2 dancing queens on stage with Barujarn @ Amsterdam
Friends on stage with Ghostigital @ Tjarnarbio
Best Pregnant Singer
Singer of Worm is Green, like fellow female singers Björk did with KUKL, Heida i Unun with big belly on stage (baby doing pogo dancing I suppose)
Brightest Icelandic Hope
Nolo @ Venue
Best Anarchistic Singer
Siggi Pönk (aka The Punk Nurse) of Gjöll Tuesday @ Faktory
Best Cover Song
Sudden Weather Change go Ghostigital: with a cover of the song "Goodmorning"
Most Disappointing Gig
Evil Madness @ Faktory: "no evil, no madness, no Johann Johannsson"
Worst food & drinks
Sponsoring by a famous Dutch Beer.
Although they are obligated to give people water for free (Icelandic law), some bar personnel asked people to pay for the pure Icelandic, glacial H2O.
It is time to change the name (I don't like ALL Icelandic music/I even love non-Icelandic music) & re-invent myself.
You can follow my 2 new blogs entitled "Icelandic Music Maffia" & "Icelandic Music Museum"
186. Song of the Weeks is Lifun's song "Ein stök ást" (A single love). Airwaves festival is over by now, unless for the after-after-party people... So I have chosen an easy tune for you.
This song is featured on their Debut Album "Fögur fyrirheit". Lyrics of "Ein stök ást" were written by Baldur Þórir Guðmundsson
It's time for the 25th I loveIcelandic musiccontribution to an international initiative, the Music Alliance Pact, aka MAP. I take part in this Blog Alliance since the start in October 2008. On a monthly basis music bloggers from around the globe select a track from their country which is then posted collectively and simultaneously on those blogs - giving each nation's track international exposure.
A trip around the world in 36 songs with a take off in Iceland:
This month I contributed "Lava", a song Captain Fufanu for Iceland.
Captain Fufanu are two youngsters and probably the brightest hope of the Icelandic electronic music scene. Hrafnkell Flóki & Guðlaugur Halldór Einarsson, sons of a different Einar, so no brothers, did their first gig at the age of 16 in 2008. The duo Kaktus and Gulli is mixing dub, techno, house and experimental electronica. The song "Lava" is unreleased.
SCOTLAND:
The Pop Cop Bear Bones – Oil & Lacquer Islay-born singer Ben Harrison’s thick brogue and some inspired bursts of accordion make eight-strong Bear Bones an unmistakably Scottish proposition and Oil & Lacquer a heavenly way to spend four minutes. Fans of Belle & Sebastian won’t be disappointed. Since it’s exactly two years since the Music Alliance Pact was launched, as a bonus you can also download a free anniversary compilation here which contains mostly exclusive and rare tracks contributed by 23 previous MAP artists from Scotland.
ARGENTINA:
Zonaindie Hamacas Al Rio – Sin Decir Hamacas Al Rio is a six-piece acousti
c pop band led by singer Laura Ciuffo. Sin Decir is one of our favorite tracks from their latest release, Al Final, El Parque, an amazing album dominated by hypnotic chamber music sounds and fine string arrangements, along with more conventional synthesizers and electric guitars.
AUSTRALIA:
Who The Bloody Hell Are They? Bleeding Knees Club – Bad Guys Bleeding Knees Club only started in March and have already toured Australia’s east coast a bunch of times, recorded an EP and secured a label and distribution. Admittedly, BKC trade in a certain brand of music that doesn’t require/intentionally avoids precision, planning and cleanliness. Even though you can imagine these guys bashing out an EP within the amount of time it takes some bands to soundcheck, it still suggests potential radness in the near future.
BRAZIL:
Meio Desligado Baiana System – Jah Jah Revolta Baiana System is a new group from Bahia, a Brazilian state famous for its axé music – a style marked by lyrics full of ambiguous sexual overtones and simple dance rhythms. Their trump card is to raise the Bahian guitar to a new level, combining a typically Brazilian musical manifestation to elements of dub, contemporary electronic, rock and other genres, as observed in Jah Jah Revolta.
