire Fall Elíza is back to weave us into her inner world again, full of raw beauty and secret landscapes.
www.myspace.com/elizanewman
Contact: Lavaland Records– lavalandrecords@gmail.com

Vicky "Blizzard"
Vicky is a rock band composed of five young people - four girls and one drummer-boy. The music is not easily defined: some want to call them punk rockers, others indie poppers, but Pichforkmedia might have described it best as "pop-metal". By a twist of fate and a strange turn of events they started jamming one night in downtown Reykjavik late 2006 and since then they've been playing almost non-stop. In May 2008 they first played outside of Iceland when they traveled to China to play at MIDI-festival in Beijing. In September Vicky was invited to Play:stl festival in St. Louis, US, and went back again this February. In October 2008, during Iceland Airwaves, the band released their debut album, Pull Hard which has received good responses from critics and listeners. Their first single, Blizzard got a great response from Icelandic rockers and was selected as one of the best songs of 2008. Vicky is now working on tracks for their next album and planning a US tour for June this year.
www.myspace.com/vickytheband
Contact: Ásgeir Guðmundsson – tofrahellirinn@gmail.com

Rökkurró "Ferðalangurinn"
Hatched in a dim lit attic in Reykjavík at the dawn of 2006, Rökkurró's five founding members began conversing in smooth tones, drawing inspiration from the silky sunrays that crept through the windows. With slow, carefully constructed songs that verge towards silence with their captivating atmospheres and ethereal vocals they instantly carved their niche in the already saturated Reykjavík music scene. A self-released four track EP hit the streets only six months after they had formed and this EP, along with a powerful performance on one of the off-venue shows at Iceland Airwaves 2006, landed them a record deal with local label 12 Tónar. Rökkurró's debut album Það kólnar í kvöld... (It get's colder tonight) was released in Iceland in November 2007. It was then released in Germany and surrounding countries in the spring of 2008 and Japan in October 2008. Rökkurró have their first headlining European tour coming up in March/April and have begun writing new material for the next album, which hopefully will be released in the fall of 2009.
www.myspace.com/rokkurro
Contact: Árni Þór Árnason– rokkurro@gmail.com

Ragnar Sólberg "Fairy Tale"
At the age of 22, Ragnar Sólberg has released an incredible six albums. He dropped his debut at only 11-years-old and has since led the rock band Sign, who have released four albums. Singing in English on the last two albums opened up an international market for this hard rock band with touring opportunities all over Europe and an opening slot on the main stage at Download Festival in 2008. Between Sign tours, Ragnar Sólberg recorded his second solo album The Circle in his own studio.
The Circle is a heartfelt album about love and death where Solberg goes on a journey to deal with the strongest emotions he has experienced: the death of his father and finding deep love. Sólberg has redefined himself as a singer/songwriter and proves that he has learned a trick or two since his debut. Haunting piano melodies, catchy choruses and beautiful melodies, The Circle also sees him playing all the instruments himself. The album includes ten original songs and a cover from Bloodrock, an American 70’s rock band.
www.ragnarsolberg.com
www.myspace.com/ragnarsolberg
Contact: Manager Gis von Ice – gis@hillmedia.co.uk

Singapore Sling "Martian Arts"
Singapore Sling take their name from the "dark, sick and perverse" Greek cult film by Nikos Nikolaidis. This is also something that can be said about this Icelandic band’s music, although you could of course say something else. Often mistaken for a shoegazer band, Singapore Sling are actually more about rock´n´roll - yes, the cool and dark kind. Sometimes mistaken for a Goth band, to the band's amusement, Singapore Sling dwell in the dark but more by default than anything else. Their favorite bands are The Cramps, The Jesus and Mary Chain, Suicide and Spacemen 3. And in the debate over "Beatles or Stones" they’ll reply "Velvet Underground".
Their debut album The Curse of Singapore Sling was released in 2002, and since they have released three LPs and a compilation. The single Martian Arts is taken from their latest record Perversity, Desperation and Death, which will be released in most decent places in spring 2009.
www.myspace.com/singaporesling
Contact: Einar Kristjánsson– einarsonic@yahoo.com

