Reykjavík Grapevine - 08.04.2005, Qupperneq 34

Steindór’s indie release is nowhere near
as boring as the cover. The vocals never
hit their mark—they are in key, but
almost hummed, as though they are
demos for someone else to come in and
belt out. Because of this, the tracks drain
on you—until the vocals are cut off, and
you hear a decent, 60s jazz sound guitar.
If you have a voice, buy the album then
join up with Steindór. If you want to become a studio musician, listen closely
to the arrangements in the album. Otherwise, pass this up.
Worth one beer. Costs one beer.
“It’s MC Myst I got the craziest flow. I
take it with me almost everywhere go.
On the train on a bus or a plane I got the
type of shit that can make you insane.”…
Ahem. While the production, often
by the MC himself, is remarkable, it
doesn’t look like this will be the disk that
launches Icelandic hip hop.
Worth two beers. Costs two beers.
Guide to
the ratin
gs system
:
In prison
, you dea
l in cigar
ettes.
In Icelan
d, you de
al in beer
s. We
don’t con
done this
, we just
accept
it as fact.
One bee
r=500 IS
K at
the seedy
bars we
frequent.
That
means a
mainstre
am releas
e costs
up to 250
0 ISK…
or $40. Y
es,
that muc
h. That’s
why we
do the
beer thin
g.
“Nasty Boy”, the single from Trabant’s new album, has
been making the rounds of local clubs for almost a year,
a catchy; lo-fi techno-pop tune, it suggested Trabant
would be selling well in the club scene 2005. And
Trabant have put forward some of the best concerts in
Reykjavik for the last two years.
Here’s the news: Grapevine got an advance copy of the
whole album, and… it’s much better than we dared hope
for. Trabant have captured the energy of their live shows,
but, much better, they’ve reinvented the groove that
early recordings and shows only hinted at. While vocalist
Ragnar is pumped up and charming as ever, the rhythm
section shines on this record—coming off like the perfect
marriage of the Roots and P-Funk.
Barring a rap tag-team face off with Bobby Fischer,
Sæmi Rokk and the Beastie Boys, this will be the release
of the summer.
Worth six beers. Costs four beers. Winner.
Album R
eviews
Trabant
Eivor Pálsdóttir has a big voice, and
even us cynical irony-loving 101ers
have to acknowledge that she’s got
an impressive, honest stage presence.
Eivor’s new release pairs her with a
classic radio big band—the overall
result is again impressive, but feels
dated. While Eivor is compelling
as ever, the songs often lack hooks
or even melodies as Eivor’s voice
swoops through the tracks.
Still, we recommend the cd, even
if we’re not sure you’d play it often.
Sales from Eivor Pálsdóttir’s first
album are the reason we have a 12
Tónar record label—a very good
thing. And she is an undeniable
talent, and perhaps with cd sales,
she’ll tour with a big band—and that
probably would be remarkable.
Worth four beers. Costs four
Danish Radio Big Band & Eivor Pálsdóttir
Trollabundin
There ain’t one wrong note in Torrini’s
second album. Her voice—something
like Björk on lithium—dances along
through songs about the pauses in
relationships. While the tunes are well-
crafted, and you can’t complain about the
lyrics, neither are memorable. On display
here is a beautiful instrument, Torrini’s
voice, used very carefully, avoiding any
risks—and possibly any excitement.
Worth three beers. Costs four beers.
Emiliana Torrini
Fisherman’s Woman
To quote a great moment in cinema:
“Pork chops tastes good. Bacon
tastes good.”
From the second I got the first
Bacon cd, which featured a song
called “Brad Pitt” I was elated.
Then I played it and sank into utter
confusion. Former editor of the
Grapevine Valur Gunnarsson put
it best for the staff as a whole when
he said “Not my cup of tea.” We all
wanted it to be good, but wishing
didn’t make it so.
And now I sit before the new Bacon
cd, “Jenny.” And god bless Bacon,
this cd is catchy and pleasant. I can
play it for friends. I can listen to it
without… aspirin. “Jenny” is a type
of jazz, blues techno-fusion. Unlike
it’s predecessor, this album keeps
a steady, easy-going groove, and
throws in moments of southern roots
vocals to give an overall impression
of a Georgia techno LSD revival
meeting. Which is good.
Worth four beers. Costs three
Bacon
Jenny
The best producer in Iceland, Sölvi B,
went out and found an MC with the
infectious tone and the rhythm of Slim
Shady. On paper, and in the few released
singles, the result of this combination
seems like pure gold. Unfortunately, on
the whole, Guerilla Disco is extremely
lacklustre. As good as Tiny sounds, he’s
only let loose on three tracks, and even these become tiresome, as… well,
Tiny isn’t Shady.

The real disappointment is Sölvi’s production. He used to be the star of
Quarashi, but now that he has an MC that could truly open up his audience,
he has filled a cd with lazy, doodling tracks. This cd goes up there with the
US election as the biggest disappointment of 2004.
Worth one beer (more for the videos than the songs). Costs five
beers.
Quarashi
Guerilla Disco
Mystic One
Distribution of Wealth
Steindór Ingi Snorrason
Flytur Atvinnuþjóðlög
Emotional
By Bart C
ameron
Klapparstíg 38 | 101 Reykjavík | tel. 551 7760PRE
N
T
S
N
IÐ
Italian Garden Restaurant
Come and try
our real Italian
pasta and pizza’s
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