Reykjavík Grapevine - 23.05.2014, Qupperneq 30

30 The Reykjavík GrapevineIssue 06 — 2014MUSIC
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COME FIND OUT
HOW DO YOU SAY
DELICIOUS
IN ICELANDIC?
WE OFFER ICELANDIC
DELICACIES PREPARED
IN SOUTH AMERICAN
AND SOUTHERN EURO-
PEAN STYLE.
marrestaurant.is 00354 519 5050 #marrestaurant
Is Charm
Something
You Can Hoard?
Ft. Prins Pólo, Mar and VAR
Some of these songs have been
around for a while, the best of which is
“Tipp Topp,” the story of a jealous ex-
boyfriend set to a lo-fi drum machine
bossa nova beat. But the new songs
are also great. Sloppy-sounding
synthesizers, gently strummed guitars
and worn out drum machines hang
together by a strong sense of melody
and narrative thrust. Particularly
good is “Hamstra Sjarma” (“Hoarding
Charm”), with sharp hiccupping synth
stabs and a chorus that translates
roughly to “Is charm something you
can hoard?/Is charm something you
can put into a Shawarma?”
The whole album is extremely
playful but with a calculated homespun
aesthetic that also shines through
their music videos. We’re not sure if he
hoards it, but Prins Póló has charm in
abundance and ‘Sorrí’ is soaked in it.
Another charmer is 26-years-
old musician Mar (AKA Grétar Mar
Sigurðsson) who just released an EP
called ‘Mellows.’ The album consists
of four very different tracks within
the electronic style of music. The
highlights are the opening track
“Twisted Figures,” with a long intro that
builds into a modern bass drop, and
“Involution,” a trippy track reminiscent
of Animal Collective and revealing of
Mar’s more mellow side.
Last but not least, the Sigur
Rós-inspired five-piece VAR have a
brand new tune out called “Óyndi.”
This beautiful ballad with exceptional
singing by Myrra Rós Þrastardóttir will
be a great soundtrack for charming
bright nights in Iceland this summer.
Straumur has been active since last
summer, with writers Óli Dóri and
Davíð Roach documenting the lo-
cal music scene and helping people
discover new music at straum.is. It
is associated with the radio show
Straumur on X977, which airs every
Monday evening at 23:00.
We’ve had Prins Póló’s second LP, ‘Sorrí,’ on repeat since it came out on May 15.
The prince is a prankster and master of gourmet lyrics and lo-fi song craft; the
album is a gem of quirky sounds and off kilter rhymes. And we don’t just mean
gourmet to be a metaphor; food is a running theme throughout the album, as it is
on his first album, ‘Jukk.’
Words
Óli Dóri & Davíð Roach
www.straum.isStraumur radio show airs on
X977 Monday evenings at 23:00Straumur