For a Minor Reflection "Ókyrrð"
For a Minor reflection is comprised of four 19-year-olds. Their music is best described as energetic, melodious post-rock, though being the natural creative visionaries they are, the band expand and even subvert their style with almost every song. Their self-produced debut album Reistu þig við, sólin er komin á loft..., is a mesmerizing, hour-long tapestry featuring six songs and recorded over a weekend in Iceland. The record, as well as their energetic live shows, earned them a slew of accolades, including favorable comparisons to Explosions in the Sky. Their fellow Icelanders Sigur Rós even described them as “a band with the potential to out Mogwai” and invited FaMR on a 15 dates European tour with them.
FaMR have been busy wow-ing festival crowds at events like Holland’s EurosSonic (Feb, 2009), where leading UK journal Music Week described their performance as “ethereal, melody-soaked music with international appeal.” It’s hence with a ‘buzz in their ears’ that FaMR head back in the studio to work on new songs for a second album. If things go the way they have been, 2009 looks to be FaMR’s most kick-ass year yet.
www.foraminorreflection.com
www.myspace.com/foraminorreflection
Contact: Manager Gis von Ice – gis@hillmedia.co.uk

Thiefs @ Amiina: Violin & Accordion Lost

While Amiina was getting ready to get their stuff to London for a gig, thiefs stole some instruments of the band: violin & red accordion. María Huld Markan Sigfúsdóttir of Amiina told Fréttablaðið yesterday. The violin was found @ Bergstaðastræti. But where's the accordion (meðalstóra, sjötíubassa harmónikka)?

Iceland to Brighton 3. May 2009 - A Bank Holiday Fiesta @ Brighton

Sunday 3. May 2009, Brighton's Sidewinder will host an all day celebration of Icelandic music and art. Headliner of the event is the Icelandic band Blindfold.
The feature-length documentary “There and Back Again”, produced by locals Charlie Southall & Heather Millard of Dragonfly Productions UK Limited.
The documentary focuses on the impact of the economic crisis on the Icelandic people, following four Icelanders as they prepare to rebuild their lives in a time of economic turmoil, preparing to leave their beloved homes and search for new beginnings on the island and abroad. Proceeds from this fundraiser will be split between the documentary production and the Icelandic charity organisation Náttúra.
This Event on FaceBook: www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=71752044409&ref=mf

Contact:

Sidewinder, 65 Upper St. James's Street, Brighton, E Sussew, BN2 1JN, Tel: +44 (0)77633 55187.

The Sidewinder in Kemptown has 2 large beer gardens (one under cover).

Blindfold @ www.myspace.com/theblindfold

Source: IMX

www.icelandmusic.is

Aldrei fór ég suður Festival 2009: The Reviews

Not only the Icelanders went to the Far West of Iceland.
Picture above features Ariel Hyatt kayaking nearby Ísafjörður on Easter Sunday (Photograph by Wim Van Hooste).
www.arielpublicity.com

Here are some links to reviews by Foreign Guests:

Brian Murnin of Clash Magazine

www.clashmusic.com/feature/aldrei-for-eg-sudur-the-clash-review

Aldrei For Eg Sudur - The Clash Review
Clash rocks out in Iceland to the cream of the local crop...
So what do you think is the northernmost music festival in the world? Take ten guesses and I bet you can’t even get close. You certainly wont find it on the web… yet…
The answer is the riotous springtime showcase, Aldrei For Eg Sudur (translated: I Never Went South), situated 66°4'14"N, 23°7'46"W, just shy of the Arctic Circle on the most north-western tip of the volcanic wonder that is Iceland.
Devised over a beer after a gig at the ICA London, Aldrei is a wonderful, unique and utterly freezing celebration of the Icelandic hot-pool of talent, led emphatically by virtuoso of music and merrymaking Mugison, alongside his father PapaMugi, local hero and Harbour Master of the festival’s location, Isafjordur (Ice Fjord).

