Reykjavík Grapevine - 01.06.2007, Page 18

RVK_GV_06_007_REVIEWS_1918_REYKJAVÍK_GRAPEVINE_ISSUE 07_007_REVIEWS/MUSIC/CDS
Reviews by Bart Cameron, Chandler Fredrick and Valur Gunnarsson
Only 7 years out of music school, Samúel Jón Samúelsson
has already built an accomplished resume. A graduate of
the prominent Tónlistarskóli FíH, the composer has done ar-
rangements for Sigur Rós, Sálin, Reykjavík Big Band, and Tra-
bant and has been a key player in the annual Reykjavik Jazz
Festival. On his myspace is a picture of him with James Brown
(RIP), who SJS backed up with his other funk band Jagúar. His
magic is pretty apparent: as complex as the arrangements on
Fnykur are, they never become overwhelming. Sometimes
songs switch directions and go into new territory, but for
the most part, they are straightforward funk, with blaring
brass arrangements, bubbly bass lines, and choking electric
guitar spurts. While nothing on Fnykur stands out, it’s clear
why he’s so respected in Iceland. It’s not uncommon to see
the American influence in a lot of Icelandic music, but you’ve
got to hand it to the guy who spawns the Icelandic ‘Funk’
genre. CF
www.myspace.com/samminammi
Calling himself a ‘true Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde,’ the lone Rud-
dinn has been writing and putting forth pop for the past 15
years. If I’m doing my math right, this guy has been around
since the early 80’s. It seems that Ruddinn might be stuck in a
time capsule, as most of his work draws from the likes of New
Order, Joy Division and maybe a little Slowdive. The songs,
for the most part, are well-crafted electronic pop. Unfortu-
nately, the album is poorly produced (it appears that Ruddinn
did all the work himself) and ultimately it comes off as more
of a quickly-produced 10-track rough than a carefully crafted
album. The vocals sound muffled and amorphous, and there
are dissonant parts here that were probably not intended.
Moreover, when the similarities between Eyes on Me and
New Order’s Bizarre Love Triangle become too obvious, it
seems like Ruddinn might be up to some foul play. I thought
you said you’ve been doing this for 15 years, man. CF
www.myspace.com/ruddinn
Ruddinn
Ruddinn
Samúel Jón Samúelsson Big Band
Fnykur
In the early 90’s, the Icelandic music landscape was dominated by four
bands: The plastic soul of Sálin, the pseudo Stones of SSSól and the art-
pop of Todmobile. The best of the bunch was a group of kids from MH
high school who, in 1989 released their first, and best album, Ekki er á
allt kosið. Despite finishing last in that year’s Eurovision, singer Daniel and
his gang painted an unforgettable portrait of teenagers blindly following
trends on Apaspil, becoming trendsetters themselves in the process. Mel-
low, acoustic, and slightly hippie-ish, the stand out tracks feature bassist
Björn Jörundur centre stage on Hjálpaðu mér upp and Fram á nótt. The
early 90’s saw the two front men recruiting veterans Jón Ólafsson and
Stefán Hjörleifsson, each album selling more than the one before, but
quality wise heading in the opposite direction. They split up after 1993’s
flop Hunang, Daniel heading out to form Gus Gus while Björn stayed be-
hind and eventually reformed the band as sole front man. VG
Nýdönsk
Ekki er á allt kosið
Supergroup Unun, including ‘Cubes guitarist Þór Eldon, at
first might seem like a poor man’s Sugarcubes, but with a
closer look they manage to create something entirely their
own. Frontman Heiða managed to supersede the inevitable
Björk comparisons to become one of the most interesting
artists of the past decade. But the bands’ engine is guitar-
ist Dr. Gunni and his knack for writing melodic post-punk,
as exemplified on, well, pretty much all of the tracks. They
became an instant hit in Iceland in 1994, but failed to con-
quer the world and rumour has it that Gunni is still paying
off debts accrued during the attempt. Eldon left the band
after the first album, and the follow up failed to capture the
spark of the original. Heiða moved back to Keflavík where
she fronts underground the band Hellvar and recently ran
for MP, whereas Dr. Gunni is finally living up to his assumed
moniker as Iceland foremost authority on the subject of rock
and roll. VG
Unun
Æ
Not since Spinal Tap’s Shark Sandwich has someone lobbed
a softball like this to a reviewer – the abysmal cover featuring
