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Readers choice, top 10 Icelandic bands

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Last week I posted 15 bands I thought you should know.  The response to that blog was somewhat incredible in my little blog world.  Some of you are very, VERY, angry individuals, both towards the bands chosen as well as the person who’d dare pick some and leave others out.  And some of you came up with great alternatives or bands you wished were on it.

So in this post, I took the top suggestions you commented and emailed about, as well as a few more new bands I think you should check out.  As before, click on their name to find out more about them.  So, without further ado:

Agent Fresco

A good indie style rock back, akin to “At the Drive In” They’ve been in the scene since 2008, and are working on a new album as we speak.  A mellow style of math rock with creative licks and lyrics that seem to float over the top.

GusGus

GusGus is indeed a veteran  band of Iceland.  A little bit of trip-hop, a lot electronic, the band has been on the scene for almost 20 years.  Over the years, there have been many members, and those members have gone on to start production companies and other bands.  GusGus can count musicians such as Emilíana Torrini, and Daníel Ágúst amongst their ranks.  The above video is from the new Album Mexico, it’s a great album and I am currently working on a post about them, so stay tuned.

Reykjavik!

Reverent, conservative, Sunday morning driving music.  Yeahno, they’ve been around since Christ was a child, and their music is crassly clever, aggressive punk rock promoting whatever they want when they want to.  Oddly enough, on the East river walkway a few weeks ago, the song above came on, and as all the asshattedly good looking folks were surrounding me, it seemed the fitting soundtrack to my movie-like fantasty of tossing them into the river.  A lot of fun to hear live, and their massive catalog of albums is worthy of your attention.

Vigri

I’m actually quite glad a few people recommended this band.  A large contrast to Reykjavik!  Vigri is soothing, with floating lyrics over what on the surface appears to be mellow music.  But there’s a hidden intensity that creeps up on you.  I first saw them play two or so years ago, and last year at Airwaves I made everyone that came with me see the band at least once.  Not one person came back with bad things to say, even the grumpy metal guy.  I’m impatiently waiting patiently for the new album, the new material they played at Airwaves last year was fantastic.

 Legend

Mínus was the first hardcore Icelandic band I heard.  I believe it was Chimera off of the Fálkar soundtrack.  Legend is Krummi Björgvinsson from Mínus and keyboardist Halldor Björnsson.  It’s dark, sometimes industrial, sometimes rock, and it’s good, crazy good.  These guys are not to be missed live.

Pascal Pinon

I placed Samaris on the original list, one of the other projects by Jófríður Ákadóttir, but Pascal Pinon is the sweet, smooth and charming band of her and her sister, Ásthildur.  Haunting vocals and soothing instrumentals make for a very relaxing, excellent combination.  Excellent for when you just need to sit back and relax.

Just another Snake Cult

Good old fashion rock, nothing fancy but damn it’s good.  They put on an extremely high energy live gig as well.  Created by Þórir Bogason, somewhat a genius in the Icelandic music scene, their music just makes you feel good.

Snorri Helgason

Snorri’s first band, Sprengjuhöllin was a super band of sorts.  He epitomizes the hard work ethic of Icelandic musicians.  He is constantly on the go touring everywhere he can while writing and releasing music.  Later this year he will be in Connecticut with the likes of Lay Low and Svavar Knútur at the Icelandic music festival, Iceland Affair.  He’s blessed with incredible writing skills, and his songs are summer porch gems to be shared with friends and beer.

There are two newer bands that I really feel you should check out:

Cell 7

The day before Airwaves of 2013, I was standing in Lucky records with only a handful of people, when just a DJ and Ragna (Cell 7) broke into her rap.  It quickly reminded me of the old days, and her improvising, action with the crowd, and overall set was amazing.  I highly suggest you check out her stuff, and if you can, pick up her new album, CELLF

Dj. flugvél og geimskip

Trippy, spacey grooves with an incredibly fluid high pitched voice.  Dee-Lite has to love this DJ, and if you liked Dee-Lite you will love her as well.  So, set up the disco ball, lava lamp and trip out.

So there you go, more Icelandic bands for you to get to know, this time crowd sourced for your listening pleasure.  There is a lot of music out there, and it’s easy to find new stuff you yourself will dig.  Check out the Iceland Music Export page, or get the book Blue Eyed Pop to learn more about the history, distant and yesterday, of the Icelandic music scene.

 

 

 

15 Icelandic bands you may not know, but should

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There are a lot of “top 10 Icelandic bands you should know” floating around these days.  They all seem to list the same bands, half of which we already know.