Greg Neate (www.myspace.com/neatephotos)
http://blogs.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendId=37559733&blogId=485051829
After a 360-degree descent, we land on to an icy runway strip that perches on the shoreline of a huge snow covered fjord. Travelling with Dutch band, the Bent Moustache, our similarly hungover but smiling flight companions warmly ask "Are you in a Fee-LING?!" This literal English translation of a native tongue crowd-rallying cry has become a call to good times already.
We all then bundle with guitar cases, bags and skis into a bus that drives around the lake passing pony-sized horses under overcast skies into the nearby, snow blanketed town. At 9am on Good Friday it appears all but deserted and like another world. Where are we? Örvar Þóreyjarson Smárason from múm explains “This is the best rock festival in the world. Here and Fuji Rock!"
Now in it's sixth year, the Aldrei fór ég Suður festival is organised by Mugison, or Örn Elías Guðmundsson when he's not playing with his eponymous band on Ipecac recordings. Along with father Mugi, bands from across Iceland are invited to their home town to play the most north-westerly music festival in Europe in Ísafjörður, capital of the Westfjords and for this weekend, the Icelandic Rock City.
But beyond its extreme location (the festival’s name means I Never Went South) and nigh-entirely domestic line-up, this is no corporate event or national talent show. Even in these days of kreppa, Iceland's Depression; it's both a demonstration and celebration of Iceland's continuing creativity and confidence. Besides where else can you see a country's collective of melodic indie kids, rocker dudes, family crooners, hip-hop heads and a nation's George Best all on one stage? What's more each act plays for free and has a fixed 25 minutes, regardless of reputation, to both set up and play before the next act is due.
Paul Sullivan for More Intelligent Life - The Economist
www.moreintelligentlife.com/story/rockin-out-westfjords
Paul again @ Iceland Music Export (IMX) Site www.icelandmusic.is
This year’s Aldrei fór ég suður– the unique community festival started in the remote Westfjords by Mugison in 2003 – was yet another roaring success. The vibe was essentially the same as it has been in previous years: a multi-generational gathering of locals and international visitors watch a plethora of Iceland bands (and one from the neighbouring Faroe Islands) in a chilly fishing warehouse in the tiny town of Ísafjörður.
As always, pretty much every genre known to man was represented, beginning with the jaunty Klezmer Kaos on Day 1 and ending with some searing rock & roll from Faroese starlets Boys In A Band on Day 2. In between we were treated to a real mix of stuff: post rock from Sudden Weather Change; fun electro-pop from FM Belfast; heavy rock from Dr. Spock, Reykjavik!, and Agent Fresco; post punk from Mammut; hip hop from Sesar A & Blazroca; pastoral whimsy from mum.
And that’s without Mugison’s grinding blues, Sin Fang Bous' (feat. Sindri of Seabear) beautiful noise, indie popsters Vicky; a decidedly quirky set from Hemmi Gunn and lots more great music from bands like Bent Moustache, Klikkhausarnir, Stórsveit Vestfjarða, Who Knew, BIX and Dikta (amongst others).
“If I could have changed anything at this years festival I would have liked the weather to be worse,” comments main man Mugison. “I like it when the weather is bad because people stick together more; they get closer to one another. But apart form that it was perfect. What surprised me was how experienced we have become. It was the 6th year that we’ve done the festival and the level of experience kicked in for the first time. Even though we’d always been pretty loose and not that organized we got even more loose this year. I loved it. There is some real magic to the festival, it’s hard to explain, just one of these things you have to experience I guess. It’s all love, love, love somehow.”
In traditional Aldrei style, all the artists had just 20 minutes to play (with no soundcheck!), and there was pylsur and tasty plokkfiskur aplenty for the masses. Good music, scrummy food and an atmosphere unlike any other festival in the world. Don’t worry if you couldn’t make it: 2010 will, we’re quite sure, be every bit as good.

Aldrei fór ég suður 2009 - My Videos

Here's a selection of Videos I shot @ the Aldrei fór ég suður 2009 Festival.
Who Knew
"Sharpen the knife"
www.youtube.com/v/NcipLnuIRjU&hl&fmt=18

www.myspace.com/wellwhoknew
Sin Fang Bous
www.youtube.com/v/m4ZoMpYZkt0&hl&fmt=18

www.myspace.com/sinfangbous
Vicky
"The Blizzard"
www.youtube.com/v/Ofl30tfqCq0&hl&fmt=18

www.myspace.com/vickytheband
FM Belfast
"I can feel love"
www.youtube.com/v/ry17LFI-vAc&hl&fmt=18

www.fmbelfast.com

Haukur of Dikta goes USA (Los Angeles & New York City)

Haukur, the singer of the band Dikta, will play a few rare acoustic shows @ Los Angeles. After that he will move on to New York City and will be playing some shows there aswell.
His schedule is as follows:
Saturday, 25. April
1-4 pm – IMX (Iceland Music Export) (Private Event/Invitation Only)
9 pm - The Spot - 4455 Overland Ave. - Culver Cityall ages, no cover (BYOB)
Monday, 27. April
10 pm - The Cat Club - 8911 W. Sunset Blvd. - Hollywood - www.myspace.com/thecatclub
21+, cover charge $8 ($5 w/ flyer)** MusExpo Delegates: The Cat Club is just 2 doors down from The Whisky!
Wednesday, 29. April
8:45 pm – Crane‘s Tavern - 1611 N El Centro Ave. – L.A. - www.myspace.com/cranestavern
21+, no cover
Thursday, 30. April
8:30 pm - The Good Hurt - 12249 Venice Blvd. - L.A. - www.goodhurt.net
21+, cover charge $5 (girls get in free if on guest list - email me!)
Sunday, 3. May
8:30 pm - Googie's Lounge - 154 Ludlow - NYC
21+, no cover (1 drink minimum)
Monday, 4. May
10 pm - Telephone Bar - 149 2nd Ave - NYC - www.telebar.com
all ages, no cover

Dikta's latest single, "Let Go", is currently at the top of the charts of Iceland's X-977 radio station, for the second week in a row!

