Reykjavík Grapevine - 04.07.2008, Blaðsíða 20

Reykjavík Grapevine - 04.07.2008, Blaðsíða 20
20 | REYKJAVÍK GRAPEVINE | ISSUE 09—2008 Mammút THE GRAPEVINE: Since the first record came out in 2006, you’ve had a change in your line-up, switching out your bassist for Ása. Other than the logistics, or perhaps because of them, have there been any other changes within the band? ALExANDRA: Maybe just that when we started we were more just like acquaintances, we didn’t know each other extremely well. Since then we’ve travelled overseas and been together a significant amount of time, so we’ve become more like best friends. ÁSA: More like a whole. ALExANDRA: So we’re also maybe more honest and forthright with each other when we’re writing songs. ÁSA: We can fight and still be O.K. kATA: I think that really comes out on this new record. We’ve become a lot closer and I think the music has changed because of it. Also this new re- cord has all these crazy pop-speculations. I think it’s very poppy, or at least, much more poppy than the first one. ALExANDRA: Right before we went into the stu- dio we were really thinking that the record would be too heavy, too hard, because there were some melodies that weren’t completely finished and such. But that changed really quickly as soon as we started recording. THE GRAPEVINE: You hadn’t planned to make it lighter when you entered the studio, it just sort of evolved that way? kATA: Yes. ÁSA: In a completely positive way. kATA: We had somehow decided that this record would be really heavy but then somehow our minds changed mid-process and it just started getting more and more poppy. THE GRAPEVINE: Since you formed the band right before Músíktilraunir 2004, and since you released your first record 2006, how have your ex- pectations as a band changed? ALExANDRA: It’s always somehow been just one step at a time. We started with trying to win some song competition, and then that was the biggest feat we could imagine, and then it turned into competing in Músíktilraunir. kATA: And when we competed in Músíktilraunir and won, you know, we hadn’t even started dream- ing of giving out a record, and then once we did that, then that was the absolute best we could ever do, we couldn’t go any higher than that. Now we’ve topped ourselves again, and we’re giving out another record, but now maybe we’re allow- ing ourselves slightly higher expectations, it just comes with the territory I think. ALExANDRA: We’ve been such a luck band, or at least I feel like we’ve achieved a lot compard to how we... ÁSA: Suck? ALExANDRA: Compared to how incredibly un- diligent we are at promoting ourselves. There has been a lot that just sort of fell into our hands and people have had contact with us... THE GRAPEVINE: Well you’ve had some experi- ence playing abroad and with foreign journalists who have received you well. Are you not thinking in terms of exporting yourselves or your music? ÁSA: We really want to go on tour, just something small. Maybe around Europe or the States. ALExANDRA: Either way really, I mean if it was offered to us, of course. ÁSA: We want just as much to tour Iceland, I think that would be hugely fun. Like at first, we were go- ing to have the record in English, and then all of a sudden we realised, no, we speak Icelandic, we’ll sing in Icelandic. kATA: And also it just wasn’t coming out natu- rally in English. ÁSA: We were just thinking of how it could be re- ceived abroad, and of course you shouldn’t think that way. THE GRAPEVINE: So you trust in the scene here, in Reykjavík, as far as the reception and all that? It is enough? ÁSA: Yeah, except of course there’s not a lot of money in it. kATA: Also, with playing just forever in Reykjavík, especially when you’ve been playing here a lot... because you’re not usually playing some fancy concert with good sound, you’re playing at Bar 11 where you can’t hear anyone and everything is really sketchy and there are guys on speed try- ing to head-butt you and stuff. So you know, that’s maybe also something that tickles you, as far as going abroad, that you want to sort of... ÁSA: Try something new. kATA: Yeah, get fresh ears to listen, you know. ALExANDRA: That was exactly the case with a concert we played at Organ last week, because our single [Svefnsýkt] has been in frequent play on The X, and we played this concert, and we hadn’t played in a long time, and all of a sudden we were seeing these new faces. The majority of the people there were people that we had never seen before, just people who listen to The X at work or something. ÁSA: It was so funny because they sort of didn’t know how to act, like when everyone was getting a beer before the concert started, they were just standing there, ALExANDRA: You could kind of tell apart the people who frequent concerts and the people who don’t. ÁSA: Not the usual concert rats. ALExANDRA: Which was a lot of fun. ÁSA: Crazy fun. THE GRAPEVINE: I think it’s interesting that you have a majority of girls in your band, that there are three of you considering how few women there are generally in bands here, especially rock bands. There are women in the pop and elec- tronica scene a little bit, but in rock bands there are very few. What are your thoughts as to why that is? ÁSA: Maybe just shyness or something. It’s such like, a sausage fest. kATA: Yeah I think it’s something like that. ÁSA: But I mean, I think every girl wants to be in a band. ALExANDRA: It’s much easier than it looks. kATA: When we formed our band we were just three girls starting out and we weren’t thinking of ourselves as a rock band more than anything else, but then we started thinking why girls aren’t more in rock bands. That’s just something really strange, why that isn’t the case. ALExANDRA: I don’t know if it plays into it at all, but in the scene that we’re playing in there is of course a lot of mess and a lot of partying and a lot of hassle. Like the way it is in Reykjavík you have to be your own roadie and you’re essentially just paying to be in a band. Paying for rehearsal space and equipment and all that. It’s a lot of... ÁSA: Hassle. THE GRAPEVINE: And girls are less interested in hassle than boys? ÁSA: Yeah (laughs) ALExANDRA: Yeah, maybe it’s just that some girls don’t want to bother dealing with the hassle of this penis-rock scene. And I mean you don’t necessar- ily get a lot more out of playing than maybe you know, three beers at the bar, or something. ÁSA: Or not. ALExANDRA: Or not. Mostly not. The Sweaty Musical Armpit INTERVIEWS By valgerÐur ÞÓroddSdÓttir — pHoto By gaS WHO Mammút MEMBERS Alexandra Baldursdóttir (Guitar) Vilborg Ása Dýradóttir (Bass Guitar) Andri Jakobson (Drums) Katrína Mogensen (Vocals, keyboard) Arnar Pétursson (Guitar) ACTIVE Since 2003 DISCOGRAPHY Mammút (debut, 2006)
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