By now, any person who even knows the minimal of Icelandic music knows bands and musicians such as the Sugarcubes, Björk, Sigur Rós, Ásgeir, Amiina, Mum, Seabear, Of Monsters and Men and Sin Fang.  They are killing it on a global scope and are getting air play and reviews in almost every music mag out there, so I’m leaving them out of my list, they’re wonderful and loverly but we already know that.

There is a book on the history of pop and rock in Iceland called Blue Eyed pop.  It’s an extremely entertaining read, all your favorite bands will be in there with their histories, and it’s shocking to see just how connected even the most distant genre types really are.  It’s become one of my favorite books to loan to people, and the hardest book to get back when they’re done.

So here it is, my top 15 bands you should know, split into three categories, Veterans, Been around the blockers, and Freshies.  Aside from that, there is no rhyme or reason to their order.  Clicking on the band heading will take you to either a blog post I’ve written about them, or their respective interwebby pages:

Veterans:

Kimono

I have been in love with this band since I first heard them almost a decade go.  I love all three of their albums, and the sneak peaks we’re getting of the new album, such as the video above, make me happy indeed.  They’ve been playing for over a decade and a half, and if you’re fans of that minimal yet heavy sound, you’ll go nuts for them.  Click here for more info, including Soundcloud links.  Perfect for twilight drives through the desert or pre-night shenanigans.

FM Belfast

One of the best dance party bands out of Iceland, their live concerts typically end with hysteric crowds jamming around in nothing but their underwear.  If they ever come near your town, they are a must see, you won’t be disappointed, well unless you don’t like to smile and dance.  It’s hard to listen to their albums without jumping a little while smiling.  I reviewed the new album here, and that post also has links to more of their goodiness.  Perfect for party times and getting large crowds of people partially nekkid.

Ghostigial

Imagine that, the crazy guy from the Sugarcubes has his own crazy band.  By far my favorite band to see every year Iceland Airwaves, his break-neck rant-ish style backed up by the almost genius mixing of Curver Thoroddson make the perfect album for walking around a busy city.  Another act that should be witnessed live for full effect.  The video above also has Sóley, which I’ll get to later.  Perfect for going crazy.

Þórir Georg (My Summer as a Salvation Soldier)

As My Summer as a Salvation Soldier, Þórir made one of my favorite songs, The River.  It’s been quite a journey with his singer songwriter style, as it’s not all kumbyah’s and strumming around a campfire.  There are pop ditties, and an album of split personalities harshly contrasting each other in thrash and calmness.  It’s creative weirdness, and well worth getting into.  Depending on the album, it’s perfect for most situations.

Sóley

Part of the Icelandic supergroup Seabear, Sóley has quite the solo catalog under her belt.  She took time off to raise a family after “We Sink” but I just saw her at ATP Iceland, and she’s definitely back in the thick of it.  Her charming voice, and well orchestrated band make for a perfect evening/road trip record.

Lay Low

I’ve called her the offspring of Nancy Sinatra and June Carter.  Her voice is full with the slightest hint of a smokey, well rounded accent.  Her back catalog has quite the folk/country feel.  And the new album, “Talking about the weather” has a more full, larger band approach.  It’s one of my favorite road trip albums, and was on my top list of albums to come out last year.  The video above is from the new album.  For me, pretty much perfect anytime.

Apparat Organ Quartet

A stage completely filled with tubes, wires and organs.  These guys are amazing live as nothing is typically preset.  They are a fun, high energy band synthesizing the hell out of their organs for the audience and listeners enjoyment.  In 2010 I saw them by accident at Airwaves, and I’ve been an uber-fan since.  Perfect for all musically inclined nerds, for rocking out on the weekend, and for when you need a climatic build up before taking on the world.

Been around the blockers:

Oyama

They’ve been called shoegazers, and I s’pose it fits.  They won me over last year at Airwaves with both their interruptive irreverence at Harpa and their actual full gig.  Heavy instruments and floating lyrics, excellent music for afternoon BBQ’s and video gaming sessions.  Perfect for getting your jam on, I’ve yet to gaze at my shoes when seeing them.

Samaris

Imagine if you will, walking right after twilight in the desert or across a foggy field of snow.  Nothing but the wilderness casting strange shadows all around you as you trek forward towards your final destination.  That’s how the very poetic sound of Samaris hits me.  Their new album not available in the US yet, Silkidranga, is less atmospheric and more dance-like.  But the trio’s ability to captivate my ADHD addled brain is quite impressive.  Perfect for druidian chants in the countryside.