CANADA:
I(Heart)Music The Wilderness Of Manitoba – Sea Song To fully appreciate The Wilderness Of Manitoba, you need to be in a calm, relaxed mood. So sit back. Clear your mind. Forget your worries for a moment. Ignore the phone, the internet, your pets, everything. Now start Sea Song and just let the gorgeous vocal harmonies and beautiful folky melodies wash over you. Wasn’t that pleasant? Now go and get a copy of their first full-length, When You Left The Fire, because it has 12 more tracks just like that one.
CHILE:
Super 45 Dadalú – Gracias Dadalú’s (Daniela Saldías) first steps in music were linked to the punk and hardcore scene. Later, she refined her ideas, got closer to hip-hop and took part in Colectivo Etéreo, Iris and Julia Rose. However, her solo work is strongly influenced by Phil Spector and Mark Ronson’s orchestrated pop. Gracias, the first single from her forthcoming debut album Período, to be released by netlabels Ponk and Michita Rex, is the best proof that differences between punk, rap and pop are dwindling.
CHINA: WooozySun Ye – Strange Planet With projects in rock, punk and post-rock bands under his belt, Shanghai-based Sun Ye is nowhere near finished with whatever he has planned for his music – fluid, dreamlike melodies that tinkle and slide smoothly in and out of your ears. His unpredictable yet continually enthralling tunes have landed him support slots for both Ólafur Arnalds and Émilie Simon this year. His latest album, Trash Can, was released on the Miniless label.
DENMARK: All Scandinavian The Malpractice – Boss Stallion October 25 will see the release of The Malpractice aka Johannes Gammelby’s (I Am Bones, Beta Satan) solo debut Tectonics on Crunchy Frog, an 11-song strong album of alternative rock aiming at minds, (pop) hearts and feet. Here’s the great Boss Stallion and if you dig it, make sure to check out the other album single Oh, The Irony streaming on MySpace.
ENGLAND: The Guardian Music Blog The Visitors – Hello Moon Visitors frontman Karl Walsh used to head Factory Records folkies To Hell With Burgundy. The official bio says he has spent the time since the label’s demise “writing novels in the French countryside”. Hello Moon says different. It speaks of years spent orbiting Bowie’s legacy, drifting on the dark side of the Duke before taking a quantum leap into Wayne Coyne’s shoes. More years spent Waitin’ For A Superman to spin earth backwards, to rewind to a time when we were still wide-eyed about space, glam rock and the power of a good, solid tune.
ESTONIA: Popop Tallinn Daggers – Island Phi Ley Tallinn Daggers is an electronic pop duo from Tallinn that consists of Ardo Kivi and Joosep Volk. Since they united in 2009 they have released one digital EP, The Last Escape, and a handful of singles. They are known for their very energetic live shows and listener-friendly habit of giving away their music.
FINLAND: Glue Big Wave Riders – Big Sound Formed just before the summer, Big Wave Riders aim to be the next big thing in Finnish indie music. While they ready their debut EP, we can enjoy a taste of their first recordings with Big Sound’s fast tropical beat and early 80s garage vibe.
FRANCE: ZikNation Hutchinson – Oh My Lover Hutchinson is an electro-rock duo featuring Olivier Deniaud and Eric Tanguy, who make their music in the very creative city of Nantes. It’s a hobby that doesn’t stop them being rather good. You might have had a hard time guessing they were French.
GERMANY: Blogpartei MIT – Pudong German band of the moment is definitely MIT. With the advanced electronica of their second album Nanonotes, which was produced by Simian Mobile Disco member Jas Shaw, and especially with the video to Pudong, they have hit the spot in Germany’s blogosphere. MIT may rightly be seen as a concept for taking Kraftwerk’s legacy into the future.
