Reykjavík Grapevine


Reykjavík Grapevine - 05.01.2018, Blaðsíða 25

Reykjavík Grapevine - 05.01.2018, Blaðsíða 25
SKYR PARFAIT TRADITIONAL MEAT SOUP ICELANDIC BACALAO ÞINGHOLTSSTRÆTI 5, 101 REYKJAVÍK TEL: +354 595 8535 WWW.ISAFOLDRESTAURANT.COM THE OLD ICELAND MENU Ideal for a special night out RESTAURANT ÍSAFOLD I C E L A N D I C R E S T A U R A N T & B A R Tasty tapas and dr inks by the o ld harbour T a b l e r e s e r v a t i o n s : + 3 5 4 5 1 7 1 8 0 0 - w w w . f o r r e t t a b a r i n n . i s Certificate of Excellence ———— 2016 ———— BLACK FLOWERS BLOSSOM Sólveig Matthildur emerges as a solo artist and entrepreneur Words: Jessica Peng While many 23-year-olds are ei- ther still in school or settling into the routine of a regular job, Berlin- based Sólveig Matthildur is creat- ing her own innovative path as both a musician and entrepreneur. And it’s already paying off: her de- but solo album ‘Unexplained Mis- eries & Acceptance of Sorrow’ wins this year’s You Should Have Heard This Award. MISERIES AND SORROW Layered with dark synth melodies, Sólveig’s vocals blossom like flow- ers amidst the piercing darkness of her music. Released in Decem- ber 2016, the album’s first pressing of 100 CDs quickly sold out. “I’m surprised, because I didn’t really expect this album to be anything,” says Sólveig, humbly. “Now there will be 100 more copies just for Ja- pan, and a record label in Peru will also release it on cassette.” Regarding the name of the al- bum, Sólveig says, “I’m always checking out unexplained myster- ies and stories, and then I mis- spelled the word and wrote ‘miser- ies,’ and I thought it was so great.” She wrote and self-produced the songs over a period of eight months. “I was kind of miserable at that time,” she says. “After a month, when I was making more songs, I was kind of just accepting the sorrow.” SONGWRITING AND SYNTHS Having been a member of synth- punk band Kælan Mikla for the past five years, Sólveig has plenty of experience with synthesizers and production techniques. Her solo album is a combination of im- provisation and practice. “Maybe one track is made only with syn- thetic techniques,” she explains. “And some songs were made be- cause I was trying to learn how to make beats.” As a synth expert, Sólveig owns various drum machines, samplers and analogue synths. With help and encouragement from friends, she started experimenting with music when she was 19. “I was al- ways interested, but I didn’t feel like I had an opportunity to do it,” she says. “Maybe because I felt stu- pid, maybe because I’m a woman and everyone playing synthesizers around me was male.” FEAR OF DARKNESS Besides writing and producing her music, Sólveig also books tours around the world. “I can stop whenever I want, and if I want to stay in a little cabin in the woods for two nights, I can just do that,” she laughs. Having made many connections through Kælan Mikla, she’s acing the networking game without even knowing it. Sólveig and her friend Kinnat Sóley also run a music magazine called Myrkfælni, or “Fear of dark- ness” in English. Started in Janu- ary 2017, Myrkfælni covers Icelan- dic underground music, and has a cult readership that’s spread all over the world. “We’re trying to make it a platform for musicians to join the underground scene,” she explains. As if that weren’t enough, Sólveig also runs a record label called Hið Myrka Man which has released six albums to date, and hosted a festival called MYRKRA- MAKT. With so many projects to run, Sólveig does feel the pressure, finishing: “I hope that soon I can separate me as a musician from me as a businesswoman.” You Should Have Heard This: Sólveig Matthildur 'Unexplained Miseries & The Acceptance Of Sorrow' After rising to prominence for her work with synth- punk band Kælan Mikla, Sólveig Matthildur moved to Berlin, where she started her own solo project. She self-released her debut solo album ‘Unex- plained Miseries and the Acceptance of Sorrow’ on Bandcamp, in accordance with her staunchly in- dependent punk-DIY style, and since then it’s also come out on cassette and CD, selling out quickly and becoming something of a cult hit. The album is a thrilling listen, with Sólveig’s rich singing voice woven into a deep, resonant sound- scape of dreamy electronic beats. But even so, it’s powerful enough to give you goosebumps as she sings her melancholic tales of heartbreak and recovery. Sólveig experiments right at the border of her electro-gothic vernacular, resulting in an al- bum that’s at once heartbreaking and revitalising, following unpredictable waves of sound that spiral up and plunge down with tidal strength. Fall down with Sólveig and you’ll rise a new person. 25The Reykjavík Grapevine Issue 01 — 2018
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