MAMMÚT

This 5 piece could almost be considered veterans as well, they’ve been at it for over 9 years.  Their lead singer with her Grace slick style singing, over heavy instrumentation makes for great albums and great gigs.  Perfect rock out music, the above video is their new, first official music video.

Hjaltalín

What started out as a high school songwriting project has turned into quite the band.  They’ve had local success for years, but the new album has projected them into the global realm.  Fantastic band live and on record, I highly suggest checking out their new album, Enter 4. Perfect for get togethers with friends, as well as swooning sessions over that damned sexy long blond head of hair.

Freshies:

Knife Fights

Simple, yet energetic, I love this new band out of Iceland.  It completely reminds me what we’d listen to on our way to the big city for gigs during the summers of my youth.  There’s a sunny, west coast type Violent Femmes era feel to the music, and I haven’t come close to being sick of their album, “I need you to go to Hell.”  Which I highly suggest you give a listen to.  If this sucker gets heard, I really think it has potential to make a lot of folks happy this summer. Video above is their new video for my favorite song off their album.

Boogie Trouble

Ohhh, sweet funky disco.  This band won my favorite new act of 2013, incredibly fun to watch and the locals go crazy for them.  Right this moment they have a crowd funding effort to put out their new album, so go help them out.  And try to listen to their music without wiggling your butt…ain’t gonna happen.  I was going to put an original track as the video, but I think this cover is pretty awesome.

Pink Street Boys

Nooo shit, there’s a garage punk band that has emerged on the rock.  A little Ramones, a little Deadbolt; A lot of Trans Am and Camero mullets.  They are trashy, thrashy, and a completely new guilty pleasure of mine.  Sometimes it’s the slimy little things in life that make one smile.

Recap and final band:

It’s difficult to limit my list with 10 or 15 bands,, as the scene is constantly changing, and there are always bands coming up that you should know.  The best way to keep up on it is to check out The Icelandic Music Export website, blogs such as mine, or rok musik.  There are still an epic amount of bands left, such as Grísalappalísa (punk), Snorri Helgason (folk), Sudden Weather Change (harder rock), For a Minor Reflection (Post-rock), Mr. Silla, Fufanu (electro-rock), and the old greats such as HAM, SH Draumur and etc….. 

There is one band, of which I will never get to see live regrettably so.  They were a great noisy punk experiment, and their music get played regularly at my house. Great for rocking out, and shaking your head when there really is no other way, I present Skátar playing Mahatma Gandhi with Gylfi of Kimono:

Update: Due to the overwhelming response this got, I have made a second list based on the readers suggested additions to this original ist.

What about Bob

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At ATP Iceland this year, I had the pleasure to run into a certain journalist in Iceland.  I’m being honest in saying it’s a pleasure as he’s about as delightfully entertaining as it gets.  He gave me some pointers on my blog, most of which was that I need to be a bigger asshole, as I may come across as an ass kisser of sorts.   So, in honor of him,  I’m going to try this mean thing out… Let’s talk about Bob Cluness.

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He’s an old crusty cantankerous Shetland Scot, who is slightly understandable by his second beer. By his sixth, it’s just spit and guttural noises, swear-to-god.  He stumbles about Iceland grumbling about this band and that band cursing their very existence, and in the event he likes a band, he grumbles about how they’re going to fuck it up.

GCHis Tweets typically tend to be entertaining extensions of his fuckery, incoherent rant-fests of his own creation, or in his moments of seemingly glee, the passing along of other rants he admires.  He loves the word Fuck almost as much as he loves the band Coldplay. (which is a lot so I hear.)

Perhaps because of his impressive knowledge of music coupled with the fact that in person he’s a goddamned sweetheart is the only reason the Icelanders haven’t stuffed him in a barrel and dropped him into the sea.

My blog may seem a bit bubble gum and unicorn farts, but I’m not here to critique or tell a band what they could do to be better or differently,  I’m promoting what I like while trying to give us English reading folks some background information on bands that otherwise may not get a lot of non-Icelandic write ups.  It’s a personal blog, and I’ll be nice if I goddamned well and want to.  And no, I’ve never literally kissed the ass of an Icelander, (that I remember, too many years of visiting and too many vodkas.)

That being said, if my blog were more about reviewing all things coming out of Iceland, and not just blogging about what I dig, I actually would agree with him, which in itself is understandably quite aggravating, that and the fact that Bob is indeed a fucking smiling, beer giving, sweetheart.

