Reykjavík Grapevine - 13.07.2012, Qupperneq 36

36
The Reykjavík Grapevine
Issue 10 — 2012
Whoa, someone likes the Velvet Under-
ground don't they? “Get It Together,”
which opens this tawdry album, is—
probably by design—exactly like an
outtake from that band’s Doug Yule era.
You know, where he tries to sound like
Lou Reed and almost does, to generally
dumb effect because he isn't him.
And neither is Black Valentine,
though they would doubtless love to be.
Elsewhere you've got B-side stuff like “I
Don't Wanna Go Out With Him,” which
is kind of like “Summertime Rolls” by
Jane's Addiction, except played on a
Wurlitzer organ. Turns out that's a high
point; sludgy sub-acidy demos like
“Until I Saw the Fire” and “Oh My God”
recall that absolute twat bunch of self-
obsessed dicks, the Brian Jonestown
Massacre. Worst of all, “Icing on the
Cake” sounds horribly like U2 covering
“Every Breath You Take,” with a Bon-
tempi organ burbling away on preset
rhythms in the foreground.
- JOE SHOOMAN
As an album, Polygamy... is a
decent EP
Black Valentine
Polygamy Is Alright With Me
www.blackvalentine.bandcamp.com
tel. 578 8555www.gamlasmidjan.is Lækjargata 8
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mon-thu 11:30-23
fri 11:30-06
sat 12-06
& sun 12-23
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Home delivery
See our menu at www.gamlasmidjan.is
Music | Live
Monsters Spread
The Clap
Consistent droves of Icelandic families
flushed through Fríkirkjuvegur in an-
ticipation of the free outdoor concert
at Hljómskálagarðurinn. This Saturday
night included more than just tipsy-
trendy-twenty-somethings—finally an
opportunity presented itself for tweens
and young adults alike to claim tem-
porary residence in 101 Reykjavík, and
use the chance to see one of Iceland’s
fastest claims to fame: Of Monsters and
Men.
Their look was foolproof, with co-
vocalist Nanna Bryndís Hilmarsdóttir
rocking her floppy fedora signature
piece, and her male counterparts—five
in total—sporting an array of tightly
tailored suit jackets paired with dark-
toned flannels. If hipsterdom and indie
chic were to be found sipping on soy
lattes at Hemmi og Valdi—a coffee shop
where most artists convene simply to
convene—it may be comparable to ‘the
monsters’ in their element: perfectly
composed and inarguably appealing to
the times.
The garden was exceptionally full,
but bodies were comfortably dispersed,
allowing just enough room for a mass of
bobbing to coalesce. A noticeable lack
of smoke was probably a nod towards
the age average—hovering at about six-
teen—as wide eyed innocents preferred
activities such as taking artsy photos
of one another at obscure angles and
jumping up and down in synchronicity.
Maintaining a steady 4/4 melody,
they worked methodically through their
single album ‘My Head Is An Animal’
with little lag between tunes. Like a
layer cake, every song fit proportionally
on to the next, as the audience waited
eagerly for what they knew would be
the topper, ‘Little Talks.’
With a few uplifting words from the
band about their experience at the key-
boardists’ lake house before perform-
ing “Lakehouse,” and a comment on
how “all we really need is family and
friends,” the typically cold-tempered
Icelandic audience began picking up
enthusiasm with no shortage of overly
exuberant beat clapping. By the time
they reached the finale, clapping had
actually imbued their performance with
a deep collaborative sense, featuring
‘ayo!’ as its accompaniment. Yes, the
hopefulness of youth hung blissfully in
the air as any false sense of self-worth
was pushed aside for the glory of na-
ïveté.
The whole package was precisely
that: a package. From the miscella-
neously strewn string lights and mul-
ticolored lanterns that decorated the
aerial sphere of the stage, down to the
finely polished and obviously wisely
produced performance, it is no shock
that these youngsters (all between the
ages 21 and 25) were headed for star-
dom. Having only formed in 2010 and
already hitting top charts in Iceland and
the U.S., they have undeniably found a
sweet spot in the alt rock scene. Not un-
like Edward Sharpe And The Magnetic
Zeros, they have nailed that co-vocalist
bantering, ‘free-spirited’ aesthetic that
caters perfectly to the increasingly nos-
talgic era we are now entertaining.
MELKORKA LICEA
ANDRI MARINÓ