Reykjavík Grapevine - 27.07.2007, Qupperneq 21

RVK_GV_11_007_DVD_54_REYKJAVÍK_GRAPEVINE_ISSUE 11_007_REVIEWS/MUSIC/CDS
Reviews by Bart Cameron, Chandler Fredrick, Benedikt Reynisson and Valgerður Þóroddsdóttir
Ekvílibríum is the first solo release by Valgeir Sigurðsson, re-
cord producer who’s worked with Björk, Cocorosie and Bon-
nie ‘Prince’ Billy to name a few. Ekvílibríum is a collection
of songs presented in a near-perfectly tweaked mixture of
acoustics and electronics. It shows Valgeir as a clever arrang-
er and a motivated producer with plenty of knowledge to
craft tiny yet adult electronic symphonies. Those are some-
what reminiscent of such electronica duos as Matmos, Pan
Sonic and Boards of Canada and the oo-ing and choo-ing of
Sigur Rós. To give an extra soft, yet mostly sad touch, vocal-
ists like Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy and Dawn McCarthy appear in
three tracks. Also, Bad Seeds contributor Warren Ellis, Múm’s
Hildur Guðnadóttir and Frou Frou’s Guy Sigsworth lend their
hands here. This album has quite an impressing résumé for a
debut, but sometimes fails astonish as it often treads familiar
ground. Perhaps not the feel good album of the summer,
rather a pretty nice soundtrack for its rainy days. We might
be talking about a feel good hit of the winter here. BR
Single Drop’s Birgir Gíslason spent eight years at music school
studying the ins and outs of music theory, and it’s pretty clear
from the first few tracks that he didn’t spend too much time
slacking off. You have to admire the compositions on the
self-titled release, often recalling Blonde Redhead’s Melodie
Citronique EP without the squeaky Kazu Mikino or Mew’s
And the Glass-Handed Kite without the chirpy Jonas Bijerre.
The arrangements are generally smart, and the guitar work
flourishes, often producing sad and beautiful arpeggiating
textures that would make Johnny Greenwood jealous. But
the vocals on Single Drop hop around aimlessly on one leg.
The singing duties are split up between two girls and one
guy, and it seems disappointing that none of them has a
distinct vocal character. Sometimes it even makes their music
sound mainstream, which is quite a feat when you consider
Single Drop’s obvious musical knowledge. CF
Single Drop
Selftitled
Valgeir Sigurðsson
Ekvílibríum
This first release by the Icelandic/Irish quintet Rhondda &
The Runestones comes in a slightly erotic jewel case. The
band has been causing a minor buzz with their energetic
live shows and Reykjavik FM voted them as the rising stars
of the week. The sound of Fiona Cribben’s (a.k.a. Rhondda)
voice recalls such vocalists as Chrissie Hynde, Siouxsie Sioux,
Karen O, and Silverfish’s Lesley Rankine. Musically, Rhondda
& The Runestones could fall somewhere between a bluesy
Yeah Yeah Yeahs and swampier Pixies or even Pere Ubu at
their prime in the seventies. Initially, this EP could easily be
stamped as just another retro garage rock album but after a
few listens it really grows on you. There sure is something
retrospective about this band and its EP, but the song writing
is interesting enough to keep you focused throughout. BR
Rhondda & The Runestones
Rhondda & The Runestones
This band has been mislabelled the local alt country band;
their roots, especially as demonstrated here, are more 80s
English and Australian pop slowed down. Most of the nine
tracks on this album involve dragging one chord through
a slow four count, then repeating: the kind of melancholic
monotony that worked well for Nick Cave ballads. Singer,
Þráinn uses a baritone and is not afraid to spend a long time
on each word to keep the tone... low. With slow beats and
low singing and songs about being annoyed, you can get the
quick that this is supposed to make you feel a certain way.
