Reykjavík Grapevine - 04.12.2009, Qupperneq 39

Icelandic 1
Afternoon classes
Mon. Wed. and Thu.
17:15-18:45
From January 18th.
to March 18th. 2010
Morning classes
Tue. Fri. and Sat.
09:00-11:00
From January 19th.
to March 4th. 2010
Icelandic 2
Evening classes
Mon. Wed. and Thu.
19:00-20:30
From January 18th.
to March 18th. 2010
Morning classes
Mon. Wed. and Thu.
09:00-11:00
From January 18th.
to March 3rd. 2010
Icelandic 3
Morning classes
Mon. Wed. and Thu.
09:00-11:00
From March 8th.
to April 28th. 2010
• Experienced teachers
• Morning and evening classes
• Downtown location
• 3 levels
• Modest-sized groups, max. 12
Ingólfsstræti 8 - 101 Reykjavík
islenska@multi-kulti.org
www.multi-kulti.org
Telephones: 6928818 (Auður)
8996570 (Kjartan)
Auður Loftsdóttir, MA
Kjartan Jónsson, MA
Learn
Course
price - 60 class hours:
24.000 Ískr.
Like one of those moody hipsters that
hangs in the background and mumbles
a lot, Kimono are back with a new
album! And the title is bloody awful!
Easy Music For Difficult People is the
sort of title that Nickleback would
use when they ŕe trying to be edgy.
However that´s the only bad thing I
have to say about this album.
I´ve heard the term “Progressive
indie rock” coined for Kimono and
it´s a pretty apt description. Think
Shellac after they listened to too many
mid-70´s Rush albums. This is most
evident in “Black” and “Animal” where
the vocal stylings are pure Jethro Tull.
Compared to their last album, Easy is
a lot more immediate and urgent. The
drums sound more thunderous, the
guitars are more guttural and growling,
while the vocals are frantic and yelping
(perhaps the producer got out his
cattle prod “motivational tool”). And
clocking in at under 30 minutes, it just
socks you with baritone power and
then finishes, saying “Call me” without
leaving it´s number. But like the guitar
rock slut that I am, it just makes me
want to go back the beginning and
play it again (and again)...
- BoB ClUnESS
A bit like visiting a museum with a
class full of art students, Terminal is
irritating, pretentious and occasionally
grating, but mostly just a soothing and
smoothly flowing waste of time. Its
massive, almost hyperbolic grandeur
is a bit hard to take seriously up close,
with the orchestral arrangements
failing to ascend beyond the role of
redundant accompaniment and never
quite justifying their presence on the
album. Terminal’s cool detachment
and civility all too often feels false
and postured, like Hjaltalín would
much rather be making some other
kind of music, but there are moments,
like Song From Incidental Music
and Sonnet For Matt (what terrible
titles), where the mood feels real and
appropriate and the band seems truly
comfortable. It is those moments I’ll be
listening for during the endless tirade
of Christmas parties I’ll be forced to
hear this album in. - SindRi Eldon
Morðingjarnir
Bloodgroup
kimono Hjaltalín
Flóttinn Mikli (2009)
Dry Land (2009)
Easy Music for difficult People
(2009)
Terminal (2009)
kimono
Moody Icelandic indie rock comes
of age
hjaltalinband
Like being put on hold by your
bank, but interesting.
Morðingjarnir have been together
for nearly five years, which in punk/
hardcore terms means that they’re
becoming grizzled old warhorses of the
scene. And their third album sees them
slowly moving away from the core
sound of their first two albums.
The songs are now on average
1.5 minutes longer, there’s a lot less
screaming, and their sound is much
more buffed and polished with a big
powerpop cherry on top. Is this a bad
thing? I guess it depends on what your
punk/hardcore references are. If you
think the crowning zenith of punk is
Green Day, then you´ll go apeshit for it,
otherwise you may just go “meh.”
As for me, I found this album really
frustrating to listen to. For each track
such as the full on Mötorhead thrash
of Förum í stríð and the scuzzy romp
of Manvísa, there is the derivative
Hlakka til að hitta þig and the asine
Sunnudagsmorgunn í Reykjavík
which has a chorus that I would have
expected from Sprengjuhöllin (no no
NOOOO!). Perhaps I’m just an old stick
in the mud in wanting my punk to be
angry and misanthropic instead of
being wrapped in Prozac goo...
- BoB ClUnESS
While Bloodgroups´ first album
was brash, in your face and full of
day-glo E numbers, Dry Land sees
them relax and breath in a bit more.
The chickenfart gurgling synths and
minimal beats are still there, but
now they ŕe seriously working their
songwriting chops to great effect.
Listening to this, you sense whispers
and echoes of 80´s synth pop (Wars)
with layers of disco dub (How Do We
Know). But it´s the lead tracks that
blow you away. My Arms is simply
an excellent song, end of discussion
(it does seem to remind me of XTC´s
Making Plans for Nigel for some
reason). And First To go starts off with
a full on EBM beat that dissolves into
a chorus that interlocks vocals and
synthesizer beats so perfectly, it makes
your ears throb with pleasure.
You know after listening to this I
saw the video to Thin Ice by Gus Gus
and, compared to Dry land, it looked
so.... tired! A case of the Kings are
dead, long live the Queen?
- BoB ClUnESS
mordingjarnir
Still plenty of energy, but they’re
starting to get soft & mellow in
their old age....
bloodgroup
It struts! It stomps! It shits all over
the competition! Get this album
and your life will be complete for
the next six months
Music | Album Reviews
The Reykjavík Grapevine
Issue 18 — 2009
23
“The chickenfart
gurgling synths and
minimal beats are still
there, but now theý re
seriously working their
songwriting chops to
great effect. "