Reykjavík Grapevine - 08.04.2011, Síða 26

26
The Reykjavík Grapevine
Issue 4 — 2011 DID YOU KNOW: Some of Iceland's most awesome bands ever have started their careers by
winning Músiktilraunir. Bands like Mínus, Maus, XXX Rottweiler, Sororicide AND MANY MANY
MORE! You should start a band and compete.
music | Live review
every year, músíktilraunir (“music
experiments”) are held to locate
and reward the most innovative
undiscovered bands in iceland. To
fully document this exciting and
unique display of youthful talent
and exuberance, the Grapevine
sent two of its most refined and
highbrow cultural commentators
to the scene to observe and report,
with fairly predictable results.
pRimAveRA
Sindri: I kinda like how simple it was.
The lyrics need some work, though.
I mean, how many fucking songs are
there with the chorus ‘falling down’?
It’s embarrassing.
bob: My personal opinion is, I’m not
such a big fan of the singer, but the
guitarists, total pros, one thrashed on
his strings, the other tuned up, I think
they’re both fine, obviously they’re very
well tuned.
my finAl WARninG
b: Right. The guitarist from the Final
Warning is wearing a kilt. One million
points… did you just say Gibson Ex-
plorer?
S: Yeah! Yeah, the other guitarist has
a Gibson Explorer. Two million points.
[My Final Warning play their first song.
Bob laughs uncontrollably throughout
the entirety of it]
b: [Still laughing] well, that was My Fi-
nal Warning. I’ve got to say… wow.
S: No. No, no, no, no…
SÚR
b: …and that was Súr!
S: …or was it Placebo?
b: The singer’s got kind of that whiny,
nasal voice, and he’s Brian Molko!
S: And there’s only two chords through-
out the entire song.
b: I thought the guitar sounded a bit
like mid-eighties Big Country.
S: …I’ve no idea what any of those
words mean, but I’m inclined to agree.
SAmARiS
b: And that was Samaris! Or basically
Pascal Pinon, just crunching electron-
ica.
S: That was lame. If these people place
anywhere in the top three, I will kill
somebody. The sad thing is, they prob-
ably will.
b: See, the issue I have with this, is not
just the clarinet, but the fact is, this is
almost like a side project. Why are they
in Músíktilraunir? The band they’ve
been in have already had internation-
al press coverage. They’re quite well
known. Why are they doing a contest
for unknown artists?
S: I don’t mind the idea of an electronic
band winning, I’m not a complete bigot,
I’m just saying, this is bad electronica.
This is not interesting electronica in
any way or shape or form. This is hack
music.
b: Oh, no. Just no. We hope these guys
don’t win. Very bland electronica, with
clarinet.
S: The clarinet doesn’t make it any less
bland, unfortunately, ‘cause I’ve heard
interesting clarinet, and that was not it.
ASKUR yGGdRASilS
S: Fairly good folk-metal, except for the
fucking drummer, he’s like the weak
link in the band, he’s not doing anything
exciting at all.
b: It was very technical, but I just can’t
take my eyes off that singer! He looks
like he’s walked in from ‘Devil’s Re-
jects’. There’s no way he’s under 25.
S: Yeah, I’m partially scared to say any-
thing bad about this band, the singer
looks though he’d just as soon eat
me as look at me… but seriously, the
drummer needs to get his act together
if these guys are gonna realise their full
potential.
b: But these guys have got potential,
big potential.
S: Oh, yeah. It needs to be tighter.
There’s a reason you expect total tech-
nical proficiency from bands like this;
it only works if it’s perfect. It needs to
be fucking perfect, and they just aren’t.
mURRK
S: I believe I mentioned earlier that
there’s an interesting way of playing
clarinet; I think this is it.
b: They’ve actually stoked their entire
reputation on this one instrument. I
will say, it’s kind of weird, but it went
to that kind of ‘folkanised Balkan’ but
then they go head-first into bands like
Orphic Oxtra…
S: The singer has a great voice, as well.
It’s such a nice contrast from how ev-
erything else is so King Crimson-y, and
his voice is so pop.
b: The main thing that differentiates
this from all the other ‘Balkan’ bands in
Iceland is definitely the drums and the
bass. There’s a power in it, much bigger
power… it’s not whimsical.
foR The SUn iS Red
b: Sindri, you look in pain.