I really do suggest you follow him on Twitter (@bobcluness), as he is a riot.  And you can read his rants, cursings, and entertaining reviews at Grapevine.

I figured he would punch me if I asked him my questions so I didn’t…. Now back to unicorn farts and bubble gum.

You really should be at ATP in Iceland…

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ATPIceland

Why go all the way to a continent straddling island for a music fest?  Perhaps because it’s at the old NATO base Ásbrú, perhaps because Iceland is really beautiful in the summer, and/or perhaps the fact that Portishead, Slowdive, Shellac, Interpol and Fuck Buttons, and all the other goody bands listed in the graphic above will be there.

This is the second ATP Iceland and combine it’s newness with their already selective process for music and you get a festival made just for music lovers.  Neil Young and Ólafur Arnalds will be doing ATP Takeover events near the city on days leading up to the festival, and the long weekend of the festival looks to be chocked full of music and mayhem.

There are movies, DJ sets, as well as the concerts, so if you get bored that’s your own fault.  The Icelandic music blog Rok Musik has a great post on the festival, and the folks over at Grapevine did a little Q&A with some of the artists coming up.  Get yer tix and we’ll see you there.

I have to put in a special plug, as not only is Pharmakon from Sacred Bones Records playing, but the guru of Sacred Bones himself, Caleb is DJ’ing a set in the DJ tent.  They are not Icelanders, but one of my favorite labels out of NY.

ATPICELANDgroup

**All pics pilfered via google image search

As this is an Icelandic music blog, or at least tries to be, I’ll forego my crushes and gushes for some of the non-Icelandic acts (Shell-Fukkin-Ac) and focus my admirations and infatuations on the Icelanders involved.

I put together a playlist on Soundcloud of the Icelandic bands playing, and I put videos down below for bands not really represented on Soundcloud.

HAM:

Singapore Sling:

It’s a mix of metal and electronics, all somewhat enjoyably on the heavy side.  Epic metal veterans HAM will be there, as well as Icelandic music 101 staples, For a Minor Reflection, MAMMÚT, Singapore Sling. and self described “dynamite rockers” Náttfari are performing.

Sóley is back from the time she took off for her family, and it wouldn’t be an Icelandic gig without Sin Fang doing something for the crowd.  The sweethearts of Pascal Pinon and Samaris are also doing a set, and one of the founders of the Bedroom community, Ben Frost, will be performing.  Captain Fufanu has nixed the Captain, so Fufanu will be entertaining the masses, and adding another artist to the list of musicians I haven’t seen previously, Kría Brekkan (formerly, like 8 years and a musical lifetime ago formerly, of múm) will also be there.

So yes, you should be in Iceland mid July for this awesome festival, I will be.  Learn more about it here.

This is the Playlist for all the bands, foreign and native alike:

spotify to follow soon.

 

 

Ásgeir with Connor Youngblood at Great Scott

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asgeir

Anytime an Icelandic band comes to Boston, I do everything I can to be there.  As it so happens, the Ásgeir gig this last Friday coincided with my new purchase of a much faster camera lens.  So, I was able to practice and catch a great gig, two birds…one stone kind of thing and the like.  You can click any of these pics to see the actual photos on my Flickr account.

The gig was at Great Scott, a bar in Allston famous for hosting acts rather late in the night.  FM Belfast played there last year also to a sold out crowd.  It’s a simple set up, but the sound is typically good, and the beer and vodka rather cheap.

connoryoungblooc

Connor Youngblood opened for the band.  He’s a youngin’ out of Dallas Texas often seen on stage with multiple instruments strapped around him.  His pedal boards were impressive, and so was his ability to shift between the sounds and loops he created during his songs.  There is very little out there on him, but I did find this interview, and his website. (which could use an about me section.)

Ásgeir and his band of motley fools were next.  Filling the tiny stage to it’s capacity and beginning the soothing songs he’s famous for.  We luckily got to hear a few songs in Icelandic, and he did a very smooth, high pitched version of Heartshaped box a little more than halfway through his set.  The girls, and a few guys, were swooning and it made taking photos nearly impossible as the crowd was all but sitting in the band’s lap on the stage.

TrioasgeirI have to say that I loved his drummer, and even though the lighting wasn’t very good and he was in the dark a lit of the time, it was fun to watch him play.

