Amiina Live @ Icelandic TV and also Phonecast/Interview @ French TV

Amiina, 4 young Icelandic girls are on their own now. First in the shadow of Sigur Ros (together on tour and on stage). But now their first full album "Kurr" is released. I like the album (****). Few years ago they made already an EP (Smekkleysa www.smekkleysa.net).
"Seoul" Live performance for the National Icelandic television program Hljomsveit Kvöldsins (music band of the evening) (Sjonvarpid, 2007)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=39novn5B0-E

Phonecast about the New Album "Kurr " released recently by Amiina. Featuring an Interview on the run with 2 members of Amiina (Edda & Solrun). Item is fortunately in English but the subtitles are in French.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qWwWG2XkUPo

www.amiina.com
www.myspace.com/amiina
And I have to mention also a Special of their Record label (Ever Records) about Amiina (more than 9 minutes):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-_Y3cTmw5aM

Bang Gang USA Tour Videos (Canal Room & SXSW)

Bang Gang went on a USA Tour this year. Hopes he'll become popular outside France and Iceland too, 'cause Bardi Rules!
"Find what you get" Live @ Elysium, SXSW (2007)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IqQ9DbLwEdg

Video 1 of USA Tour Show Live @ Canal Room (30th of March 2007)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z6ZZt1jtg5U

Video 2
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GwRV8bu5lKs

Video 3
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YfCL9HNy7nc

Nice version on speed of "Find what you get", as used in the movie Screaming Masterpiece (Live performance @ NASA club, Reykjavik)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3I_C2_zrNCo

Reykjavik to Rotterdam Festival November 2007

Reykjavik to Rotterdam Festival takes place
21-24 November 2007

The Festival Program:
Wednesday, November 21 2007
Laurenskerk church - Opening concert
RoTown
Mammút
Jakobínarína
Waterfront
Hafdis Huld
Singapore Sling

Thursday, November 22 2007
Lantaren / Venster
Lantaren 2
Megasukk
RoTown
Seabear
Mr Silla and Mongoose
Waterfront
Reykjavik!
HAM

Friday, november 23 2007
Lantaren / Venster
Lantaren 1
Iceland dance company
Lantaren 2
Bogomil Font og Flís

Lantaren / Venster Cafe
LayLow
Waterfront
Rass
Apparat Organ Quartet

Saturday, november 24 2007
Lantaren / Venster
Lantaren 1
Rökkurró
Múm
Lantaren 2
Ghostigital
Evil Madness

