Reykjavík Grapevine - 25.08.2017, Page 27

Icelandic-Brightonian punk-pop
trio, Dream Wife, just put out the
song ‘Fire’ and it sure has been blaz-
ing up music publications, both do-
mestic and international, as well
as getting good press at The Fader,
Stereogum and airplay on BBC 1’s
Annie Mac. It sports shredded mon-
ster-riffs, bass lines that ooze badass
feminine attitude, and singer Rakel
pulling out all the Karen O-stops.
But even with all that punk energy
it’s also catchy as hell—the ohhh’s
and ahhh’s of the backing vocals
pushing it over the edge into mass
appeal territory. It’s a winning blend
mixing up The Breeders, Yeah Yeah
Yeah’s and Le Tigre, stirred with a
slice of Sleigh Bells. ‘Fire’ is a sin-
gle from an upcoming EP bearing
the same name, out on September
29th, on vinyl and digital. The label
Lucky Numbers, which has artists
like Friends, Goyte, Sebastian Tellier
and Sleigh Bells on their roster, is
releasing it. We will be watching out
for the Fire and look forward to get
burnt by it (in a good way), and so
should you.
In other Icelandic-musicians-work-
ing-with-foreign-musicians news,
we recently received two songs by
the project Bersabea, a collaboration
between the Icelandic London-based
Birgir Örn Hilmarsson and the
Finnish Niko-Matti Ahti. In the song
‘Lite Bulbs,’ they make delightfully
weird electronic arcade-psychadelia
with oriental tinged melodies and
synthesisers that sound like bird
chirps. ‘Two Tassels’ is even strang-
er, starting with a lo-fi tape hiss
before a cascade of sampled vocals
from traditional Chinese folk music
is piled on, then layered with boom-
ing drums, tons of off-key synths
and noises from god-knows-where,
mounting in a chaotic mess that
barely hangs together on the force
of pure willpower and the gigantic
momentum of an avalanche running
down a rocky mountainside. Both
songs are from Bersabea’s recently
released LP, ‘The Newest Historic
Site.’ The Nordic duo describes their
music as “an open-ended inquiry.
Improvisations, samples, voices,
field recordings and other aural flot-
sam gets collaged into bite-size pop
donuts. Niko-Matti and Birgir live in
different countries in the northern
hemisphere. The music is stitched
together somewhere in between.
Nothing is premeditated, nothing
is arbitrary. Everything is playful;
joy and terror abound.” We abide by
that description and promise a good
mind-expanding headphones expe-
rience if you check out these songs
on youtube or Bersabea’s own web-
site.
Melodica Reykavík
It's not just melodicas!
Songwriter festival
At Kex, August 25 to 27
T h e M e l o d i c a
Fe s t iv a l t o b e
held in Reykjavik
nex t we ekend,
from August 25
to 27 at Kex Hos-
tel, is a celebration of music from
around the globe. The festival began
as a small project in 2007, started
by musician Pete Uhlenbruch. He
wanted to create a space for local art-
ists to present and share their music
in a way that welcomed innovative,
underground talent in a supportive
community. Pete had been living in
Iceland for sometime when he cre-
ated Melodica, which gave him the
necessary connections to the music
scene to build a community. Since
then, Melodica has grown exponen-
tial ly from its small-scale roots,
expanding to host shows in cities
around the world, such as Hamburg,
Aarhus, Groningen, Berlin, Paris, Vi-
enna, New York and, of course, Rey-
kavík. The lineup usually consists of
performers from Sweden, the Neth-
erlands, Germany, and Iceland.
The upcoming event this weekend
marks 10 years of creating a sense
of collectiveness and networking
amongst artists. Melodica Reykjavík
will feature a multi-genre lineup and
offer a unique experience for mu-
sic fans. On the list are Lori Kelley,
Town of Saints, Freyja, Keto and Lu-
cas Roy, to name a few. Other local
performers include Marteinn Sindri,
CeaseTone, Simon Vestarr, Kristinn
Gunnarsson, Hannah Corinne, Skúli
Mennski, and many more.
Event organizer, Melina Rathjen,
aims every year to forge a connec-
tion between the artists and the peo-
ple who listen. “Often we have col-
laborations abroad with artists. It’s
about the community and making
friends—that’s the most incredible
thing about Melodica,” says Melina.
The entry fee for Melodica Reykjavik
is by a suggested donation of sug-
gested 1,000 ISK, and all proceeds
from the festival go toward sup-
porting travel costs for the artists.
More information including the full
lineup and set times can be found at
www.melodicareykjavik.com
Words:
Óli Dóri &
Davíð Roach
Share:
gpv.is/
straumur
Straumur,
Iceland's
premier indie
music radio
show, airs on
X977, Mon. at
23:00. Daily
music news
in Icelandic at
straum.is
Words:
Jenna
Mohammed
Photo:
Supplied by
subject
27
Icelanders Abroad:
Power-Punk And Trippy
Historic Sites
Straumur
CULTURE NEWS
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Full culture coverage
Melina Rathjen
“It’s about the
community and
making friends”
A Breezer In The Freezer
Tene-Rif Music Festival
September 1-2, 19:00
Freezer Hostel, 4.900 ISK
Tene-Rif Music Festival is a two
day flaming hot music festival
taking place at the coolest hostel
in the country. The weekend fes-
tival will feature everything from
beloved old-school Icelandic bands
such as Geirfuglarnir, to breath-
taking choirs and the newest of
new, including the crown prince
of the Icelandic rap scene, Emmsjé
Gauti. Party! ZVS
100% Empowering
Miss World Iceland
August 25, 20:00, Harpa, 4.490 ISK
Feminist paradise, Iceland, pres-
ents 24 female tributes that will
compete in a dramatic chase for
the title of Miss World Iceland.
The event, supposedly focused on
Icelandic fashion, music and sing-
ing (just don’t think about it too
hard), will determine which lucky
girl gets to go on to Miss World:
another round of sophisticated
judges and grueling competition
of high heels and bikinis. Miss
this and you’ll be missing history
in the making. ZVS
Climb Every Mountain
Eggert Pétursson
Runs until September 20, i8 Gallery,
Tues-Sat from 11:00-17:00, Free!
Pétursson’s exhibit was inspired
by the mountain Bjarnarfell,
where he found ravines, vegeta-
tion and gullies that excited him.
“Each of these ravines had their
own character.” He says, “I have re-
ally dissolved everything, and I am
not always certain whether I am
painting a stone, water, the flow-
ers or the light. The mere size of
the works should allow the viewer
to walk into the work, even to be
enveloped by it. What is presented
is my mapping of a certain period
and experience – a hike.” HJC