Reykjavík Grapevine - 07.04.2017, Page 2

It’s hard to create art in the shadow of
the trailblazer. Icelandic writers know
this well: it isn’t easy to follow in the
footsteps of Halldór Kiljan Laxness,
probably Iceland’s best-known author,
who won the Nobel Prize for Literature
in 1955. In music, it’s similarly difficult
to be the generation that tries to create
something fresh after the golden age of
pop music in Iceland, when Björk and
Sigur rós conquered the world.
The krútt generation (or “cute gen-
eration,” translated literally) created
one of the biggest music scenes Ice-
land has known, and are perhaps one
of the cornerstones of today’s Icelandic
tourism boom. Hundreds—even thou-
sands—of young “eurohippies” came
to Iceland like pilgrims after listening
to “Von” by Sigur rós. And although
the krútt generation were often seen
as naïve and childish musicians, they
sounded a clear premonition of the fu-
ture—they wanted clean nature, and
they rejected the totalitarian impulses
of ever-growing corporatism.
Now we’re in the postmodern era of
terrorism, social media, the gradual
failing of political systems like capital-
ism, and the ever-growing wealth gap
between rich and poor. The resulting
music scene is a huge wave of hip-hop
in Iceland—the artistic expression of
the millennials, a “generation of sin-
cerity” who have the unenviable task of
emerging from the long cultural shad-
ow cast by the krútt generation.
The Grapevine, of course, decided to
ask some of the biggest hip-hop artists
in Iceland about the krútt generation,
and also to find out what the krútts
think about all these deadbeat millenni-
als who wage all their wars on social me-
dia. Their answers might surprise you.
You can read the feature on page 21.
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ART DIRECTION
Sveinbjörn Pálsson
From “Krútt”
To Hip-Hop
Millennials
First THE GRAPEVINE PLAYLIST
Snowed In -
Downtrodden,
Lonesome,
Bohemian,
Lo-fi, Teenage,
Existentialist Blues
Snowed In describe
themselves as “sad
punks” from Akranes
who hate hotels,
cops, and having a
good time. Check
out their hardcore
exploration of
Icelandic young-
punk life on their
debut EP ‘Ambitious
but Talentless’. HJC
Ljósvaki - Pieces
Ljósvaki
(“Lightbringer,"
to use the artist’s
own translation) is
the project of one
Leifur Eiríksson. His
new video, “Pieces,"
features some
catchy, affecting,
low-key electronic
soul and a Neo-
Tokyo-esque vision
of the artist in a vivid
neon dreamspace.
We like. JR
Nordic Affect -
Raindamage
Icelandic ensemble
Nordic Affect have
teamed up with
composers Valgeir
Sigurðsson, Úlfur
Hansson and Hlynur
Aðils Vilmarsson for
their new six-track
LP, ‘Raindamage’. It’s
an engaging and at
times challenging
listen, sharply
juxtaposing the
composers’ styles. JR
KÁ-AKÁ ft. Bent - YURI
Yuri is the name of
not only the first
human to journey
into outer space, but
also KÁ-AKÁ’s child-
hood psychiatrist.
Don’t worry—KÁ-AKÁ
is stable now. This
new tune is a col-
lab with Icelandic
rapper Bent, and
takes on bullying,
mental health, and
porn. If you’re also
having issues, you
could check out the
shrink. HJC
Valgeir Sigurðsson -
Infamy Sings
Valgeir Sigurðsson
has unveiled a
new track, “Infamy
Sings,” from his
forthcoming album
‘Dissonance’, which
is slated for an April
21 release. It’s a
weighty orchestral
composition with
twinkling piano
pirouetting over
a dense, oceanic
foundation. JR
Listen & watch:
gpv.is/play
EDITORIAL
2
In This Issue
Words:
Valur
Grettisson
Photo:
Hörður
Sveinsson
P:06 REYKJAVÍK'S HOUSING CRISIS
P:16 MIND THE (WAGE) GAP
P:28 VALGEIR SIGURÐS-
SON'S 'DISSONANCE'
P:46 ODDNÝ EIR
P:48 FOOD & TRAVEL
www.oddsson.isd
r
in
k
sleep
ea
t
sing
hello is it me
you're looking for?