Photograph of Dikta @ Aldrei Festival 2009 by Wim Van Hooste.

Sudden Weather Change: Debut Album & Aldrei Slideshow

The band Sudden Weather Change released their Debut Album yesterday on the Kimi Records Label.
The Album title is "Stop! Handgrenade In The Name Of Crib Death 'nderstand?.
Here's a slideshow I made of the photographs I took @ Sudden Weather Change Aldrei Festival gig & afterparty gig @ Edinborg venue.

www.myspace.com/suddenweatherchange
www.kimirecords.net
All photographs by Wim Van Hooste.

Dr. Spock & Croisztans in Concert @ Loppen, Christiania, Copenhagen 29. May 2009

Den Danske Hanske organizes a Concert with Dr. Spock & Croisztans 29. May 2009 @ Loppen, Christiania, Copenhagen.

Start @ 20:00
Slideshow of the gig of Dr. Spock @ Hafnarhusid (Reykjavik Art Museum), Nokia on Ice 2009 (3. April)

www.myspace.com/doktorspock
All photographs by Wim Van Hooste.

Bogomil Font & Milljónamæringarnir "Eat your car" @ Edinborg @ Ísafjörður 8. April 2009

Bogomil Font & Milljónamæringarnir @ Ísafjörður, West Fjords, Iceland
The man behind crooner Bogomil Font is Siggi Baldursson, once the drummer of the Sugarcubes
"Eat your car"
www.youtube.com/v/TKxDrlvt22Y&hl&fmt=18

Björk Guðmundsdóttir & Tríó Guðmundar Ingólfssonar on Icelandic TV (1990)

Björk & Tríó Guðmundar Ingólfssonar on the Hemmi Gunn Show 1990 broadcasted on Stöð 2 Channel
"Kata rokkar", a song from the Jazz Album "Gling-Gló" (1990)
www.youtube.com/v/HPKj7k6GWMk&hl&fmt=18

Interview @ Hotel Borg rehearsal

Baráttutónleikar @ Sódóma, Reykjavik 24. April @ 21:00

Baráttutónleikar @ Sódóma
(previous Gaukurinn)
Friday 24. April
Program:
Blóð, AMFJ, Vicky, Nour El-Adin, Skorpulifur, Tóta og Jazzbandið, Þrjár raddir, Beatur, Megasukk og Ágústa Eva.
Start: 21:00
Entrance: 1000 IKR

Hafdis Huld @ Blow Up Club, London 25. April

Hafdis Huld performs @ The Blow Up Club Saturday 25. April. She will play new & old songs.
Send an email to anna@redgraperecords.com with your name(s) to get a cheap ticket (to be on the £4 guest list).
Entry @ 22:00
Place
Blow Up Club
Bar Rumba
36 Shaftsbury Avenue, London, W1

Cynic Guru "Catastophe" & "Drugs" Videos by Barði Jóhannsson

A Video by Barði Jóhannsson for American/Icelandic band Cynic Guru.
A song from their Album "Iceland" (Sena Label (Iceland), Fat Northerner Records Label (UK), Westwood Records Label (Japan)).
www.youtube.com/v/3RV7UJX9j90&hl&fmt=18

Another Video directed by Barði
"Drugs"
www.youtube.com/v/pwsAnld0tgY&hl&fmt=18


www.myspace.com/cynicguru
www.cynicguru.com
www.bardijohannsson.com

100 Best Albums in Icelandic History

100 Bestu Plötur Íslandssögunar/100 Best Icelandic Albums

Björk Guðmundsdóttir: 7 albums
Bubbi & his bands: 9 albums
Sigur Rós: 5 albums
Megas: 7 albums
Egill Ólafsson/Spilverk þjóðanna: 11 albums
Megas & Spilverk: 1 album
Þursaflokkurinn: 4 albums
Stuðmenn: 3 albums
23 artists made 61 of the 100 albums