Maassilo - Closing party
Hermigervill
GusGus
DJ Gísli Galdur

Press Release (24th of April 2007)
Reykjavik to Rotterdam 2007
Van 21 tot en met 24 November 2007 zal de tweede editie van het tweejaarlijkse IJslands cultureel festival "Reykjavik to Rotterdam" plaatsvinden. Het festival richt zich op hedendaagse IJslandse cultuur; meer specifiek op muziek, dans en film. Verspreidt over vier complexen in Rotterdam: Lantaren/venster, Waterfront, RoTown en Maassilo, met een programmering op zeven podia en in twee film zalen.
Het programma is uniek en divers. Van de 21 geprogrammeerde IJslandse bands, hebben alleen negen eerder op het Europese vasteland opgetreden, en zelfs slechts zes hebben er eerder in Nederland opgetreden. Daarnaast staan er 12 speelfilms en negen korte films op het programma, 15 daarvan zullen hun Nederlandse premiere hebben.
Festival hoogtepunten
HAM - Sinds ze in 1994 uit elkaar zijn gegaan, is HAM een ware metalband met cult status geworden met een constant toestroom aan fans. Ze worden erkend als een belangrijk onderdeel van de IJslandse rock geschiedenis. In IJsland treden ze alleen nog op bij speciale gelegenheden en ze treden zeer zelden op buiten Reykjavik. Het "Reykjavik to Rotterdam" festival is trots om het publiek de unieke gelegenheid te geven om HAM te zien optreden buiten IJsland. HAM is: Sigurjón Kjartansson, Óttar Proppé, Arnar Geir Ómarsson, S. Björn Blöndal, Jóhann Jóhannsson, en Flosi Thorgeirsson.
múm - IJslandse Pop Experimentalisten, múm, hebben na een stilte van 5 jaar zich gehergroepeerd met een nieuwe zangeres en een nieuwe bassist. Met een beter humeur en een helderder geluid dan ooit maakt het nog te verschijnen nieuwe album duidelijk dat Múm nog altijd één van IJslands grootste alternatieve bands is. Dit optreden maakt deel uit van hun Europese CD-release tour en zal het enige optreden zijn dat Múm in Nederland geeft.
The Iceland Dance Company - Erkend als een dansgezelschap van wereldformaat, is het IDC verantwoordelijk voor het ontwikkelen en creëren van hedendaagse dans en choreografie. IDC geeft extra aandacht aan nieuwe creaties als mede het ontwikkelen van samen-werkingsverbanden met andere creatieve vormen, in het bijzonder muziek. Het volledige dansgezelschap zal worden overgevlogen om twee van hun meest recente producties ten tonele te brengen, producties van de internationaal vooraanstaande choreografen André Gingras en Roberto Oliván.
Retrospectief in aanwezigheid van Baltasar Kormákur - Na zijn succesvolle regiedebuut 101 Reykjavík, werd hij aangewezen als "one of European films’ Shooting Stars". Hij zette zijn carrière voort met films als The Sea en A Little Trip to Heaven met in de hoofdrol Forrest Whitaker en Julia Stiles.
En natuurlijk alle jonge muziekanten, waarvan sommige voor het eerst zullen optreden buiten IJsland.

De organisatie achter Reykjavik to Rotterdam is de Reykjavik to Stichting. De stichting streeft ernaar om met deze IJslandse culturele initiatieven, mogelijkheden te scheppen voor IJslandse artiesten om een breder publiek kennis te laten maken met hun werk. Als mede het bevorderen van de onderlinge banden tussen de in het buitenland wonende IJslanders.
Naast Reykjavik to Rotterdam dit jaar, is de stichting tevens actief met vier andere Reykjavik to festivals. Deze zullen plaatsvinden in Denemarken, Duitsland, Zweden en Finland, in 2008. Het streven is om landen regelmatig opnieuw te bezoeken en tegelijkertijd ook nieuwe locaties toe te voegen. Zodoende ontstaat er een eeuwig groeiend platform voor IJslandse cultuur en in het bijzonder voor IJslandse artiesten.

Marcel Edwin Deelen Voorzitter/President of Reykjavik to Foundation
http://www.reykjavik.to/
Eskihlid 22
105 Reykjavik
Iceland
T: + 354 893 9517
F: + 354 551 9517
press@reykjavik.to
http://www.reykjavik.to/
www.reykjavik.to/rotterdam

Jan Mayen will release a new Album this month

New album by Jan Mayen available the 14th of August:
"So much better than your normal life".
Information about the band @
www.jan-mayen.com or www.myspace.com/janmayen

Ourlives - Video "Sandra"

Interesting band Ourlives
The band was on tour in the UK in April 2007.
Video for their first UK release "Sandra"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FSFrez-e9qo

More information on Ourlives @
www.weareourlives.com
www.myspace.com/ourlives

Juniper Tree - Björk @ the Movies

Björk as an actress (before 'Dancer in the Dark' of Danish director Lars von Trier) in the movie 'Juniper Tree' of director N. Keene, based on story of the Bros. Grimm.
Movie Trailer of 'Juniper Tree'
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FgCXQFVHNe8

Japanese Trailer

The Juniper Tree
Authors: Brothers Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm

Long ago, at least two thousand years, there was a rich man who had a beautiful and pious wife, and they loved each other dearly. However, they had no children, though they wished very much to have some, and the woman prayed for them day and night, but they didn't get any, and they didn't get any.

