Reykjavík Grapevine - 15.07.2011, Blaðsíða 30

Reykjavík Grapevine - 15.07.2011, Blaðsíða 30
30 The Reykjavík Grapevine Issue 10 — 2011 Music | Live Review Secret House Music And Eventual Rapture We are all of the sudden getting loads of awesome bands playing shows in and around Reykjavík! What's with that? It's so nice! Since moving to Reykjavík from Califor- nia, I have been feeling starved of awe- some shows. Whereas where I come from, regardless of which direction your tastes lie, a weekend means having to pick and choose between shows to go to; here in Iceland we're lucky if we get an exciting show every few months, and even then it might be on a Tues- day. But it's among those things previ- ously taken for granted that you earn a newfound appreciation for—like sun on a summer day, or a knoll that shelters from the wind. So imagine my excite- ment getting to see a show at NASA with two of my favourite bands, Caribou and special guest Sin Fang. I got my butt off the mountain I've been living on and went straight into town. SIN FANG PLAY SECRET HOUSE MUSIC When a couple years ago Sindri Már Sigfússon started his new project, Sin Fang, in which he writes the songs, sings, and plays acoustic guitar, I won- dered: what's he doing? Doesn't he al- ready do that in Seabear? But now it's of course perfectly clear—the Sin Fang (then still going by the name "Sin Fang Bous") debut full-length ‘Clangour,’ re- leased in 2009, prefigured the stylistic changes that Caribou would undergo with the release of last year's ‘Swim,’ culminating in the two bands sharing the stage last night. Listen to ‘Clangour’ again. It's secretly house music. Sure, it's cool tinkly indie on top, but on the bottom it's four-to-the-floor kick driv- ing it from start to finish. And to great effect! Sin Fang kicked off the show shortly after 22:00. NASA’s big hall was already filling up, as apparently every hip young twentysomething in Reykjavík was in attendance. Sin Fang performed a mix of songs from both ‘Clangour’ and their still-hot-off-the-press ‘Summer Echoes.’ Sindri is also currently work- ing on recording songs for the third Sin Fang album. Performances from either of Sin- dri's bands are always good—always tight and well balanced. One wonders whether there could be a little more performance in their performance. But not enough to be disappointed. They had one hiccup, with their closing song—apparently some confu- sion about the key of a song, or whether it was the right song at all. Whatever it was, for a couple awkward minutes it was like a car that just wouldn't start. But when they got it going it was met with an enthusiastic cheer that could have been in response to hearing the first bars of a hot new hit or simply im- pulsive reassurance. I'm not sure. Either way, it went over well. ENTER CARIBOU Shortly thereafter, Caribou took the stage, bathed in white light and exud- ing an English-speaking personability and friendliness that is unmistakably Canadian. Caribou is led by Dan Snaith, and if I didn't know better I'd think his PhD was in the field of kick drum (I get one cheesy joke). He is joined live by three others, everybody with their own arsenal of instruments—of both the electronic and "organic" varieties. Having released such an eclectic range of music—the bits of breakbeat in ‘Up In Flames’ (2003), the krautrock of ‘The Milk Of Human Kindness’ (2005), the Polaris-prize winning psychedelic sunshine pop of ‘Andorra’ (2009), and now the deep house of last year's wild- ly popular ‘Swim’—it must be hard for Caribou to cater to fans who are pre- sumably just as diverse. Last night they stuck mostly to songs from ‘Swim,’ with a ‘Swim’-feeling throughout. Still, they treated us older fans to a couple nug- gets from Andorra, including the haunt- ing ‘Melody Day.’ Electronic bands take note: That guy in your band who pretends to "play" the mixer—hide him in back. And I don't mean the far end of the stage; I mean backstage. Caribou delivered electron- ic dance music with an intensity that only comes with performance. They were actually playing the music. With real instruments. With real intensity. With real musicianship (they were even controlling the lights with their feet). Dan Snaith moved fluidly between key- board, guitar, a second drumkit and even a flute-o-phone. They were tight and they didn't let up. The set was building and building, destination ‘Odessa.’ When that weird hook of their dance hit finally broke, the crowd swooned with rapture. This was only to be out-done by the encore. I think consensus held that it was a great show. Words !órir Bogason Photography Alisa Kalyanova Caribou Sin Fang NASA 28/6/2011 Wilburys are back son, Pétur Eyvinds- son, Stilluppsteypa and DJ Musician take a break from creating ambient Their fourth album is a more focused, beat driven affair There are exquisite electro moments Music | Review Caribou and Sin Fang play NASA Iceland’s electronic Travelling Wil- burys are back as BJ Nilsen, Jóhann Jóhannsson, Pétur Eyvindsson, Stillup- psteypa and DJ Musician take a break from creating ambient drones. Their fourth album is a more focused, beat driven affair with a ‘80s hard electro/proto techno sound. There are exquisite electro moments (‘Isabelle Adjani’, ‘Cafe Eindhoven’), but Jesus, there are some shockingly nasty synth sounds on this record that you’d expect from the likes of Mercedes Club, especially the track ‘Divine Sensual Love Fantasy’. A serviceable effort, but who’d have thought that Jóhann Jóhannsson was a secret Technotronic fan? - BOB CLUNESS Evil Madness Super Great Love evil666madness Leather, Sweat, Euro Techno, SCOOTERBOY! breakfast brunch lunch dinner drinks snacks gata food & drink reykjavík´s best kept secret kitchen hours sun-thu: 11:00-23:30 fri-sat: 10:00-00:00 laugavegur 3 www.gata.is tel: +354 5270077 At the Grill Market the seasons are in control of the menu with all the freshest ingredients available - from the sea, heaths, lakes, rivers and farms. In our cooking methods we go for the origin of the ingredient and use fire, smoke, wood and charcoal to achieve deep, rich, earthy flavors that we balance out with freshness. The result is an unexpected cuisine where Icelandic tradition and modern times come together. Mon – Wed: 11:30-14:00, 17:00-22:30 Thurs – Fri: 11:30-14:00, 17:00-23:30 Sat: 17:00 – 23:30 | Sun:17:00-22:30 LÆKJARGATA 2A | 571 7777 | GRILLMARKADURINN.IS
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