24 albums from the period 1971-1980
24 albums from the period 1991-2000

( ) - Sigur Rós
12. ágúst '99 - Sálin hans Jóns míns
200.000 naglbítar og LV - 200.000 naglbítar og Lúðrasveit verkalýðsins
Abbababb! - Dr. Gunni og vinir hans
Allt fyrir ástina - Páll Óskar
Apparat Organ Quartet - Apparat Organ Quartet
Á bleikum náttkjólum - Megas & Spilverk þjóðanna
Ágætis byrjun - Sigur Rós
Álfar - Magnús Þór Sigmundsson
Bein leið - KK Band

Breyttir tímar - Egó
Debut - Björk
Deluxe - Nýdönsk
Drullumall - Botnleðja
Drög að sjálfsmorði - Megas
Dögun - Bubbi Morthens
Einu sinni var - Björgvin Halldórsson og Gunnar Þórðarson
Ekki enn - Purrkur Pillnikk
Eniga meniga - Olga Guðrún Árnadóttir
Farewell Good Night's Sleep - Lay Low

Ferðasót - Hjálmar
Fingraför - Bubbi Morthens
Fisherman's Woman - Emilíana Torrini
Forever - GusGus
Fólk er fífl - Botnleðja
Fram og aftur blindgötuna - Megas
Frelsi til sölu - Bubbi Morthens
GCD - Bubbi og Rúnar
Geislavirkir - Utangarðsmenn
Gilligill - Bragi Valdimar og Memfismafían

Gling-Gló - Björk Guðmundsdóttir & Tríó Guðmundar Ingólfssonar
Gæti eins verið... - Þursaflokkurinn
Götuskór - Spilverk þjóðanna
Halldór Laxness - Mínus
Hana-nú - Vilhjálmur Vilhjálmsson
Himinn og jörð - Gunnar Þórðarson
Himnasending - Nýdönsk
Hinn íslenski Þursaflokkur og Caput - Þursaflokkurinn og Caput
Hinn íslenzki Þursaflokkur - Þursaflokkurinn
Hjálmar - Hjálmar

Hljóðlega af stað - Hjálmar
Hljómar - Hljómar
Homogenic - Björk
How To Make Friends - FM Belfast
Hunting for Happiness - Dikta
Í fylgd með fullorðnum - Bjartmar Guðlaugsson
Í gegnum tíðina - Mannakorn
Í góðri trú - Megas
Í mynd - Egó
Ísbjarnarblús - Bubbi Morthens

Ísland - Spilverk þjóðanna
Jeff who? - Jeff who?
Jet Black Joe - Jet Black Joe
Jinx - Quarashi
Kafbátamúsík - Ensími
Kona - Bubbi Morthens
Lengi lifi - Ham
Life's too good - Sykurmolarnir
Lifun - Trúbrot
Lof mér að falla að þínu eyra - Maus

Loftmynd - Megas
Love In The Time Of Science - Emilíana Torrini
Lucky One - KK
Lög unga fólksins - Hrekkjusvín
Magnyl - Botnleðja
Mannakorn - Mannakorn
Mávastellið - Grýlurnar
Me And Armini - Emilíana Torrini
Með allt á hreinu - Stuðmenn
Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust - Sigur Rós

Megas - Megas
Millilending - Megas
Mjötviður mær - Þeyr
Mugiboogie - Mugison
Mugimama is this monkeymusic - Mugison
My Delusions - Ampop
Pabbi þarf að vinna - Baggalútur
Please Don't Hate Me - Lay Low
Polydistortion - GusGus
Post - Björk

Rokk í Reykjavík - Ýmsir
Sálin hans Jóns míns - Sálin hans Jóns míns
Sálmar - Ellen Kristjánsdóttir
Sleepdrunk Seasons - Hjaltalín
Spilverk þjóðanna - Spilverk þjóðanna
Sturla - Spilverk þjóðanna
Sumar á Sýrlandi - Stuðmenn
Systkinin syngja saman - Elly Vilhjálms og Vilhjálmur Vilhjálmsson
Takk... - Sigur Rós
Tívolí - Stuðmenn

Todmobile - Todmobile
Trúbrot - Trúbrot
Vespertine - Björk
Viltu nammi væna? - Fræbbblarnir
Volta - Björk
Von - Sigur Rós
Vögguvísur fyrir skuggaprins - 200.000 naglbítar
Wine For My Weakness - Pétur Ben
You ain't here - Jet Black Joe
Þursabit - Þursaflokkurinn

Source: www.tonlist.is/100bestu