a smiling, topless girl, (the picture cuts just at the top of the
breasts to be playful), does not help the tag line Don’t Play
This at all. But Hera and the performers on her album don’t
deserve the bile that the cover raises. True, she has a song
about chocolate, Chocolate, It Melts the Pain Away, that
won’t win her any songwriting competitions. But she seems
earnest enough, and she has a crystal clear voice. And a lot
of people don’t listen to words anyway. And maybe twelve
year olds need a topless role model. BC
www.myspace.com/herasings
Hera
Don’t Play This
20051994 1989
Like enthusiastic parents, we’re supposed to egg Björk on. Even if she
doesn’t score a goal or win first place at the science fair, we’ve still got
to hand it to her just for being, well, Björk. And I acknowledge that her
work should stand apart from the conventional musical criticisms and
be praised for constantly redefining genres and defying musical linear-
ity. Sure. But that doesn’t make listening to Volta any easier. Much of
the album is so instrumentally indulgent and electronically reliant that
the ultimate effect is something disjointed, incoherent, and frankly, inac-
cessible. Maybe the extensive cast (ranging from Timbaland to Lightning
Bolt’s Brian Chippendale) is to blame for the lack of focus. Björk certainly
hasn’t lost her abilities as a musical visionary (Vertebrae by Vertebrae) or a
catchy tunesmith (Declare Independence and Earth Intruders). Still, there
is nothing truly engaging about her latest release, and the main effect of
Volta is that it has pretty much strolled right by you. The good moments
(and there are a few) are just too sparse. Where Volta depends too heav-
ily on instrumentation and the work of contributors, it becomes a little
ostentatious. Even for Björk. CF
www.myspace.com/ruddinn
Björk
Volta
I’m not going to tell you that the packaging of this album
didn’t frighten me. That would be lying. Hraun is written in
Old English font, and the album title is obviously an emo-
tional take on the margarine company I Can’t Believe It’s Not
Butter, which is embarrassing. The album cover is a picture
of the band (a sensitive looking bunch, to be sure) eating
a candlelit dinner at what appears to be a nice restaurant.
Inside, there’s a picture of one of them reading a book. Al-
ready I can’t relate. The best word to describe this band is
‘safe’. Light acoustic guitar, soft voices, and semi-fuzzy elec-
tric guitar lines. The lyrics testify against the unfulfilling life of
drinking and bathroom blowjobs. Hraun is kind of like your
concerned 35-year-old brother who’s “been through it all.”
Might wanna pass this one on to your parents, because this
is the kind of stuff that frat boys listen to back in the States.
CF
www.myspace.com/hraunhraun
Hraun
I Can’t Believe It is Not Happiness
These five kids from Hafnarfjörður, who produced this al-
bum themselves, present tight hard rock worth respect.
While the guitars, often mixing palm muting with harmonics,
don’t catch you by surprise, the band has the kind of timing
that makes you nod your head to even conventional tunes.
In addition to simply being well-rehearsed, the band works
around genuinely strong vocals from Halldór Örn Guðnason.
How good is his singing? He can make “Pseudo-saviour of
gold/ wash me whiter than snow” sound gutty and bold.
(Rhyme intentional.) If the band can mix up the rhythms a
little, as songs like Dying in Our Prime indicate they have the
ability to do, Pan will be touted as the next Mínus. BC
www.myspace.com/panband
Pan
Virgins
2005
E
N
N
E
M
M
/
S
ÍAA HAPPY ENDING EACH DAY
RESTAURANTS IN ALL HOTELS • SWIMMING POOLS ALWAYS CLOSE BY
• FRIENDLY SERVICE • RATES FROM ISK 3.550 PER PERSON Make your order on www.hoteledda.is or by telephone, (+354) 444 4000.
ONE STOP SHOP FOR 13 HOTELS
13 HOTELS AROUND ICELAND
1 ML Laugarvatn • 2 ÍKÍ Laugarvatn • 3 Skógar • 4 Vík í M‡rdal • 5 Nesjaskóli
6 Neskaupsta›ur • 7 Egilssta›ir • 8 Ei›ar • 9 Stórutjarnir • 10 Akureyri
11 Laugarbakki • 12 Ísafjör›ur • 13 Laugar
An outstanding collection
of Icelandic design
Clothes, jewellery and applied art
Located in the center of the city
More than 60 designers
A new design shop in the oldest house in Reykjavík
Opening hours
Monday-Friday
Saturday-Sunday 12:00 - 17:00
9:00 - 18:00
i c e l a n d i c d e s i g n
i c e l a n d i c d e s i g n
Að
al
st
ræ
ti