S: My mother always told me that if I
have nothing nice to say, I shouldn’t say
anything at all.
b: Yep. My mum said many things, too.
The WicKed STRAnGeRS
S: What the fuck is going on?
b: I’m not sure.
S: First of all, it has to be said: what a
fucking terrible name.
b: But, give it to them: he’s probably the
only one so far who’s actually sweated
in his fifteen-minute time frame.
S: That is true
b: It’s just unfocussed.
S: Yeah, it’s like they can’t agree on the
kind of music they want to make, but
they know they want to fucking kick
ass, for which there is something to be
said, I guess.
Joe And The dRAGon
b: [Cackling hysterically] What the fuck
was that?
S: That was synth-pop at its fucking
best. This is like the one band so far
whose album I would buy and listen to,
I think. Catchy.
b: Yeah! Biggest cheer of the night so
far. If these guys do not win—and write
for Eurovision next year—then, there is
no god.
S: Yeah… the thing is, I don’t think any
of those poncy judges share your con-
cept of…
poSTARTicA
S: So… post-rock much?
b: You think so too? I like the singer,
though. She sang well.
S: Yeah! It’s like Deftones with a girl
singing.
b: It’s like a post-rock, post-hardcore
sound. Very melodic, very heavy.
S: Really fucking massive guitar sound!
I really like that!
b: Very heavy bass, as well, and he’s
playing like 500 notes per bar.
S: The guitarist is good, as well. At first
I only noticed the bassist, but… I don’t
know, rhythm guitar never gets the
props it deserves. People never notice
good rhythm guitarists, and I think this
is one.
b: I actually really liked it, in the end.
S: Faultless. Not necessarily a winner,
but… nothing wrong with it, either.
viRTUAl TimeS
b: That band has broken me; I don’t
want to be here anymore.
S: White-boy soul, is what you said?
b: Ah, no, the worst early-eighties
white-boy jazz-funk that just… [buries
head in hands].
S: It’s like Toto, but without all their grit
and verve.
The ReSUlTS
b: Thank god it’s over. Best band is
Murrk, in my opinion.
S: What about second and third place?
b: Second would be Askur Yggdrasils
and third place, Postartica. Joe And
The Dragon gets my special ‘lifetime
achievement award’.
S: I really like Postartica, but there’s
nothing that jumps out at me and says
that they’re necessarily winners. I don’t
really like the kind of music Murrk play,
but if I’m gonna be completely impar-
tial, I like them best.
b: I saw last year on television, and
there was no band that stood out,
maybe I think it’s the same this year.
Where’s the band that goes “Oh my
God, where the hell have these guys
been?”
S: Exactly. That tends to happen, and
usually when that happens in Músíktil-
raunir, a band that’s very good techni-
cally, wins, so Murrk would be the obvi-
ous winners in this case. I would like to
put Joe And The Dragon in third place,
Murrk in second and Postartica in first.
That’s my revised placings.
[the MC comes onstage and tells us
that the judges have decided, and all
their decisions were unanimous]
S: If they all agree on a band, it’s gonna
be fucking Murrk, obviously. I don’t
think they deserve it musically, but they
deserve it technically.
[The Wicked Strangers win third place,
while the second place goes to Súr]
both: What!?!
b: I don’t know what to think about that.
S: I think that’s bollocks.
b: That means I’m gonna have to review
these guys at Faktorý at fucking Air-
waves. Ugh, Jesus… guys, we don’t get
paid enough for this. That’s not right…
S: That’s… just… stupid. They’re not
bad, but they don’t deserve a top-three
place! The only way the judges can re-
deem themselves at this point is if Post-
artica win, but it’s gonna be Murrk.
[The winner is announced to be Sa-
maris]
S: What!?!
b: What? Who won it?
S: What!?!
b: Oh, no! Pascal Pinon’s side project?
S: We’re fucking leaving.
b: Yeah, we’re just going outside. Fuck
this.
bob And Sindri Go músíktilraunir!
bob clUneSS And SindRi eldon
billi
The Winners primavera Samaris
Heavenly pizzas!
Home delivery
tel. 578 8555www.gamlasmidjan.is
See our menu at www.gamlasmidjan.is
Lækjargata 8