I still have quite a bit of practice to get the hang of the new lens, there were noise issues, and a prime lens takes some getting used to.  But the concert was great, and good times were had.  So, thank you to Ásgeir‘s management for the opportunity to snap some shots, and thanks to  Ásgeir and Connor Youngblood for a great gig.

It was a fantastic Iceland music snack before ATP Iceland, which is less than a month away.  But that’ll be an entirely different post.

 

Brighter days -FM Belfast

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FM_Belfast-Brighter_Day-hires

FM Belfast are back with another high energy album just in time for Summer, Brighter days. somehow, they’ve found time between a plethora of individual side projects to put together a fantastic album. Lóa Hlín Hjálmtýsdóttir has her Lóaboratorium project, Árni Vilhjálmsson is in the acting group Kriðpleir, most recently acting in a play called Tiny Guy. Árni Rúnar Hlöðversson is making synths and controllors for his side project Plúseinn, Örvar Þóreyjarson Smárason’s been busy with Múm and even the dancer, Egill Eyjólfsson, spends his non FM Belfast hours as a bureaucrat for Brussles for EFTA. As if that’s not enough, they have been touring globally for quite a while now. So really, when do they find the time?…

It begins like any FM Belfast record should, sharp stops and high energy beats about Brighter days, Deloreans, ears and Gold. But then comes a surprise. A smoother, more layered track called “Holiday.”

It’s energy brews right under the surface, like a wide river that at first glance seems to be meandering all the while the current is raging under the surface. After “Holiday”, the album takes a slight turn giving us new beats to get excited about such as the ultra heavy sounds in “Ariel”, which drops quite a bit lower than the typical FM Belfast track shaking one right out of their earbuds.

Overall, it’s fantastic. Brighter days delivers the beats we expect from FM Belfast, and gives us a new sounds to dance along to. You can listen to it, and buy it for $7 from their website. Check out their tour dates as I find them best live.  Their Youtube channel. is chocked full of videos.  And of course, follow them on Facebook.

Down to the wire

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With a little under 32 hours to go, the dream of owning all three Kimono albums is becoming more and more a reality.

Only €1000 euro to go. There is still time to contribute and receive perks such as signed artwork, signed albums and guest list status for life.

https://www.karolinafund.com/project/view/308

So help out the band and share it with all your friends.

Dj. flugvél og geimskip

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Dj. flugvél og geimskipWelcome to the twilight zone, here’s your host, Dj. flugvél og geimskip (DJ Airplane and spaceship.)  Her grooves and spacey music would make the likes of Kier Kirby of Dee-Lite, and Kate Pierson of the B-52’s weep in happiness.  Dj. flugvél og geimskip is Steinunn Harðardóttir, it’s hard to call it her stage name, or her project, because as she put it in an interview once, “it’s just me with a cooler name and sunglasses.”

GLAMÚR Í GEIMNUM! is the first track I listened to back in the day.  There is a cosmic punjabi-like effect throughout the music, and the video is a video that should be played on the largest screen possible in repeat.  It’s a fantastic delight all around.

Her songs relate to the cosmic wonders and mysteries of the universe.  There are songs about animals, both spiritual and earth bound, the moon and those peripheral beings that enter and fade our world by mere glances into the shadows.  Both live and on album, her songs have this powerfully happy vibe that almost trumps the positivity you walk away with after corresponding with her.

The first time I experienced her live show was by accident.  It was during last year’s Airwaves and I walked into the wrong door, through a bar, up some stairs and into a room slowly filling with fog.  There was some frequency bits going around, and a giant ball casting laser beams every which direction.  With a sparkly feathered vest, she appeared on stage and began, first with beats, then with layers and topped with her signature vocals.  I’ve been impressed ever since, I look forward to another live show.

Her website is down for upgrades at the moment, but you can find her on Facebook.  And she has a full length album available on Gogoyoko.  She has quite the Youtube channel, and a Soundcloud page.

In an incredibly sweet manner, she replied with the answers to my 4 nonsensical questions:

1.  What is your favorite place to play in Iceland? : Þríhnúkahellir/gígur

2.  If you combine all of your favorite colors, what do you get?  clear/seethrough

3.  What are 3 of your favorite little known bands of Icelandic origin?  Pink Street Boys, Godchilla, Carpe Noctem

4.  If you could be any creature playing your favorite song, what would the creature be? and what is the song? Snake Playing Black Sun Empire´s song Arrakis

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

New Airwaves Bands

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Júlía from Oyama’s green fingers dancing away

Woo-a-hoo.  Another chunk O’ bands have been announced for Airwaves 2014.  And I’m extremely pleased as there are a lot of Icelandic bands I haven’t heard yet, and the ones I have are classic.  So far, there are 61 bands that have been announced, 40 of which are Icelandic.

