Reykjavík Grapevine - 06.08.2008, Side 24

24 | REYKJAVÍK GRAPEVINE | ISSUE 11—2008
CONCERT REvIEW By sigurður KJartan Kristinsson — photo By gasCD REvIEWS
I have to note that going to a Trentemöller concert
is a special event for me. Arriving at Tunglið, I pon-
dered if it would be a challenge to remain comple-
tely unbiased in my review. The night before I had
witnessed a bulletproof performance by the Da-
nish DJ at Kaffibarinn, something which undoub-
tedly increased my admiration for the disc-jogging
prodigy substantially. To my surprise, I soon found
out that the night would prove more of an ordeal
than a treat. The doormen at Tunglið started off by
giving me and my companion the finger when we
said we were with the Grapevine. To our luck, one
of the promoters glimpsed at us and immediately
rectified that mistake. Once I entered the crowded
and immensely sweaty dance-floor, packed with
e-popping, pink-tank-top-wearing hooligans stuck
in ’92, the additional sound system brought in for
the event blew me away and made a genuine club
atmosphere.
Trentemöller is not hard to describe but his
jogging structure is dazzling, and his enigmatic
shifts between tunes are top-notch and offer a uni-
que chance to lose yourself on the dance-floor. His
mind-blowing dynamic had all my attention until I
found a gooey dash of liquid drip down my shoul-
der. I gave the unwanted visitor a sniff assuming it
was only beer, a common companion to Reykjavík
night life, but the smell was heinous and not a bit
beer-like.
My head went spinning in the astronomical
fright that someone’s special liquid had bombar-
ded me and I decided to have some fresh air. When
my thoughts had cooled down the aforementio-
ned doormen wouldn’t under any circumstances
let me in again. They told me Grapevine was al-
ready in so I had to call up the promoters yet again.
Kudos to the doormen at Tunglið, real gentlemen.
In a rather bad mood I followed Trentemöller’s last
tunes and when I walked home the thought about
his fine music being destroyed by the lousy atmos-
phere and tedious behaviour of the venue’s staff
couldn’t escape my mind – a newly laid egg in a
bowl of shit.
A Midsummer Night’s Boogie
enjoyIng trentemöller IS SerIouS buSIneSS
WHO
Trentemöller
WHERE
Tunglið
WHEN
Friday, July 18
THE vERDICT
Outstanding performance
by Trentemöller obscured
by lousy ambience.
THE vERDICT
Trashy idea from producer
best thrown out with the
trash.
LISTEN & bUY
www.myspace.com/
merzedesclub
THE vERDICT
Despite the isolation on
the cover, new Andrúm al-
bum glows right through.
LISTEN & bUY
www.myspace.com/
andrummusic
With DJ Sammy and Basshunter as their top friends on Myspace, it
wouldn’t be a surprise if Merzedes Club aspire to play sun drenched
parties in the Balearic Islands. Barði Jóhannson, the producer behind
the project, failed to score the Icelandic Eurovision entry for ‘Ho, Ho,
Ho, We say Hey, Hey, Hey’ so it’s a failure on all counts. The act has
sparked controversy for some scandalously vain stage performances,
but unfortunately on record it’s not even half as interesting. Even tak-
en as a joke, the irony won’t flip the frown upside down after you’ve
listened to this. It’s unfortunately all tackiness without the wackiness
– think Lasgo and not Junior Senior. Alternatively, think a big steam-
ing pile of Europop shit. They can’t even be a one hit wonder.
The opening bars of the new Andrúm LP suggest impending doom
but when Jóna Palla’s vocals envelope the minor key, the listener is
ushered into comfort. Eventually this title track builds into a rock-out,
which you wouldn’t always expect from a post rock crescendo but
it’s a poppy little touch that’s more than welcome. The second track
‘Nozinan’ can be dubbed aquatic rock with the drip drops at the end,
while ‘Hugurinn Reikar’ is a beautiful late gaze out the window over
Reykjavík. The lyrics in ‘Pictures’ are largely irrelevant – “An empty
chair, I feel the raindrops falling down on me” – evokes loneliness
like the album cover. However Palla’s tongue, whether in English or
Icelandic, pollinates with the guitars to create blissful company for
the listener.
MerzeDeS CLuB
I Wanna Touch You
ANDrúM
Andvakar
revieweD By MarCus waLsh
revieweD By MarCus waLsh
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