In front of their house there was a courtyard where there stood a juniper tree. One day in winter the woman was standing beneath it, peeling herself an apple, and while she was thus peeling the apple, she cut her finger, and the blood fell into the snow.

"Oh," said the woman. She sighed heavily, looked at the blood before her, and was most unhappy. "If only I had a child as red as blood and as white as snow." And as she said that, she became quite contented, and felt sure that it was going to happen.

Then she went into the house, and a month went by, and the snow was gone. And two months, and everything was green. And three months, and all the flowers came out of the earth. And four months, and all the trees in the woods grew thicker, and the green branches were all entwined in one another, and the birds sang until the woods resounded and the blossoms fell from the trees. Then the fifth month passed, and she stood beneath the juniper tree, which smelled so sweet that her heart jumped for joy, and she fell on her knees and was beside herself. And when the sixth month was over, the fruit was thick and large, and then she was quite still. And after the seventh month she picked the juniper berries and ate them greedily. Then she grew sick and sorrowful. Then the eighth month passed, and she called her husband to her, and cried, and said, "If I die, then bury me beneath the juniper tree." Then she was quite comforted and happy until the next month was over, and then she had a child as white as snow and as red as blood, and when she saw it, she was so happy that she died.

Her husband buried her beneath the juniper tree, and he began to cry bitterly. After some time he was more at ease, and although he still cried, he could bear it. And some time later he took another wife.

He had a daughter by the second wife, but the first wife's child was a little son, and he was as red as blood and as white as snow. When the woman looked at her daughter, she loved her very much, but then she looked at the little boy, and it pierced her heart, for she thought that he would always stand in her way, and she was always thinking how she could get the entire inheritance for her daughter. And the Evil One filled her mind with this until she grew very angry with the little boy, and she pushed him from one corner to the other and slapped him here and cuffed him there, until the poor child was always afraid, for when he came home from school there was nowhere he could find any peace.

One day the woman had gone upstairs to her room, when her little daughter came up too, and said, "Mother, give me an apple."

"Yes, my child," said the woman, and gave her a beautiful apple out of the chest. The chest had a large heavy lid with a large sharp iron lock.

"Mother," said the little daughter, "is brother not to have one too?"

This made the woman angry, but she said, "Yes, when he comes home from school."

When from the window she saw him coming, it was as though the Evil One came over her, and she grabbed the apple and took it away from her daughter, saying, "You shall not have one before your brother."

She threw the apple into the chest, and shut it. Then the little boy came in the door, and the Evil One made her say to him kindly, "My son, do you want an apple?" And she looked at him fiercely.

"Mother," said the little boy, "how angry you look. Yes, give me an apple."

Then it seemed to her as if she had to persuade him. "Come with me," she said, opening the lid of the chest. "Take out an apple for yourself." And while the little boy was leaning over, the Evil One prompted her, and crash! she slammed down the lid, and his head flew off, falling among the red apples.

Then fear overcame her, and she thought, "Maybe I can get out of this." So she went upstairs to her room to her chest of drawers, and took a white scarf out of the top drawer, and set the head on the neck again, tying the scarf around it so that nothing could be seen. Then she set him on a chair in front of the door and put the apple in his hand.

After this Marlene came into the kitchen to her mother, who was standing by the fire with a pot of hot water before her which she was stirring around and around.

"Mother," said Marlene, "brother is sitting at the door, and he looks totally white and has an apple in his hand. I asked him to give me the apple, but he did not answer me, and I was very frightened."

"Go back to him," said her mother, "and if he will not answer you, then box his ears."

So Marlene went to him and said, "Brother, give me the apple." But he was silent, so she gave him one on the ear, and his head fell off. Marlene was terrified, and began crying and screaming, and ran to her mother, and said, "Oh, mother, I have knocked my brother's head off," and she cried and cried and could not be comforted.

