Reykjavík Grapevine - 09.03.2012, Page 18

18
The Reykjavík Grapevine
Issue 3 — 2012
Elding Whale Watching
Call us on
(+354) 555 3565
or book online at
www.elding.is
from Reykjavik all year round
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Tour Operator
Authorised by
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lding.is
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Take part in an adventure at sea with an unforgettable trip into the
world of whales and sea birds. Before or after the tour you can also
enjoy the exhibition in the Elding Whale Watching Centre.
Viðey ferry
Viðey Island is situated just few minutes from Reykjavík by ferry. It
is interesting to visit any time of the year and each season has it's
own charm. The ferry's winter schedule runs through three seasons;
autumn, winter and spring with departures on Saturdays and
Sundays from Skarfabakki pier.
Elding Whale Watching schedule – all year round
* From 15 May to 15 September
** From 15 June to 15 August
Jan-Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sept Oct-Dec
9:00 9:00 9:00 9:00 9:00 9:00
10:00 10:00 10:00
13:00 13:00 13:00 13:00 13:00 13:00 13:00 13:00
14:00 14:00 14:00
17:00* 17:00 17:00 17:00 17:00*
20:30** 20:30 20:30**
EL-01 / EL-02 / EL-03

February 4th – 30th April
Every Saturday and Sunday
11:00 – 13:00

Posthússtræti 2 // 101 Reykjavik // +354 599 1000

Music | Reviews
Nine girls walk into a studio and im-
prov for seven hours, using only their
voices. What do you get? A 40-minute
studio album of improvised a capella.
Sounds like a joke, right? No, it’s not.
These girls have created a unique
album—a brave, wondrous artistic feat
that is original in its execution, not to
mention its style.
Unfortunately, while the girls have
beautiful voices, there are songs on
this album that really drag it down. The
first song on this album, titled “I Natt,
Mens Du Sov,” is extremely difficult to
listen to. “The Mermaid and the Sailor”
has real potential, but due to the limits
of improvisation, such as no rehearsal
and/or set lyrics, the song becomes
too repetitive. Looking past the
repetitiveness of some of these songs,
however, the album proves decent.
Still, the idea behind this album is
fantastic and IKI cannot be accused
of being cliché. So in sum, the album
is worth listening to at least once, to
appreciate what these artists are at-
tempting. Just skip the first song…
- SALvATORE A. TUMMOLILLO
IKI
IKI
www.myspace.com/ikivocal
Worth listening to at least once
I first saw 1860 in October of last year,
not long after their inception, and was
drawn to the catchy, simple chord
progressions, bouncy triads, and hum-
mable choruses; their debut album,
‘Sagan,’ is much of the same, with lime
ice cream-covered rhymes, lique-
fied over an uncomplicated and folky,
beard-rock popsicle stick.
By the middle of the first track, you
know what to expect from the rest of
the album—while each song has an
attractive hook, only once during the
decidedly enjoyable ‘Love & Lime’ did
I really feel like these boys nailed it.
For an album that involuntarily evokes
images of sepia-bleached Polaroids,
suspenders neatly affixed to white cot-
ton shirts, and autumn picnics in Paris,
these songs rarely gave me the urge to
relish in those comfortable clichés—in-
stead, I’m sitting inside.
Ultimately, I suggest that you give
this album a listen, and make your
own decisions! I hope these gentle-
men continue making a go of it, for
I have the feeling that when it’s time
for their second album to roll around,
the songwriting and composition will
have matured significantly. While
‘Sagan’ doesn’t tear down any folk
music boundaries, as it stands right
now, 1860’s debut offering is a fun, yet
undeveloped, experience. Standout
tracks: ‘Love & Lime’, ‘Consequences’.
- BOWEN STAINES
1860
Sagan
myspace.com/1986theband
A solid debut, but if you’re not a
folk music fan, ‘Sagan’ isn’t going
to change your mind.
Isn’t there some other album called
this? Now, the music here is basically
irrelevant, so I’m pretty much just gon-
na talk about the lyrics. While this may
seem counterproductive, as this is an
English-language publication and the
lyrics are all in Icelandic, but since the
music is basically irrelevant, and I can’t
for the life of me imagine why the hell
you’re reading a review of a Baggalútur
album for if you don’t speak Icelandic,
I’m gonna go ahead anyway.
The lyrics have their occasional
moments of wit, but like most Icelan-
dic comedians, Baggalútur are too
obsessed with being consistent and
making sense, and have a tendency
to make their jokes too long and
noticeably lacking in punchlines.
‘Gærkvöldið,’ for instance, may be
littered with contemporary slang that’s
been cleverly rhymed and metered to
fit with a forgettable adult pop song,
but that’s THE WHOLE ENTIRE SONG.
There’s nothing else in it. ‘Þetta er
búið’ and ‘Uppgjörið 2006’ is basically
just a dull sing-song with a bunch of
predictably acerbic rhymes about THE
STATE OF THE ECONOMY. Yes, they
really are that lame.
So. Asides from some okay lyrics
about stuff that’s sort-of interesting
to someone who’s lived in Iceland
for at least five years, there’s little of
real value here. The music is cheap,
unremarkable and competently played
and sung, with bland and inoffensive
production, and are primarily vehicles
for the lyrics, which… well, I’ve prob-
ably made point already. Baggalútur
even fail at making the songs catchy,
with the exception of ‘Brostu,’ a fine
pop song and definitely the musical
highlight of the record (or compilation?
Whatever), but even that still kind of
sucks.
- SINDRI ELDON
Baggalútur
Áfram Ísland!
www.baggalutur.is
The least cool band in Iceland
continues to plumb the depths of
abject lameness.