Lögberg-Heimskringla - 19.01.1990, Page 3

Lögbeig - Heimskringla • Föstudagur 19. Janúar 1990 • 3
The Sugarcubes . . .
Here Today, Tomorrow, Next Week!
By Guy Stewart
Iceland’s foremost pop band, The
Sugarcubes, has followed up their hit
album of 1988, Life’s Too Good, with a
progressive new release, Here Today,
Tomorrow, Next Week!
TheSugarcubes (Sykurmolarnir) have
enjoyed great success since Life’s Too
Good, doing their first North American
tour this past summer, accumulating criti-
cal and popular acclaim along the way,
Rolling Stone magazine featured them in
an article in 1988, and has since named
them Best Foreign Band of the Year.
The Sugarcubes have done wonderful
things with their new album. While retain-
ing their distinctive musical and lyrical
style they have given Here Today a much
clearer sound.
Their musical style is unique and beau-
tiful. It consists of a flood of rich, idiosyn-
cratic instrumental work, tied together by
the vocal duo, Einar öm Benediktsson
and Björk Guðmundsdóttir.
This vocal combination is a fascinating
artifice. The agonized cries and grumbles
of Einar öm are meshed together in alter-
native tums with Björk’s stunning vocal
rocketry. Verbal imagery is very evoca-
tive, and an unstoppable sense of fun rips
casually through anything it likes.
And the songs are terribly funny. This
humourous sensibility seems to be a
driving force in their music.
First-time listeners to the music of the
Sugarcubes will likely be slightly con-
fused by the msh of divergent sounds and
storylines, but ultimately it is a sequence
of schizms that compliment each other,
and will eventually resolve themselves in
the listener’s mind after the first hearing.
As previously mentioned, the songs of the
second album are somewhat more focused
than on the first.
The sound quality on this new release
is much clearer than on Life’s Too Good,
and many of the songs demand less of the
listener. The most immediately pleasing
songs on Here Today, Tomorrow Next
Week! areRegina, Tidal Wave, Speed is
the Key, Dream T.V. and an amusing
countrified version of Coldsweat, called
Hot Meat. But in actual fact, every song is
packed with such strong symbols as to
amuse (or offend) at every tum. Pump is
a close-hitting song about the nature of
love.
The Sugarcubes are a mass of
contradictions that work very well to-
gether. They are reckless, yet are subtle
and confident at the same time. They
are in many ways diffused, but have
mastered a form of focus that only
heightens the advantages of their
diversity. They will not get older, they
will only get better. If this album is
anything to go by, we can expect even
greater progress in the future.
Manitoba 'Qft
Multicultural Grants Director
The Multicultural Grants Advisory Council (MGAC) provides advice and
recommendations to the Minister regarding financial support and funding
allocations to the members of the ethno-cultural community in the Province
of Manitoba. Reporting to the Chairperson of the Council, the Multicultural
Grants Director is responsible for reviewing and analyzing applications and
recommending to the Minister through the Council funding allocations. The
incumbent provides support to the Council by managing the Council Office
and advising on policies and procedures.
The successful candidate for this position will have excellent analytical, in-
terpersonal and communication skills. A strong financial background and
research and planning experience is required. Knowledge and/or experience
in ethnocultural areas and experience with a volunteer board is preferred.
Experience and knowledge of government policies and procedures will be
a definite benefit. Knowledge of languages other than English would be an
asset. Qualified Affirmative Action candidates will be given preference.
Salary: S38.878 - S43.216 per annum
Competition No.: 3107
Closing Date: February 19, 1990
Apply in Writing to: Culture, Heritage & Recreation
Personnel Services Branch
206-177 Lombard Avenue
Winnipeg, Manitoba R3B 0W5
lcelandic Content on Page 8
This week we publish a short Icelandic
rendition of an obituary about Mayor
Ted Amason, the Icelandic exercise,
some poetry, and a short story by Bergpór
Emil Johnson. Bergpór was born on
August lst, 1896 at Mikley (Heckla),
Manitoba.HewasthesonofEinarJónsson
and Oddfríður pórðardóttir. Bergþór
enlisted in the Royal Canadian Air
Force in August 1918, but luckily had
not left the country for the war in Europe,
as an armistice had been reached.
Bergfór was a schoolteacher and a
merchant in Winnipeg. He was married
to Kristín Bjömsdóttir Byron.
Dómurinn - (The Verdict)
The narrator of the story begins by
describing the beauty of nature on an
early morning near Lake Ontario. He
was sitting in the opening of his tent
taking in this beauly when the sound of
the bugle interrupted his thoughts,
78 Icelandic
M.D.’s in USA
At least 78 Icelandic doctors
now live in the United States. Most
of them are practising physicians,
although a few are retired. These
physicians belong to two assoc-
iations of their own. One is made
up of older physicians, 33 men and
4 women. The other association
of younger doctors is comprised of
31 men and 10 women.
The Icelandic doctors have
specialized in á number of areas,
with surgery topping the list.
indicating that it was time for the
moming drill. Instead of drilling the
soldiers, they were taken, much to their
surprise, to the main campground.
Although pleased to be rid of the difficult
moming drill, they were eager to know
what was going on. Finally a captain
entered the scene. He gave orders and
the soldiers were made to close their
ranks and form a square with an open
space in the middle.
Shortly thereafter a young man was
led into this area. It became clear that
the youth was to be given the verdict of
his court martial in front of all his
comrades.
The soldier standing next to the
narrator was fidgeting and the narrator
was about to tell him to stand still when
he saw that the other soldier had become
pale and was shaking. The narrator asked
whether he had become sick, but was told
No. The narrator then whispered whether
the soldier knew what the youth was being
court-martialled for and he answered “Yes,
that I know. He is my best friend, and two
months ago he asked for a leave to go
home to see his mother who was dying.
His request was denied and he left with-
out permission and retumed only a few
days ago knowing that court-martial
awaited him.”
The youth was sentenced to 168 days
in prison. He had great impact on the
narrator who was now unable to enjoy
the beauty of nature. When the prisoner
was lead away from the crowd at the
main campground area, he held his head
high as if his decisions had been right.
As he walked by his comrades, the other
soldiers, they cheered him to indicate
they felt he had been victorious in
this affair.
Harvey Thorleifson receives
Ph.D.
L. Harvey Thorleifson is a 1989 gradu-
ate of the University of Colorado, obtain-
ing his degree of Doctor of Philosophy in
Geology.
Dr.Thörleifson’s doctoral dissertation
research dealt with the environmental
history of Northem Ontario and was
funded by the Geological Survey of Can-
ada. He is presently employed by the
Survey in Ottawa.
Dr. Thorleifson’s present research is
related to mining in Northern Ontariö, a
co-operative undertaking with F.J.
Kristjansson of the Ontario Geological
Survey inToronto. Rik Kristjansson is a
native of Winnipeg and a fellow Icelander
and University of
Winnipeg alum-
nus.
Harvey is the
son of the late
Allan O. Thor-
leifson Sr., of
Langruth and
Baldur, Manitoba, and his wife Thora S.
Gunnlaugson of Baldur. His matemal
grandparents were Sigmn K. (Reykdal)
and Ingolfur Johannesson of Baldur and
his patemal grandparents were Eyjolfina
(Lena Gottfred) and GudniThorleifson of
Langmth, Manitoba.
Submitted by Thora S. Gunnlaugson
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