"Marlene," said the mother, "what have you done? Be quiet and don't let anyone know about it. It cannot be helped now. We will cook him into stew."

Then the mother took the little boy and chopped him in pieces, put him into the pot, and cooked him into stew. But Marlene stood by crying and crying, and all her tears fell into the pot, and they did not need any salt.

Then the father came home, and sat down at the table and said, "Where is my son?" And the mother served up a large, large dish of stew, and Marlene cried and could not stop.

Then the father said again, "Where is my son?"

"Oh," said the mother, "he has gone across the country to his mother's great uncle. He will stay there awhile."

"What is he doing there? He did not even say good-bye to me."

"Oh, he wanted to go, and asked me if he could stay six weeks. He will be well taken care of there."

"Oh," said the man, "I am unhappy. It isn't right. He should have said good-bye to me." With that he began to eat, saying, "Marlene, why are you crying? Your brother will certainly come back."

Then he said, "Wife, this food is delicious. Give me some more." And the more he ate the more he wanted, and he said, "Give me some more. You two shall have none of it. It seems to me as if it were all mine." And he ate and ate, throwing all the bones under the table, until he had finished it all.

Marlene went to her chest of drawers, took her best silk scarf from the bottom drawer, and gathered all the bones from beneath the table and tied them up in her silk scarf, then carried them outside the door, crying tears of blood.

She laid them down beneath the juniper tree on the green grass, and after she had put them there, she suddenly felt better and did not cry anymore.

Then the juniper tree began to move. The branches moved apart, then moved together again, just as if someone were rejoicing and clapping his hands. At the same time a mist seemed to rise from the tree, and in the center of this mist it burned like a fire, and a beautiful bird flew out of the fire singing magnificently, and it flew high into the air, and when it was gone, the juniper tree was just as it had been before, and the cloth with the bones was no longer there. Marlene, however, was as happy and contented as if her brother were still alive. And she went merrily into the house, sat down at the table, and ate.

Then the bird flew away and lit on a goldsmith's house, and began to sing:

My mother, she killed me,
My father, he ate me,
My sister Marlene,
Gathered all my bones,
Tied them in a silken scarf,
Laid them beneath the juniper tree,
Tweet, tweet, what a beautiful bird am I.
The goldsmith was sitting in his workshop making a golden chain, when he heard the bird sitting on his roof and singing. The song seemed very beautiful to him. He stood up, but as he crossed the threshold he lost one of his slippers. However, he went right up the middle of the street with only one slipper and one sock on. He had his leather apron on, and in one hand he had a golden chain and in the other his tongs. The sun was shining brightly on the street.

He walked onward, then stood still and said to the bird, "Bird," he said, "how beautifully you can sing. Sing that piece again for me."

"No," said the bird, "I do not sing twice for nothing. Give me the golden chain, and then I will sing it again for you."

The goldsmith said, "Here is the golden chain for you. Now sing that song again for me." Then the bird came and took the golden chain in his right claw, and went and sat in front of the goldsmith, and sang:

My mother, she killed me,
My father, he ate me,
My sister Marlene,
Gathered all my bones,
Tied them in a silken scarf,
Laid them beneath the juniper tree,
Tweet, tweet, what a beautiful bird am I.
Then the bird flew away to a shoemaker, and lit on his roof and sang:

My mother, she killed me,
My father, he ate me,
My sister Marlene,
Gathered all my bones,
Tied them in a silken scarf,
Laid them beneath the juniper tree,
Tweet, tweet, what a beautiful bird am I.
Hearing this, the shoemaker ran out of doors in his shirtsleeves, and looked up at his roof, and had to hold his hand in front of his eyes to keep the sun from blinding him. "Bird," said he, "how beautifully you can sing."

