Reykjavík Grapevine - 10.10.2014, Blaðsíða 2

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The Reykjavík Grapevine
Issue 1 — 2011
Hafnarstræti 15, 101 Reykjavík
www.grapevine.is
grapevine@grapevine.is
Published by Fröken ehf.
www.froken.is
Member of the Icelandic Travel Industry Association
www.saf.is
Printed by Landsprent ehf. in 25.000 copies.
Editor In Chief:
Haukur S Magnússon / haukur@grapevine.is
Editor:
Anna Andersen / anna@grapevine.is
Journalist:
John Rogers / john@grapevine.is
Journalist & Listings editor
Tómas Gabríel Benjamin / gabriel@grapevine.is
Editorial:
+354 540 3600 / editor@grapevine.is
Advertising:
+354 540 3605 / ads@grapevine.is
+354 40 3610
Publisher:
Hilmar Steinn Grétarsson / hilmar@grapevine.is
+354 540 3601 / publisher@grapevine.is
Contributing Writers:
Árni Matthíasson
Davíð Roach
Esther Þorvaldsdóttir
Grayson Del Faro
Haukur Már Helgason
Holden Jaffe
Jeff Edwards
Jonathan Pattishall
Jónas Guðmundsson
Kara Panzer
Kári Tulinius
Lawrence Millman
Magnús Sveinn Helgason
Matthew Eisman
Nathan Hall
Óli Dóri
Paul Fontaine
RX Beckett
Tyler Clevenger
Vera Illugadóttir

Editorial Interns:
Elín Rós / elin@grapevine.is
Melissa Coci / melissa@grapevine.is
Saskia Vallendar / saskia@grapevine.is
Tom Doyle / tom@grapevine.is
Art Director:
Hörður Kristbjörnsson / hordur@dodlur.is
Layout:
Hrefna Sigurðardóttir
Photographers:
Axel Sigurðarson / www.axelsig.com
Matthew Eisman / www.mattheweisman.com
Nanna Dís / www.nannadis.com
Sales Director:
Aðalsteinn Jörundsson / adalsteinn@grapevine.is
Helgi Þór Harðarson / helgi@grapevine.is
Óskar Freyr Pétursson / oskar@grapevine.is
Distribution manager:
distribution@grapevine.is
Proofreader:
Mark Asch
releases:
listings@grapevine.is
Submissions inquiries:
editor@grapevine.is
Subscription inquiries:
+354 540 3605 / subscribe@grapevine.is
General inquiries:
grapevine@grapevine.is
Founders:
Hilmar Steinn Grétarsson,
Hörður Kristbjörnsson,
Jón Trausti Sigurðarson,
Oddur Óskar Kjartansson,
Valur Gunnarsson
The Reykjavík Grapevine is published 18 times a year by Fröken
ltd. Monthly from November through April, and fortnightly
from May til October. Nothing in this magazine may be repro-
duced in whole or in part without the written permission of
the publishers. The Reykjavík Grapevine is distributed around
Reykjavík, Akureyri, Egilsstaðir, Seyðisfjörður, Borgarnes,
Keflavík, Ísafjörður and at key locations along road #1, and all
major tourist attractions and tourist information centres in the
country.
You may not like it, but at least it's not sponsored (no articles
in the Reykjavík Grapevine are pay-for articles. The opinions
expressed are the writers’ own, not the advertisers’).
On the cover: Silla Gísladóttir,
Birkir Rafn Gíslason, Hrafnkell Örn
Guðjónsson, Magnús Tryggvason
Elíassen, Arnar Þór Gíslason
Photo: Baldur Kristjáns
(www.baldurkristjans.is)
Make up: Sigrún Sig
(with Mac products)
Thanks: Hjörtur Hjartarson,
Reykjavík Roasters
Editorial | Anna Andersen
So Long, And Thanks For All The
Cheese!
For someone who is used to having an entire aisle
at their disposal when they run out of toothpaste,
Icelandic grocery stores can seem, shall we say, a
little mundane.
Of course when it comes to toothpaste, all that
choice is perhaps excessive. Ever since I started
spending considerable amounts of time in Iceland,
this ‘paradox of choice,’ and what it might mean,
has been on my mind. As I noted in my 27th edi-
torial a few years back: there’s Crest, there’s Col-
gate, there’s All-Natural, there’s Aquafresh, there’s
Arm & Hammer, there’s Oral B, there’s Sensodyne,
there’s Mentadent. There’s gel. There’s paste.
There’s white. There’s green. There’s blue. There’s
red. There’s white and green, and there’s white
and blue. There’s baking soda, fluoride, special
whitener, proven this, and proven that, and 2 for
5, buy 1 get 1 free, 5.99, 20% off... And you get the
point.
I have come to see the relative dearth of tooth-
paste options in Iceland as quite refreshing. How-
ever, when it comes to food, the paltry selection is
simply depressing. As I walk through the Nóatún
by my apartment, it’s easy to imagine that I’m liv-
ing in the Eastern Bloc. I grab the few fresh-look-
ing items from the produce section. I walk past a
wall of ham that all looks and tastes disturbingly
similar. I peer into the frozen food section and
contemplate picking up a Dr Oetker’s pizza, but
then think better of it. I consider grabbing some
chips and salsa, but there are no tortilla chips (also
known as ‘nachos’ in Iceland) to be found and that
red stuff in the Casa Fiesta jars, it’s no party. De-
spite the desire to fill my basket with exciting food,
I wind up grabbing the same things I bought the
week before, and the week before that. And the
week before that.
