Reykjavík Grapevine - 09.05.2008, Side 19

Klive is the solo project of Úlfur Hansson, bass player for the metal-
core band Swords of Chaos. This pretty much as far removed from
the dark world of SoC as can be. Low strung but experimental elec-
tronica that radiates a neurotic vibe but is still atmospheric enough to
avoid the collapse into total darkness. It is dark, but not eerie enough
to sound discomforting. This is a pretty powerful debut, and should
keep all fans of electronica waiting for his next release.
Sveinn Birkir Björnsson
Minni karla is an all-Icelandic tribute to the swamp rock legend Tony
Joe White. That is, Tony Joe’s music, performed by Icelandic musi-
cians, with Icelandic lyrics performed by various singers. The musi-
cal delivery is exemplary and does justice to the tunes, but as often
is when various guests are brought in to do a tribute, the singing is
hit and miss. I particularly enjoyed Þorsteinn Einarsson’s, Ragnar
Kjartansson’s, Óttar Proppé’s and Megas’s delivery. They all have the
vocal qualities to bring the desired character and life to the to these
songs. Most of the other’s fall flat. Jens Ólafsson, one of Iceland’s
best rock singers sounds way too cautious and Björn Jörundur, a
fine singer in his own right, is completely out of his element here.
A bright spot is the adaption of the Icelandic lyrics though, some of
which are really good. SBB
Sweaty Psalms
Klive
Love is a Mix-tape
Rob Sheffield
Minni karla
Skuggasveinar
BOOKCD CD
Rob Sheffield is a music-scribe for The Rolling Stone magazine, a
prestigious member of small world of people whose whole life re-
volves around music. More or less. In Sheffield’s case, that proves
to be half accurate at least. He has his music, his Pavement CDs and
his mix tapes, and then there is the love of his young life, Reneé.
After falling in love they quickly marry and seven years later she
dies. In this memoir, Sheffield recounts their story, using the mix
tapes they made as a vehicle to convey the highs and lows of their
short marriage. He’s kept them all, each song hand-picked to create
a certain vibe that serves as a guide through their life together, and
his life afterwards.
This is a touching book, but Sheffield’s most remarkable
achievement is to avoid falling into melodrama or emotional por-
nography. Throughout, the book is funny and heart warming, de-
spite the heroine’s tragic fate. It is easy to fall in love with Reneé
along with Sheffield as he paints a portrait of a independent and ex-
troversive woman that was undoubtedly a lot of fun to hang out with
and discuss music with. It is also enjoyable to read how truly unpre-
tentious Sheffield is in his writing, his love of music, even some truly
bad music, his wife and his vinyl.
A curious side story is the demise of the cassette age. Anyone
who has ever made a mix tape will probably share Sheffield’s enthu-
siasm for this lost art. A generation that has grown up with the drag
and drop simplicity of creating iPod playlists will surely have a dif-
ficult time understanding the mastery it takes to create the perfect
mix tape for every occasion (the Break Up tape, the Fall In Love
tape, etc.).

Sverrir Bergmann first made a name for himself as a musician when
he won the singing competition of the Icelandic secondary schools,
with a particularly cheesy re-edition of Always by New Jersey’s sec-
ond favourite son, a performance that still makes me cringe every
time I think about the Icelandic adaption of its lyrics. But let bygones
be bygones. This is his first album, and he has brought out the big
guns, but sadly, he has badly overshot the target. The opening track
hints at something that might rise above tear jerking pop clichés, but
ultimately, it proves to be a teaser. The album consists of calculated
power-pop exercises built for radio rotation on stations for lonely
housewives who cringe on to the promise of one day finding true
love. Which is sad, because Sverrir has a great voice created for heart-
felt delivery, if only he had something to original to deliver. SBB
Bergmann
Bergmann
CD
They call themselves rhythm freaks, which is partially true. Stein-
tryggur is all about rhythm and this album is freakishly enjoyable.
Steintryggur is the collaboration of percussionist and tabla drummer
Steingrímur Guðmundsson and former Sugarcubes drummer Sigtryg-
gur Baldursson. On this album they are duly assisted by the wizardry
of Ben Frost, credited for aural terrorism, programming and record-
ing, and a host of guests who step in to create a unique concoction
of various world music influences. The songs are built up around the
rhythmic compilations of the two drummers (call this the drummer’s
revenge) with layers of various electric rhythms, throat singing out of
a Tibetan temple, sitar, saz and oud. The opening song Melur is the
sort of song that could make or break an art house movie, probably
the best song I’ve heard all year. If you are open to new experiences,
and only invest in one new CD a year, this one should probably be it.
SBB
Trappa
Steintryggur
CD
Reviews | Reykjavík Grapevine | Issue 05 2008 | 19