Then he called in at his door, "Wife, come outside. There is a bird here. Look at this bird. He certainly can sing." Then he called his daughter and her children, and the journeyman, and the apprentice, and the maid, and they all came out into the street and looked at the bird and saw how beautiful he was, and what fine red and green feathers he had, and how his neck was like pure gold, and how his eyes shone like stars in his head.

"Bird," said the shoemaker, "now sing that song again for me."

"No," said the bird, "I do not sing twice for nothing. You must give me something."

"Wife," said the man, "go into the shop. There is a pair of red shoes on the top shelf. Bring them down." Then the wife went and brought the shoes.

"There, bird," said the man, "now sing that piece again for me." Then the bird came and took the shoes in his left claw, and flew back to the roof, and sang:

My mother, she killed me,
My father, he ate me,
My sister Marlene,
Gathered all my bones,
Tied them in a silken scarf,
Laid them beneath the juniper tree,
Tweet, tweet, what a beautiful bird am I.
When he had finished his song he flew away. In his right claw he had the chain and in his left one the shoes. He flew far away to a mill, and the mill went clickety-clack, clickety-clack, clickety-clack. In the mill sat twenty miller's apprentices cutting a stone, and chiseling chip-chop, chip-chop, chip-chop. And the mill went clickety-clack, clickety-clack, clickety-clack.

Then the bird went and sat on a linden tree which stood in front of the mill, and sang:

My mother, she killed me,
Then one of them stopped working.

My father, he ate me,
Then two more stopped working and listened,

My sister Marlene,
Then four more stopped,

Gathered all my bones,
Tied them in a silken scarf,
Now only eight only were chiseling,

Laid them beneath
Now only five,

the juniper tree,
Now only one,

Tweet, tweet, what a beautiful bird am I.
Then the last one stopped also, and heard the last words. "Bird," said he, "how beautifully you sing. Let me hear that too. Sing it once more for me."

"No," said the bird, "I do not sing twice for nothing. Give me the millstone, and then I will sing it again."

"Yes," he said, "if it belonged only to me, you should have it."

"Yes," said the others, "if he sings again he can have it."

Then the bird came down, and the twenty millers took a beam and lifted the stone up. Yo-heave-ho! Yo-heave-ho! Yo-heave-ho!

The bird stuck his neck through the hole and put the stone on as if it were a collar, then flew to the tree again, and sang:

My mother, she killed me,
My father, he ate me,
My sister Marlene,
Gathered all my bones,
Tied them in a silken scarf,
Laid them beneath the juniper tree,
Tweet, tweet, what a beautiful bird am I.
When he was finished singing, he spread his wings, and in his right claw he had the chain, and in his left one the shoes, and around his neck the millstone. He flew far away to his father's house.

In the room the father, the mother, and Marlene were sitting at the table.

The father said, "I feel so contented. I am so happy."

"Not I," said the mother, "I feel uneasy, just as if a bad storm were coming."

But Marlene just sat and cried and cried.

Then the bird flew up, and as it seated itself on the roof, the father said, "Oh, I feel so truly happy, and the sun is shining so beautifully outside. I feel as if I were about to see some old acquaintance again."

"Not I," said the woman, "I am so afraid that my teeth are chattering, and I feel like I have fire in my veins." And she tore open her bodice even more. Marlene sat in a corner crying. She held a handkerchief before her eyes and cried until it was wet clear through.

Then the bird seated itself on the juniper tree, and sang:

My mother, she killed me,
The mother stopped her ears and shut her eyes, not wanting to see or hear, but there was a roaring in her ears like the fiercest storm, and her eyes burned and flashed like lightning.

My father, he ate me,
"Oh, mother," said the man, "that is a beautiful bird. He is singing so splendidly, and the sun is shining so warmly, and it smells like pure cinnamon."

My sister Marlene,
Then Marlene laid her head on her knees and cried and cried, but the man said, "I am going out. I must see the bird up close."

