Reykjavík Grapevine - 18.05.2007, Qupperneq 18

RVK_GV_06_007_REVIEWS_1918_REYKJAVÍK_GRAPEVINE_ISSUE 06_007_REVIEWS/MUSIC/CDS
Reviews by Bart Cameron, Bogi Bjarnason, Páll Hilmarsson, Sindri Eldon, Sveinn Birkir Björnsson and Valur Gunnarsson
Hardcore mainstays I Adapt have been quietly building steam
for their next full-length album, dubbed A Chainlike Burden.
The upcoming album was second on the Grapevines most
awaited albums year-end list last December. While fans wait
for the full-length release, I Adapt have recorded a 7-inch vi-
nyl with three new songs, released by Six Feet Under records
to coincide with a recent US tour. These songs are heavier
than previous I Adapt work, more guitar driven, and lyrically
more introspective. It is mature work. Side A sports a great
song called Future In You featuring one of the greatest gui-
tar hooks I can recall. Side B features Thought Time Would
Forget and Subject to change, both very strong offerings. I
Adapt at their best are in a class of their own. PH
www.myspace.com/iadapt
I do not have the faintest idea what this is and lacking any
kind of musical reference point I don´t know how to pass
judgement. There is some blatant Bush-bashing going down
here and a bit of Bible belittlement to boot, so a few points
are definitely scored. Guitarist Rúnar wields poetic prowess
like a velvet scythe and if only his string strumming would
produce songs half the brilliance of what drips out of his
pen these guys might actually catch my ear for longer then
a nano-second. But they don´t. The clean singing grates my
eardrums and neither guitar nor drums show signs of aspira-
tion. Having said that, track number 5, “Tveir Þrestir”, might
grow on me – as it lacks the false metal pretense of its breth-
ren – but ultimately this piece of plastic best serves as a beer
coaster while sipping a brew and diving head first into the
mesmerizing lyrical booklet. BB
www.myspace.com/iadapt
Trassar
Amen
I Adapt
From Town to Town
Barði Jóhannsson’s accompanying symphonic score to Danish recluse
Benjamin Christensen’s 1922 surreal witchcraft documentary is very much
Barði, with Bang Gang’s signature brooding melodies and dignified air,
albeit taken much farther in their scale and bombast, but still retaining the
cold, aloof and somewhat depthless atmosphere for which he is known.
The moments of calm, yet torturous, restraint between the storms of
noise are the best parts, letting Barði’s vision attain the scope it could only
hint at in earlier works, whereas his weaknesses become more evident in
his attempts at dramatic oomph, such as the would-be sinister riffs of the
fifth ‘movement’. But Haxan falls short due mostly to Barði’s lack of imagi-
nation. The second movement is especially ruined when after about ten
minutes of sweeping grandeur, rock drums and an irritatingly pedestrian
melody kicks in, something which would have been perfectly bearable on
a pop music project, but just seems lazy here. SE
www.myspace.com/haxanalbum
Barði Jóhannsson
Haxan
Spilverkið was the first band to bring Icelandic folk influences
into the context of rock music. The members’ side project,
spoof band Stuðmenn, eventually took over their careers, but
they were never better than this. The previously all acoustic
and always anachronistic Spilverk discovered electricity in ’77,
making this their Dylan in 66 album. Without all the booing.
Not bad a year, for they also helped Megas make Á bleikum
náttkjólum, sometimes called the best Icelandic album of all
time. Opener Sirkús Geira Smart is still a campfire classic, but
it’s the song Húsin mjakast upp, sung by opera star Diddú,
about a couple so busy working overtime and building a new
house that they are too tired to make love, that makes this
the ultimate Icelandic album of the 70’s. And still relevant
today. VG
Icelandic punk was a late bloomer. But when it finally reached
its peak in 1982, it was no pale imitator of its British ancestor.
It seemed that everyone found a way to do their own thing,
and something unique, and uniquely Icelandic, emerged from
the mix. It hardly lets up, from openers Vonbrigði, singing
their ode to Reykjavik from the point of view of disgruntled
Kópavogur teens. The parent rockumentary that this is culled
from was originally meant to be a documentary about Bubbi
and his band Ego, and they remain the set’s stars. But it was
members of Þeyr, Purkkur Pillnikk and Tappi Tikarass, who
together formed the super group Sugarcubes, that would
eventually take on the world. But cool Reykjavik has never
been so cool. VG
Various Artists
Rokk í Reykjavík
Spilverk þjóðanna
Sturla
1977 1982 2006
Sylvia Night is a fictional character that is based on a satire of Paris Hilton
and other celebrities that have a questionable claim to fame. She was
responsible for a much talked about mockumentary TV show where she
would annoy people endlessly with her prima donna behaviour. She took
her Diva act one step further during last year’s Eurovision song contest
where she managed to piss of Europe collectively, taking a golden shower
during her performance after talking to God and in the process became
the first contestant to be booed on stage. If only for her previous gim-
micks, she deserves a lot of respect as an artist. Goldmine is her first full
length release, and while it is as generic as her persona, in its conventional
MTV trash pop; it is extremely well executed and produced. The songs run
through smoothly, although nothing much grabs you. A word must be
reserved for the cover production however. SBB
www.myspace.com/silvianight
Silvia Night
Goldmine
Severed Crotch is a five piece progressive Death Metal band
out of Reykjavík. Severed Chrotch is what you get when you
mix Death Metal with quantum physics and ADHD. Their de-
but, Soul Cremation, is a self released 5 track EP and its har-
rowing complexity reeks of admiration for the Canadians in
Gorguts, although the tunes ain´t quite as brilliant and the
kick drum mix is terrible. What you have to sacrifice in or-
der to play in the same league as their Canadian influences
(Gorguts, Cryptopsy, The End) however is catchiness, which
makes this disc about as memorable as your last shower. If
this small genre is your particular cup of tea then by all means
invest. I know I would. BB
www.myspace.com/severedcrotch
Severed Crotch
Soul Cremation
Happy Hour
Every Weekday from 17:00 – 20:00
Pósthússtræti 2, 101 Reykjavik – ICELAND / +354 599 1000 www.saltrestaurant.is
Tómas R. Einarsson’s new CD draws its inspiration from W.H.
Auden’s poetry, and draws its name from “Journey to Ice-
land.” Einarsson has effectively captured the euphoric abun-
dance of Auden’s curious Iceland book, Letters from Iceland;
however, as with Auden’s Letters, if you go in seeking a
continuous clear line of thought or vision, you may find the
work distracting. There are successes, specifically, the bolero
“Heart”, sung by Kristjana Sefánsdóttir, is an easy-going clas-
sic, whereas “For Europe is absent” an interpretation of one
of Auden’s great poems, falters badly and violates the spirit
of the poem. “Icelandic Blues” presents a surprisingly on-key
showing from Einar Örn Benediktsson. The CD seems to al-
low you to pick favourites, but to not want to keep your hand
too far away from the next track button. BC
www.myspace.com/tomasreinarsson
Tómas R. Einarsson
Let Jazz be Bestowed on the Huts
2005
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