GREECE: Mouxlaloulouda go.quiet – Everyone I Ever Met go.quiet is the project of Christina Kassesian and Ηousework. Everyone I Ever Met, the primary result of their collaboration, is soothing, compelling, heartbreaking, mysterious and gloomy. An enticing dip into melancholy that urges you to lean closer to the speakers to fully feel everything that is being played and sung. There’s a beauty in the melody that conjures up a cinematic romanticism with the soft-spoken, whispered, gentle vocals to amplify this emotion.
ICELAND: I Love Icelandic Music Captain Fufanu – Lava Captain Fufanu are two youngsters and probably the brightest hope of the Icelandic electronic music scene. Hrafnkell Flóki Einarsson and Guðlaugur Halldór Einarsson (sons of a different Einar, so not brothers) aka Kaktus and Gulli played their first gig at the age of 16 in 2008. The duo mix dub, techno, house and experimental electronica. The song Lava is unreleased.
INDIA: Indiecision Kaav – Daya Kaav is an alt-prog trio from Kochi. The band’s expansive, instrumental soundscapes are based in an understanding of local Carnatic music, with the trappings of a more alternative Oceansize – think a dosa-eating Explosions In The Sky. Daya is taken from a recently-released eponymous three-track EP, which we highly recommend you download here for free.
INDONESIA: Deathrockstar Ghaust – Sleep And Release With only two members, Ghaust, who hail from Jakarta, build an instrumental trip crossing through different genres, where post-rock/shoegaze influences and crushing sludge/doom tempo collide with hardcore punk and heavy rock. Sleep And Release explores a cumulative void, expressing emotions that can only be conveyed with music.
IRELAND: Nialler9 Sacred Animals – Chosen Seed Sacred Animals is a solo project of Darragh Nolan. His debut release is the lush four-track EP Welcome Home and serves as a perfect introduction to his fanciful and feral, wild like nature ballads. The music recalls Radiohead, Bon Iver and Guillemots without ever re
ally sounding too much like any of them.
ISRAEL: Metal Israel ACE And The Deck – Mr. Grieves (Pixies cover) ACE And The Deck take the Pixies’ Mr. Grieves, stir it up with reggae, shake it up with psychobilly, throw in some surf punk and cut it with a generous helping of arak. Their debut album is a veritable musical arsenal taking the best from all genres, and hits the market on December 13.
ITALY: Polaroid Havah – The Competition Dies Michele Camorani was a member of La Quiete, one of the most important screamo hardcore bands of the past decade. This is his new solo project, and the sound is very different. Imagine a Blank Dogs song locked up in a dark basement all alone for 20 years – that’s how obscure and cursed Havah’s music can be. Sometimes, suddenly, pop melodies come to the surface, but soon they’re buried into the noise once again. It’s definitely worth downloading Havah’s first album for free via his MySpace.
JAPAN: JPOP Lover Hotel Mexico – Its Twinkle Hotel Mexico are not from Mexico, but are a glo-fi and chill electro band hailing from Kyoto. Its Twinkle is taken from the recently released His Jewelled Letter Box EP and is full of radiant guitar melodies, ambient bells, airy synths and more reverb than any respectable song has the right to use.
MEXICO: Red Bull PanameriKa Hello Seahorse! – Un Año Quebrado Once a twee-pop band, Mexico City’s Hello Seahorse! morphed into a gloomy sounding beast on their third album, Bestia. Now they’ve delved deeper into their tormented souls and came out with their fourth album in four years, Lejos. No Tan Lejos. Produced by the legendary Money Mark in Los Angeles and by local wizard Yamil Rezc, the 11 songs lay a rich forest of synths where Lo Blondo’s banshee-like voice soars with operatic tropes. Say “Hola!” to this seamonster
THE NETHERLANDS: Unfold Amsterdam Space Siren – This Radar Amsterdam quartet Space Siren have strong indie-rock pedigree behind them. Featuring members who previously made up the noisy, melancholic band Seesaw, who released a number of great albums on the reliable Transformed Dreams label early in the 2000s, Space Siren carry the torch on wonderfully. Thick layers of guitar distortion hark back to an era when Sonic Youth ruled the independent underground. The percussion drives every song. And, somehow, amidst the haze of overdrive, there’s room for the strong, moody vocals of Gwendolien.