"Oh, don't go," said the woman, "I feel as if the whole house were shaking and on fire."

But the man went out and looked at the bird.

Gathered all my bones,
Tied them in a silken scarf,
Laid them beneath the juniper tree,
Tweet, tweet, what a beautiful bird am I.
With this the bird dropped the golden chain, and it fell right around the man's neck, so exactly around it that it fit beautifully. Then the man went in and said, "Just look what a beautiful bird that is, and what a beautiful golden chain he has given me, and how nice it looks."

But the woman was terrified. She fell down on the floor in the room, and her cap fell off her head. Then the bird sang once more:

My mother killed me.
"I wish I were a thousand fathoms beneath the earth, so I would not have to hear that!"

My father, he ate me,
Then the woman fell down as if she were dead.

My sister Marlene,
"Oh," said Marlene, "I too will go out and see if the bird will give me something." Then she went out.

Gathered all my bones,
Tied them in a silken scarf,
He threw the shoes down to her.

Laid them beneath the juniper tree,
Tweet, tweet, what a beautiful bird am I.
Then she was contented and happy. She put on the new red shoes and danced and leaped into the house. "Oh," she said, "I was so sad when I went out and now I am so contented. That is a splendid bird, he has given me a pair of red shoes."

"No," said the woman, jumping to her feet and with her hair standing up like flames of fire, "I feel as if the world were coming to an end. I too, will go out and see if it makes me feel better."

And as she went out the door, crash! the bird threw the millstone on her head, and it crushed her to death.

The father and Marlene heard it and went out. Smoke, flames, and fire were rising from the place, and when that was over, the little brother was standing there, and he took his father and Marlene by the hand, and all three were very happy, and they went into the house, sat down at the table, and ate.

Source: Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm, Von dem Machandelboom, Kinder- und Hausmärchen (Children's and Household Tales -- Grimms' Fairy Tales), no. 47.

Paul Oscar - Icelandic Gay Star - The Videos

Today I got a question of Charlotte from Ghent, Belgium, about Páll Óskar. He is Iceland's Number 1 Gay Pop Star.
10 years ago she saw him performing @ the the Eurovision Song Contest (ESC). Does anyone knows Páll Óskar's address these days? Please let me know, so I can let know Charlotte! Thx in advance.