To the outsider, the dairy section looks like
the best thing Icelanders have got going for them.
It certainly did to me. I mean, just look at all
the cheese. There’s block cheese. There’s sliced
cheese. There’s cheese that translates to stuff like
“Bread cheese,” and “Sandwich cheese,” and “Good
cheese,” and “School cheese,” and “Household
cheese” and “Goodie.” And then there’s all that
cheese spread, which comes in flavours like wild
mushroom, and red pepper, and Camembert, and
ham, and Tex Mex, and shrimp, and pizza season-
ing, and even bacon. There’s so much cheese!
But this is actually where the real scandal and
the root of the problem lies. For most of the 20th
century and onwards, dairy farmers in Iceland
have co-operatively sold their produce through a
conglomerate co-vendor called Mjólkursamsalan,
or MS for short. MS produces nearly all of our dairy
products (they hold a 99% market share!), which
explains why nearly all of those cheeses taste more
or less the same. And, as RÚV news magazine
Kastljós revealed this week, they’ve steadfastly
worked to push out any prospective competitors
in the field, stifling the market through bullying
tactics and other illegal measures.
Turn to page 12 to read an account of this story,
based on Kastljós’ good and important work. Ice-
landic groceries haven’t been this much fun, ever.
Afterwards, you should lift your spirits by
browsing through our special Airwaves pullout. In
particular, the roundtable discussion between the
five most active musicians playing the festival this
year is very telling of our small, but active music
scene, in which bands inevitably find themselves
sharing custody of some of their members. The
five in question (pictured on our cover), for in-
stance, are in a combined 21 bands, and anticipate
playing more than 50 shows over the five-day fes-
tival.
By the time you finish reading those stories, I’ll
have started a sabbatical, wherein I intend to final-
ly write my master’s thesis. Getting to devote all
of my time to it sure excites me, but in the mean-
while I know I’ll miss making these issues with
so many great writers, photographers, designers
and illustrators. Not to mention the fun and often-
overqualified interns who cycle through the office
every three months. If only I could juggle as many
things as those guys on our cover, I might... Enjoy
Airwaves! Catch you on the flip side!
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The Reykjavík Grapevine
Issue 16 — 2014
AIRWAVES
COMPILATION
Hey folks! It’s Iceland Airwaves time yet again.
With 219 artists performing, we didn’t feel
right just picking one for our track of issue, so
we instead reached out to a shitload of bands
performing and made this playlist for you all.
With 58 contributing artists, the list clocks in
at more than four hours, and you can down-
load the whole thing for free at our website
www.grapevine.is. Check it out!
kimono - Spectres
Lily the Kid - PEDRO
Berndsen - Game of Chance
Védís - White Picket Fence
Kira Kira - Hamar
Epic Rain - Raking Dust
Cell7 - Gai Pon Di Scene
Úlfur Úlfur - Tarantúlur
Reykjavíkurdætur - Reykjavíkurdætur
Stereo Hypnosis - Hypnogogia
Oyama - Everything Some of the Time
Mafama - Sonny
Himbrimi - Highway
The Walking Who - With Roses
Muck - Here Comes The Man
Elín Helena - Listamaður
Strigaskór nr. 42 - Hellmut
Svartidauði - Venus Illegitima
Beneath - Mass Extinction Codex
Kontinuum - Í huldusal
Momentum - Metamorphose
Dimma - Andsetinn
Vio - You Lost It
Rökkurró - Killing time
Hafdís Huld - Queen Bee
Oddur - Hugarflug
Steinar - Lie To Me
Eiríkur Örn Norðdahl - Swing Ding
Atónal Blús - Apolelegy
Ourlives - A Sight To See
DaDa - Micro Piano
Black Bananas - Powder 8 Eeeeeeeeight
Benny Crespo's Gang - Birthmark
Embassylights - Cold Skin
Vorhees - Black Horse Pike
Just Another Snake Cult - Have You Seen This
Girl Anywhere?
Krakkkbot - Children of Tomorrow -
Dying Today
Good Moon Dear - Again
Auxpan - Long Spline Miter Joint 1
Exos Downdriver
LaFontaine - Sylvia
AMFJ - Sök
Leaves - Parade
East Of My Youth - Lemonstars
Árstíðir - You Again
Íkorni - Nose
Geislar - Stone Cold Stone
Halleluwah - Blue Velvet
CeaseTone - Remedy
Boogie Trouble - Augnablik
Hide Your Kids - MIA
Lindy Vopnfjörð - Lover Sister
Einar Indra - Mistery Man
Nolo - Passion
Prins Póló - París Norðursins
Sindri Eldon - Giving Up Giving Up
M-BAND - All Is Love
Pétur Ben - Kings of the underpass
Anna’s 49th Editorial