NEW ZEALAND: Counting The Beat Secret Knives – The Northwest States Secret Knives is the solo bedroom recording project of Ash Smith, who also plays in Over The Atlantic. The Northwest States begins with a pop melody and lyrics about lost love over programmed beats and a nice rumbling bass line. Then the layers of guitar start to build until the song soars into a shimmering shoegaze crescendo.
The song is from Secret Knives’ new album Affection, available for free download from here.
NORWAY: Eardrums Dunderhonning – Støv Dunderhonning is a young quartet from Harstad in the north of Norway. They have just released their debut full-length album on Guano Recordings, Sakte Ut Av Fokus, where they play warm, poetic, dreamy and powerful pop/rock. They sing in their native language and dialect, which suits the songs and their expression well. People who have heard and loved the music of Kråkesølv may find these two close to each other in style. Their album is high on my list of the best Norwegian albums this year. Highly recommended.
PERU: SoTB LongPlayer – Chica A Go-Go It’s time to welcome the debut of LongPlayer, a powerful quartet that formed in Lima in 2009 and is led by experienced Pipe Villarán. Their first single, Chica A Go-Go, carries a pleasant melancholy and is full of crunchy guitars and surprise trumpet appearances. Their self-titled debut album, which comes out on October 2
1, promises to deliver a classic rock lesson and will undoubtedly be one of the best of the year.
PORTUGAL: Posso Ouvir Um Disco? Noiserv – 06:00am – Mr. Carousel Since his first presence in MAP a year ago, Noiserv (aka David Santos) has played internationally, recently in Scotland and Slovenia, and has shared the stage with Bill Callahan, Camera Obscura, Damon & Naomi, Perry Blake and The Swell among others. In July, he released a new EP, A Day In The Day Of The Days – a musical diary of one fictional day.
ROMANIA: Babylon Noise Minus – Hașdeu Minus is Daniel Stanciu, a young man from Bucharest who combines massive mountains of bass with glitchy, twinkling Game Boy melodies and a healthy dose of synth funk. The EP from which Hașdeu was taken can be listen to and downloaded on Minus’ page at Local Records.
SINGAPORE: I’m Waking Up To… Typewriter – Cry So Well (The Suntan Mix)Ten years and three line-up changes later, Typewriter have finally released their labor of love, Indian Head Massage. Their debut album is chock full of well-crafted power-pop tunes and guitar riffs, whimsical lyrics and one of the most dynamic rhythm sections in the country. As a live four-piece, Typewriter shed all inhibitions to deliver a spine-tingling dose of forgotten melodies to awaken the senses, but on record they take the time to flesh out the minute details that make each song stand out.
SOUTH AFRICA: Musical Mover & Shaker! Goldfish – Fort Knox Hailing from Cape Town, Goldfish is made up of Dominic Peters and David Poole, who are one of the hottest jazz/electro duos this side of the equator. A mix of “funky riffs, acid jazz melodies and instantly catchy dance floor songs” is what they are about and Fort Knox is the epitome of their unique sound. This duo have made their mark in the dance scene and world domination is in sight.
SOUTH KOREA: Indieful ROK Go-yo – The Blue Devil Singer-songwriter Go-yo writes songs about cynical self-consolation. After debuting with a self-titled single offering lo-fi piano pieces last year, he has begun a venture into the realm of trip-hop and electronica with the recent release of first full-length album I Came Alone. While songs such as Let The Little Bird Fly maintains Go-yo’s original, melancholic piano sound, The Blue Devil creates an atmosphere similar to that built by Air’s score for The Virgin Suicides.
SWEDEN: Swedesplease Mother Of The Forest – Bränna Broar This suddenly prolific artist has just released another EP, this time with guests such as Mattias Alkberg and Magnus Ekelund. Vocals are processed and distant in the mix, adding to both the spookiness of the tracks and the prominence of the staccato electronic bursts that punctuate and enliven each song.