Danish Website (up-to-date until 1997 !!) dedicated to

Páll Óskar THE PHENOMENON
Who would have thought that one small island could foster so much talent in less than a decade? Björk is well-known to people all over the globe, but her popularity and ingenuity is soon to be forgotten as Iceland has produced the megastar of the millennium. The phenomenon is known as Paul Oscar and although only few of you know him, you will experience his presence world wide - very soon. This homepage is a fan's devoted declaration of loyalty and love for his idol and furthermore an attempt to show the rest of the world that this is a man one should look out for. His reign has just begun...
I admit it, I had never heard about Paul Oscar when I watched the Eurovision entries on TV in April 1997. Very few had really, but I immediately knew that this guy had caught my attention for more than just a second. A certain tension built up inside my soul and suddenly, the yearly orgy of screaming Greek ladies and tacky outfits known as the Eurovision Song Contest seemed awfully far away. However, I managed to survive those long days and as we gathered in front of the TV screen, song number 25 representing Iceland was what I was waiting for. If the appearance in Dublin was as fab as in the video, a part of my heart would forever belong to Iceland. The music started, the beat of the drum machine showed everyone that this was no ordinary Eurosong and he started to sing while the female dancers, all dressed in black latex outfits, were casually lying around him. The song reached its first climax, the chorus, and it was obvious that Paul Oscar was conquering my heart by the beat. Then the dancers woke up, like machines they moved to the music, Paul Oscar changing into a robot-like creature and as the last chorus ended and the music was about to fade into the final metallic sound, he gave me the kiss I had been waiting for........ in that moment, I was his property.
Since then, I have been e-mailing, surfing and phoning to obtain as much information about this Northern star as I possibly could and with the kind assistance of his Office, it has all climaxed in these pages. I welcome you to enter the world of Paul Oscar.............
Paul Oscar was born on March 16th 1970 in Reykjavik, the capital city of Iceland. His real name is Páll Óskar Hjálmtýsson and he grew up in a musical family of 7 children. Already as a young child he showed signs of his future stardom by drawing, singing and writing fairytales - no pun intended. At 7, he recorded his first album which was to be the first in a series of records featuring his clear voice. According to himself, he was never pressured by his parents to do any of the albums and it seems as if he already then enjoyed the attention he experienced. He knew he would make it big time and although his class mates teased and annoyed him, he never lost faith in himself. However, it wasn't easy and he is said to have felt like Gummi Tarzan, the character Paul Oscar played in the musical by Danish author Ole Lund Kirkegaard when he was 12. The story is one of almost cruelty to the nerd of the school who eventually bumps into a witch who lets him get back at his enemies - although only for a day.
Páll Óskar THE FACTS
Paul Oscar met his own witch after years of puberty in which his voice and his so-called friends weren't really there for him. He started singing in a choir, won a singing contest and starred in The Rocky Horror Picture Show. He saw the light. He saw the lights of the stage and while doing vocal works for others, he probed himself to find out what he wanted to do with his life. He started doing dragshows of a rather daring nature, so I have been told, and was soon known as a very provocative artist in Iceland. Of course it doesn't take much to startle a society of less than 300,000 inhabitants, but Paul Oscar had the guts and soon moved on to become one the country's most popular DJs on a radio station called FM 90,9. After having worked his behind off, Paul Oscar decided to take a break and went to New York where he met lots of men - among the decent encounters were Jóhann Jóhannsson and Sigurjon Kjartansson - members of the Icelandic band Ham. Those three started talking and soon, the first plans for Paul Oscar's solo career were made. The door to megastardom had been opened..... and the world stood still for a moment.
If anything, Paul Oscar is a versatile artist. On his first solo album, "Stuð", his fascination by the disco music of the 1970's is worshipped, but at the same time mixed with the techno music of the 1990's. An extraordinary combination. On the 1994 album "Milljón Á Mann" recorded with the Icelandic band Milljónamæringarnir, he sings Latin American songs in the original languages spiced with Icelandic lyrics and even turned the song 'Negro José' into a hit in Iceland. On the same album, he salutes his idol Burt Bacharach and thus combines the two musical styles, the Latin American and at times jazz-inspired tunes with the easy listening sounds of Mr Bacharach, rather beautifully on one album. The classic 'The Look of Love' becomes a hit in Iceland and Paul Oscar is already a star in the country.
In 1995, he releases the first album produced and arranged almost solely by himself. It is called "Palli", which is his nickname, and is a collection of ballads ranging from jazzy tunes such as 'Lush Life' and the old Bacharach song 'The Look of Love' to the hymn-like 'Sjáumst Aftur'. On "Palli", Paul Oscar really proves that his voice is indeed able to cover a whole variety of styles - and at the same time, he manages to gather orchestral arrangements as the one on 'Anyone Who Had a Heart', my personal favourite on the album, with slow, almost a cappella-like songs. Somehow, leaving the drama of Bacharach just to enter Jobim's 'Corcovado' doesn't seem inappropriate at all.
Change of style when one listens to "Seif", the 1996 album. The soft sounds of "Palli" have been changed into hard core Icelandic techno - sounds like a joke, but it really isn't. It's well-produced and although I tend to find techno tedious after having listened to it a few times, "Seif" is not at all bad. To pick out a few songs, 'Hvítt Drasl' still puzzles me as I can find traces of common dance music, easy listening, pop music and what I'd describe as television space series from the 1960's - all in one song. Furthermore, it's in Icelandic which adds to the mystery! 'Jafnvel Þo Við Þekkjumst Ekki Neitt' reminds me of my teenage Erasure years and is really a walk down the memory lane of machine music. And then suddenly comes 'Ræ Ég Við Roður Minn' along. A sweet little tune that reminds me of Danish schlager singer Gitte Henning breaks the hard core surface just as the lullaby 'Góða Nótt' finishes off the album. At first, it seems strange, but on the other hand serves as a mental break in between the upbeat songs. Speaking of which, "Seif" includes the, at least to me, fantastic hit songs 'Stanslaust Stuð' with its aggressive strings, and particularly the superb 'Ég er Bundinn Fastur Við Þig'. The latter would sure make me wanna dance anytime!
Páll Óskar THE MUSIC
Although famous in Iceland, the breakthrough will come this year. The 300 million viewers of the Eurovision song contest saw Paul Oscar perform 'Minn Hinsti Dans' and that appearance has opened the eyes of thousands of new fans. Most people have told me that they liked the music a lot, others that they hated the song but loved the female dancers, a lot of gay guys have commented on the whole performance and Paul Oscar in particular (I wonder why?!) - and a few have felt sick by it all. The song is about a has-been Primadonna who looks back at his/her life and discovers that the sweet days were also the days of treason - or maybe it's about the gay man who looks back at his past on Fire Island? Who knows? In any case, unlike most other entries, Paul Oscar's has managed to draw attention to himself and 'Minn Hinsti Dans'.....
Source:
www.larsbrandstrup.dk/palli.htm