But the lines, while often adequate, don’t resonate. And, of
course, melodies are out of the question. The guitar work
is at times commendable, especially when notes are played
more than once every measure. These are obviously skilled
musicians trying to make a mood. We just wish they were
making music too. BC
Hudson Wayne
Battle of the Bandidos
The Way Down is a band fronted by veteran musician Ari
Eldon and his wife Riina. Ari has been a known figure in the
Icelandic underground scene for the last two decades and
has played with legendary bands such as Bless (who released
their only full length on the now defunct Rough Trade USA),
Dr. Gunni and Sogblettir. The couple is backed by another
veteran, Magnús Þorsteinsson, who played with cult bands
like Inri and Bleiku Bastarnir. See You In Hell is the band’s
first effort and comes as a three-inch compact disc packed
with neatly crafted nine songs that all clock in at under three
minutes. The feel of this album is really home-y and at vari-
ous points brings to mind Loaded-era Velvet Underground,
Galaxie 500, The Gun Club in a sludgy mood and even a
rough version of The Carpenters. If hell sounds like this, then
it isn’t a bad place to be. BR
The Way Down
See You In Hell
Any band that calls itself the Ugly Idiots can’t be asking to be
taken too seriously, especially when they present themselves
without the slightest bit of irony. The band of ugly idiots
seems keen on convincing you that they are just that, with
an inlay filled with grotesque caricature drawings of the band
members. In any case, the music off of their debut does little
to redeem their image. Comprised mostly of drunken sing-
alongs reminiscent of a subdued Dropkick Murphys singing
to a crowd of children, the only half-enjoyable song on the
record is Dagar Koma. Written by Guðmundur Svafarsson,
it is apparently about monkeys but definitely hovers on the
verge of having a point. It’s just the kind of song I wouldn’t
mind doing a little ironic dance to if I was totally drunk. Too
bad that’s not what they were going for. VÞ
Ljótu hálfvitarnir
Ljótu hálfvitarnir
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Rafskinna
Issue 1 (DVD Magazine)
Rafskinna, Iceland’s first magazine in DVD format, is a beautifully packaged,
attractive collectible. Beyond the 2½ hours of (mostly unseen) footage
and16-page printed octavo, it boasts such treasures as a poster, a match-
book, a fly lure and a 1 ISK coin. It’s an object that you want to own and
it’s a fantastic idea.
With any new publication (however unorthodox) the challenge is with
originality and quality. Rafskinna’s very format ensures a certain level of
originality and the reputation of many of the artists included suggests high
quality, but this first issue suffers from two essential flaws.
Firstly, despite the declared theme of this issue (fish) the selection and
ordering of the pieces feels random. The fact also that only half of the 14
videos bears any relation to the chosen theme undercuts the purpose of
having one at all.
Secondly, much of the material comes across as self-referential. This is
a project born from the heart of Reykjavík’s young art scene, and while no
one doubts the vibrancy of the scene it’s fair to question its consistency.
The standard of work in Rafskinna is hugely variable and I found myself
wondering who had made the selection of pieces included and according
to what criteria. For anyone with a passing familiarity with the ‘scene’ there
are many familiar faces (Björk of course, but also GusGus, Hugleikur Dags-
son, Ghostigital, Skakkamanage and others,) it was frustrating to find that
many of these artists seemed to have been included just because they are
the so-called pillars of the scene rather than because their particular piece
was relevant to the creative scope of this first issue.
Interestingly, the pieces that this viewer found most appealing were
pieces that adhered most closely to the declared theme. Rass’ wonderful
punk-rock anthem ‘Burt með kvóttann’ (Down With The Quota) is a catchy,
tongue-in-cheek gem; Finnur Arnar’s contemplative ‘Þorskur/Cod’ is a beau-
tiful meditation on death and fishing; and Kristján Loðmfjörð’s ‘Hvalalíf’
(an 8 minute remix of Þráinn Bertelsson’s ‘Dala Líf’) is a provocative, witty
and vividly edited piece of narrative video art. Also worthy of note are Ben
Frost’s ‘Forgetting you is like breathing water’ and Inga Birgirsdóttir’s four
short video pieces, as well as Gunnar Þór Vilhjálmsson and Siggi Eggert’s
striking artwork design.
As far as the accompanying octavo pamphlet is concerned, the people I
spoke to who translated it for me (it’s almost exclusively in Icelandic) agreed
that the Pisces horoscope, the Zarzuela recipe and the various fish-related
vignettes running the circumference of the page were the most entertaining
elements.
If Rafskinna’s mandate is to ‘serve a fresh, meaty plate of what’s hap-
pening in music, design, film and visual art in Iceland and elsewhere’ (as
their myspace page suggests), then it may be relevant to ask what or who
the intended audience is, as this question will help define the publication’s
full potential scope.
While there is much to criticise here, there is also much to encourage
and praise. This is a valuable, challenging project that should be promoted
and supported – a more rigorous selection process and stricter adherence
to the magazine’s own creative mandate will, I believe, produce valuable,
exciting future editions. I very much look forward to Rafskinna – Issue 2.
Reviewed by Tobias Munthe