SWITZERLAND: 78s The Legendary Lightness – Airplane The Legendary Lightness is the side-project of the two drummers from Swiss indie outfits Schnitzer and Gabardine. The singer-songwriter duo hail from Zurich and has just released a splendid single called Airplane. It’s an airy piece of music, providing you with the musical layer for daydreaming. Airplane will be featured on an EP which will be sold at concerts and is limited to 100 copies. Their debut album is scheduled for release this winter.
UNITED STATES: I Guess I’m Floating Twin Shadow – Yellow Balloon The description for this artist should be short and sweet: spin the track, buy the album and become very happy. Twin Shadow, the one-man project of Brooklynite George Lewis Jr, is full of smooth synths, dark vocals and compositions operating under the influence of 1980s music but not cheaply ripping it off like loads of chillwave acts. Simplicity
and melody merge seamlessly in Yellow Balloon, like many of the tracks on debut LP Forget.
VENEZUELA: Barquisimento Los Mentas – El Kiosko Los Mentas is a rockabilly band with a new and nostalgic proposal and a strong dose of punk-rock flavor. Other influences like tango and swing can also be found in their work. Richard “Chicha” Blanco, Carlos Aray, Hector “Lukas” Paredes and Juan Olmedillo are Los Mentas, and El Kiosko is included on their debut album.
185. Song of the Week is "Party People" by Suicide Coffee. I dedicate this tract to all the party people attending Airwaves Festival this week & weekend.
Mark of the Iceblah Blog will post some interviews of performers @ Airwaves on his Blog until the start of the festival on 13. October.
Read an interview with me there, and many more interviews to come ...
Only 2 NewSongs of the Week & 1 new Icelandic Music Alliance Pact (MAP)Song will be posted the next 2 weeks.
for Iceland Airwaves @ Havarí Shop Saturday 9. October @ 16:00 Program Pétur Eyvindsson (of DJ Musician, Evil Madness, Vindva Mei) Graupan & The Crying Cowboy All those artist will perform at the Iceland Airwaves festival on a special event that is organized by Hljóðaklettar & Electric Ethics on 12. & 13. October. Hljóðaklettar Hljóðaklettar is a boutique record label founded by Rúnar Magnússon & Sabrina Joy Winogrond for the purposes of releasing rare, limited, and collectible music. Each release will have a run of no more than 300 units and will be hand packaged, numbered, and distributed. Hljóðaklettar focuses on electro acoustic, generative, drone & disco.
Þorbjörg Elín Fríðhólm Friðriksdóttir is a patient with a chronic lung disease Donate here: Bank Account of Þorbjörg 542-14-401515 & Kennitala: 061051-4579. More information: Halli Valli Tel. 6928042
The band Retro Stefson recorded 2 videos with Frenchman Vincent Moon (who worked with Arcade Fire, Bon Iver, Sigur Rós, R.E.M.) @ Austurbæjarskóla School. Their second album "Kimbabwe" will be released on 13. October. "Kimba" www.youtube.com/v/7PIS2ZxeqTo?fs=1&hl&fmt=18
Prófessorinn og Memfismafían "Prófessorinn kynnir sig" A song of the album "Diskóeyjan" The same band made a children's album "Gilligill" in the year 2008. www.youtube.com/v/0N4eKri-WZI?fs=1&hl&fmt=18
Stamp with "Imagine Peace" statue (Light) on the island Viðey, near Reykjavík
