Reykjavík Grapevine - 10.10.2014, Blaðsíða 27

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open 12 - 2pm and 6 - 10:30pm
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S i n c e o p e n i n g i n 1 9 6 5
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BÖRN's self-titled début is
what some of us have been
desperately waiting for: an al-
bum that properly echoes the misery of
living in Reykjavík. Unlike mediocre bands
who sing their happy tunes in broken Eng-
lish—with heavy doses of repetitive claps
and heys!—BÖRN manage to portray
Reykjavík as it really is. It's neither cute
nor civilized; it is in fact a typical Icelandic
podunk backwater town ("krummaskuð")
on steroids. Gray, wet and windy.
This Reykjavík death punk band ini-
tially called themselves NORN ("WITCH"),
and in 2011 released a self-titled cassette
of some rather noteworthy tunes. When a
local black metal band started perform-
ing under the same moniker, a terrible
confusion arose that eventually led the
punk band to start calling themselves
BÖRN ("CHILDREN"). The metamor-
phosis seems to have been greater than
a mere name change, however, as if the
children of NORN paradoxically grew up
to become the amazingly dark and gloomy
grown-ups of BÖRN.
Everything that was interesting about
BÖRN’s initial release as NORN is still in
place. Their doom-induced post-punk
elements have nearly been developed to
perfection on BÖRN. It's punk rock, filled
with doom, catchy melodies and beauti-
fully irritated female vocals. On the front
cover, vocalist Alexandra sports a ban-
dana, with her nose bleeding. “Sviðin jörð”
(“Scorched Earth”) is my favourite song on
the album.
Hell, it's so good it could cause the
goth youth of Reykjavík to team up and
burn the city to the ground.
- ALMAR DAÐI KRISTJÁNSSON
From start to finish, Grúska
Babúska’s wobbly, otherworld-
ly self-titled debut is a plea-
sure to experience. There is something
definitively narrative and theatrical about
the ten-song collection, whose eclectic
instrumentation includes flute, ukulele,
guitar, synth, melodica, music box and a
range of pitched percussion. The theatri-
cal nature of the record derives from the
constant starting, stopping, and resetting
that punctuates each of the songs, result-
ing in a rare disturbing—yet captivating—
listening experience. The arrangements
are masterfully crafted, and chaotically
layered without feeling crowded or pre-
tentious. The record’s opening track,
“Slagarinn,” begins with a minimal synth
line, building in texture and dynamic with
a blend of plucked instruments and per-
cussion before dropping out completely
to reveal a smattering of doubled flute
melodies—and this is all before the first
verse has even begun. The lyrics, delivered
exclusively in the band’s native Icelandic,
curl sleepily around the busy composi-
tions, upholding Grúska Babúska’s vocal
talents as one of the undeniable strengths
of this record.
The four-piece was founded in 2010
by Arndís Anna Kristínar, Harpa Fönn
Sigurjónsdóttir, and Guðrún Birna, joined
in the following years by Dísa Hreiðars-
dóttir and Björk Viggósdóttir. The group
recorded and released their debut in the
spring of 2013, co-producing the album
with Tunng’s Mike Lindsay and employing
Greenhouse Studios’s Paul Evans for the
mix. The band’s imagery centres heavily
around a version of the popular Russian
Matryoshka doll, which appears on all of
their social media platforms, their album
cover, and in their one official music video.
Though it is unclear why the band took
such a liking to Russian folk art, the de-
cision seems justifiable simply in the im-
penetrable and spontaneous nature of its
musical output. - HOLDEN JAFFE
What Kvöl’s new EP lacks in
musicality is made up for in
character. The Reykjavík-based
post-punk band, which counts noted “Sal-
vation Soldier” Þórir Georg as a member,
released their hazy four-song debut this
past July. The album is dark and New Wave
in aesthetic, constituted by programmed
808-style drumbeats; groggy, doubled
guitar lines; and indistinct lead vocals. The
reverb is cavernous and plentiful, yet ana-
logue in nature. The occasional synth pad
makes an appearance, grounded by bass
lines that sound as if they were played
through a guitar into broken recording
equipment.
Each of the EP’s four songs bear
meaningful and interesting beginnings—
especially “Norm,” whose opening bars
stand as a modern take on The Drums Of
The Nineteen-Eighties—evolving into end-
less compositions with wave upon wave of
Sonic Youth-style guitarmageddon. Yes,
the songs are long (each clocks in at well
over four minutes), but in a seemingly de-
liberate way, rather than the result of care-
lessness or self-indulgence.
“I’m wandering around in a drunken
haze,” grumbles Kvöl’s vocalist over the
aforementioned “Norm.” This is a record
whose noise speaks for itself.
- HOLDEN JAFFE
Album
Reviews
BÖRN – 'BÖRN'
Grúska Babúska – 'Grúska'
KVÖL – 'EP'
2014
www.borndeyja.bandcamp.com
Death punk for people fed up
with dishonest happiness.
2013
www.gruskababuska.com
A journey to the outer edges
of the world according to four
Icelandic women
2014
www.ronja.bandcamp.com
Drum machines and murky
guitars: Kvöl is walking around in
a self-induced haze
27The Reykjavík GrapevineIssue 16 — 2014 MUSIC