YouTube Movies

"International"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8d12YLAS444

The second single from Paul Oscar's dance project "Allt fyrir ástina" to be released in Iceland october 2007. This song is also used as an anthem for the Reykjavik Gay Pride Festival 2007. Written by Örlygur Smári, Niclas Kings, Daniela Vecchia and Páll Óskar.
Video for the song "Allt fyrir ástina"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zqNJ8usO06k

"Hold U" Live with GusGus @ NASA (Reykjavik, 2007)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ACcC1F7RaT0

"A spaceman came travelling" (2003)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qX4pp8ifXjU

Páll Óskar (Paul Oscar) recorded this with harpist Monika Abendroth for their Christmas Album "Ljósin Heima" 2003. This beloved Christmas song was written by Chris DeBurgh (The lady in red). The video was directed by Raggi Hansson, a brilliant re-tale of the Night before Christmas, the virgin Mary et al...
"No one to love" Video (1999)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xLI7N8U2NnA

"Min hinsti dans" Video for song of the European Song Contest (ESC) 1997
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oecd6PcbotA

"Standlaust stud" Video (1996) a hit in Iceland
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=52mbxdReJ5k

Stanslaust stuð" was the second single from icelandic popstar Paul Oscar's album "SEIF" in 1996. Released in icelandic of course, the word "stuð" does not mean STUD - but high energy, usually created at dance parties or clubs. This song has gained cult status in Iceland, where everybody knows the lyrics to the chorus, because it's still played at icelandic clubs today. A few months after this song was released, RUV chose Paul Oscar to represent Iceland in the 1997 Eurovision Song Contest with the song "Minn Hinsti Dans". Written by Johann Johannsson, Páll Óskar, Sigurjón Kjartansson.
"The look of love" Live @ Borgarleikhusid (Reykjavik, 1995)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iUX8HwOyNxw

"Ljúfa Líf"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AcxOvD9gGEI

This was Paul Oscar's first single from his first solo album "STUÐ" 1993. No, the icelandic word "stuð" does NOT mean STUD. It means "high energy" usually created at parties and dance clubs. Páll Óskar (Paul Oscar) still performs the song as a closing number to this day. He even uses the same choreography.
More Páll Óskar:
www.myspace.com/palloskar
www.youtube.com/thisispauloscar
"I love Techno" Paul Oscar as/is a DJ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W44biSmNHFk