John Lennon Cover Competition 2010 More than 100 songs were send to the John Lennon Cover Competition organized by National Radio Station Rás 2. Now you have the opportunity to vote for one of the 12 selected songs. Winning cover will be announced in the Radio Show Poppland on Friday 8. October. 12 songs are: "#9 dream" by Hljómsveitin Swamp "A day in the Life" by Julia Agnar Eldberg "Across the universe" by Ummhumm "Cold turkey" by Álbandið "I’m losing you" by Robert the roommate "I’m only sleeping" by Heiða trúbador (aka Heiða í Unun/Heiða í Hellvar) "I am the walrus" by Margrét Guðrúnardóttir "Imagine" by Skólahljómsveit Mosfellsbæjar "Instant karma" by HS & Co "Surprise Surprise" by Elís & Rafnar "The Luck Of The Irish" by Hrafnar Pöbbliners "Woman" by Fúsi Ben og vordísin Listen to the songs here Voting is possible @ the bottom of the page: Choose your favorite cover + push "Kjósa"
Styrktartónleikar Support Gig BOB Supporting Acts Sudden Weather Change & Miri
@ Faktorý, Smiðjustígur 6, Reykjavík Saturday 9. October 2010 @ 22:00
BOB's EP "Best of Breed" is released on 9. October Available @ Jamendo & Gogoyoko Admission: 1000 IKR Your money is used to record full album this autumn. Next release will be on vinyl (3000 IKR). BOB released their Debut album entitled "dod qoq pop" in 2006 "Less then three", a song of their début www.youtube.com/v/zLg_7h3WHsk?fs=1&hl&fmt=18
Five Times Arnar @ Airwaves In Iceland a lot of musicians are involved in many projects. When there's a festival some of them have to run from one stage to another. Also this year: for example drummer Arnar Þór Gíslason plays the drums with 5 artists@ Iceland Airwaves. HAM's original drummer Arnar Geir Ómarsson has a medical problem, so he takes the other Arnar's place behind the drums. He's also banging the drums with: Ensími Rúnar Þórisson, his father in low Lára Rúnarsdóttir, his wife Mugison He's lucky thathis band Dr. Spock is not playing @ Airwaves 2010. Source: Fréttabladid
184. Song of the Week is "Maðurinn sem vildi verða Guð" (The Man who wanted to be God) by the rock trio Króna with frontman Biggi íMaus aka Birgir Örn Steinarsson (previous in the band Maus), Jón Valur Guðmundsson (also in the bands Bubble Boy & Who Knew) & Hjalti Jón Sverrisson (Miri). Króna @ MySpace
A2, A3, B3 - Recorded by Kjartan Kjartan in 1982, first recorded versions B1, B2 - Originally released on Gramm Records in 1982 B4 - Demo tape recorded in 1981, text by Didda Mannskeppnur & Kjöt remixed by Ragnar Jónsson. Re-Mastered by Sven Mühlender @ Not Not Fun Studio, Berlin. Record produced by Thomas Pargmann. Tracks A1. Ó, Reykjavík A2. Mannskeppnur A3. Kjöt B1. Börnin Þin B2. Skitseyði B3. Vonbrigði B4. Ný Friðþæging
Hljóðaklettar @ Faktorý venue Off-Venue on 12. October Official on 13. October A lot of the artists performing on these 2 nights are featured on the cassette "Dress Up". Streaming of this release is available for a short period on Soundcloud:
1. Olympia - Petur Eyvindsson 2. Free Magic Weed - Evil Madness 3. Big Shadow Montana - Stilluppsteypa & BJNilsen 4. Remonia - Vindva Mei 5. Crying Café (late edition) - The Crying Cowboy & Rúnar Magnússon 6. Exterio-(P)rism - Dino Felipe 7. Live001 (recorded in Krems 8.5.10) - Reptilicus Hljodaklettar Dress Up - Side B by Hljodaklettar Side B of the Cassette 1. compact assette - Thor Magnússon 2. JarreSchulze - BJ Nilsen 3. UPlifttheMind - Takeshi Muto 4. Freeze no Extra - Rudi Müller & Rúnar Magnússon 5. Captain of Love - Hunk Of A Man 6. Dr. Diablo - Jóhann Jóhannsson & Runar Magnusson 7. Kjallari Keisarans - Sigtryggur Berg Sigmarsson 8. Dimitri - Helgi Thorsson 9. Stadion - DJ Musician Compiled by Sabrina Joy & Rúnar Magnússon Released by: Hljóðaklettar
Release/catalogue number: HKMC1 Release date: 17 June 2010