Click here to go to my updated my Iceland Airwaves page sorted by genre, and now with a new category for the Hardcore and Metal bands.

Non Icelandic bands include Future Islands, Farao, Emilie Nicolas, and The War on Drugs will be closing the festival with the Flaming lips.  Also, Zhala, Spray Paint, and King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard will be there.

This round of bands goes to the Icelanders though.  There are so many good bands coming, Oyama will be there.  And Rökkurró as well.  Þórir Georg, Kaleo, Endless Dark, Kippi Kaninus, Brain Police, Beneath, Fufanu, Epic Rain, Skurken, AMFJ, Kontinuum, Ophidian I, Var, Atónal Blús, Mafama, Vio, Lucy in Blue and Conflictions as well.

Links to all the Icelandic bands music will be on my Iceland Airwaves page, and you can learn more about the festival here as well as see the entire line up on the Iceland Airwaves official website.  The festival is definitely going to be another goodun!

And I leave you with Þórir Georg’s cover of Heya but Outkast. It’s an oldie, but I love it:

 

 

Reykjavik Calling

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RVKCALL

And there it was, Saturday night.  Taste of Iceland’s Reykjavik Calling in Cambridge, MA at the Middle East Club.  Three Icelandic bands acting as ambassadors of music coming together with two local bands to bring Boston a cross-cultural event.  Reyka Vodka supplied the alcohol, and a slew of Icelandic sponsors all helped in the event.

Hermigervill, or as he became known; Hamburgurville,  started the show off with a high energy set.  The  crowd was instantly sucked in as he danced right along with his set.  He gave a shout out to Reykjavik’s Harlem bar, as well as delivering a hip hop version of “Glugginn” by the old peace loving Icelandic hippies, Flowers.  near the end he gave another nod to the Icelandic Reggae band Ojba Rasta with a remix of “Jolly Good.”  The man rocks a theremin like nobody’s business.

hermghostHermigervill always performs with an incredible amount of energy, bobbing in and out to and fro with such speed and vigor it’s tough to snag a clear pic.  He was dead center when I hit the clicker on the ole camera, but only his ghostly remains were captured, he’s that quick.

There was so much energy in the crowd and on stage, so nobody could fault him as he attempted to squeeze one more in.  Unfortunately the powers that be stepped in, and that was that.

Next up, Boston locals Skinny Bones played.  A drum, a Guitar and a little Moog creating a pleasant set of shoe gazing rock.

sinfangerSin Fang, Sindri Már Sigfússon, was next.  The crowd was in for it, as Sindri gave us samples of new bits as well as reworkings of old bits, while some bits stayed the same.  He was joined on stage by Skinny Bones for a collaborative version of “Young Boys.”

Speaking with Sindri before the show, he mentioned we can expect new music from him shortly, and of course he’ll be touring in the future.

The Love Experiment was next.  Dance, funk, jazz, soul….  Too many styles to list, all wrapped up in almost an hour of jamming on stage.  There seemed to be a bit of freestyle jamming going on, especially once Joined by Unnsteinn Manuel Stefánsson and Logi Pedro Stefánsson of Retro Stefson.

3 out of 7 ain’t bad, and that’s what we got from the Retro Stefson camp.  Unnsteinn Manuel Stefánsson and Logi Pedro Stefánsson joined by Hermigervill came on stage, bringing the Retro Stefson unique dance style with them.  Perhaps the alcohol had been flowing a little too freely, or perhaps I was just in a good mood, but I really got into their set, though I will whole-heartedly deny any and all rumors of dancing…

allinallTo end the evening, all of the musicians came back on stage.  There were sax’s, guitars, theremins and synths.  A lot of singing and hanging out and of course, a cover of Lauren Hill’s “Ex Factor.”  Because, why not?!  Definitely a great way to end a great night.

I harassed Logi Pedro about Highlands, his new side project with Karin Sveinsdóttir.  They are working away and hope to have something early 2015.  They will be playing at Iceland Airwaves in November as well. He was nice enough to answer one of my questions:  What animal, what song?” to which he replied “a lion, singing wrecking ball by Mylie Cyrus.”

And finally, let it be known that after Hermigervill’s set, and much to the chagrin of all in my household, I will very shortly own a Theremin… it’s time