Reykjavík Grapevine - 16.03.2018, Side 32

Music

A new collaborative music
“pop-opera” called VAKÚM
has been announced, taking
place April 12th at Tjarnabíó. Inspired
by the vacuum of space, the project
was conceived and choreographed
by Milkywhale singer and frontwoman
Melkorka Sigríður Magnúsdóttir. It also
brings together a variety of artists
in other fields, including music by
Milkywhale and FM Belfast producer
Árni Runar Hlöðversson, and text by
author Auður Ava Ólafsdóttir, with a
variety of notable dancers and singers,
also taking part in the performance.
Tickets are on sale now at tix.is.

Sólveig Matthildur, the winner of our
“You Should Have Heard This” prize at
this year’s Grapevine Music Awards,
is out on tour in Japan. Sólveig is a
member of Kælan Mikla, and one of
the Berlin-based Icelanders behind
the MYRKFÆLNI underground maga-
zine, but her solo work has proven
revelatory. The month-long tour,
entitled “Stressed And Depressed,” is
ongoing at the time of writing, with
support from Last King Of Poland. Hav-
ing started in Tokyo and Nagoya, the
remaining nine concerts take place in
Kobe, Osaka and Kyoto. Sólveig’s debut
solo album, ‘Unexplained Miseries And
The Acceptance Of Sorrow,’ is out now.

Örvar Smárason, one of the founders
of seminal krútt-pop collective múm,
has announced his first formal solo
album. ‘Light Is Liquid’ will come out
via German label Morr Music on May
18th. A first glimpse—a soft-edged
and beautiful duet with Sillus called
“Photoelectric”—is now available via
Bandcamp. At the time of writing, Örvar
is on tour in Germany promoting “Team
Dreams,” the album he co-created
along with his Morr Music labelmates
sóley and Sin Fang throughout the year
2017. The three have also announced
an Istanbul date at Zorlu Performans
Sanatları Merkezi on April 12th.
MUSIC
NEWS
Riding Waves
GusGus on their new music and new dynamic
Words: Alexander Jean de Fontenay Photo: Timothée Lambrecq

Live at Sónar Reykjavík
SónarClub, March 16th at 22:40
GusGus are a pioneering entity in
Iceland’s electronic music scene
that barely needs an introduction.
This band are well known for their
energetic live performances and
catchy synth-driven melodies both
here and abroad. Since forming in
1995 they have seen ten album re-
leases on six labels, and have had
numerous personnel changes.
GusGus are currently a duo
featuring two founder members:
producer Biggi Veira—real name
Birgir Þórarinsson—and vocal-
ist Daníel Ágúst Haraldsson. We
met and chatted over a coffee
about their current endeavours.
Float on waves
Despite having different back-
grounds, Biggi, whose previous
electronic output as T-World was
assimilated into GusGus, and
Daníel, who also founded pop-band
Nýdönsk, share a common interest
in the possibilities of electronic mu-
sic. “When I started performing with
GusGus I was very conscious dur-
ing the parts in the songs where the
music had a chance to breathe,” says
Daníel. “I felt like I had some gaps
to fill.” After years
of experience, his
goal is now to listen
carefully and bring
on a continuation
of the music. “I try to float on the
waves that Biggi produces,” he says.
GusGus’ live performances as
of late centre on the artistic part-
nership of Biggi and Daníel. “Ex-
perimentation is a very important
part of our live show,” explains
Biggi, and indeed their shows have
a certain je ne sais quoi that adds
a layer of enjoyment to their fa-
miliar songs. With fewer players
on stage, they feel this has become
more conscious and concise. Daníel
explains: “There’s more focus and
intimacy now when our collabora-
tive energies get to be centre stage.”
Oroom for more
It’s been four years since the group’s
previous release, “Mexico,” which
implies a quality-over-quantity men-
tality. “It’s important for our music
to be allowed to happen slowly,” Big-
gi says. “It’s about carefully making
music that we can’t get enough of,”
adds Daníel. Their new album is
called ‘Lies Are More Flexible,’ and
hit the digital shelves on February
23rd. It’s self-released on the band’s
newly founded label, Oroom. “We
are doing almost everything sur-
rounding our music ourselves these
days,” says Biggi. “So we thought
we might as well release it, too.”
The title of their most recent ef-
fort suggests a theme of existential-
ist absurdity—an attempt to justify
lying—with a mundane photograph
from everyday life as the cover, and
song titles like “No Manual” and
“Don’t Know How To Love.” The
sound has elements reminiscent of
early electronic genres. “The late ‘70s
and early ‘80s were an interesting,
raw and very explorative period for
electronic music, that wasn’t nec-
essarily aimed at dance clubs,” says
Biggi. “I felt like making songs with
synth-heavy New Wave influences,
and an industrial yet
emotional energy.”
To be
continued
GusGus will perform at Sónar Rey-
kjavík on March 16th in celebration of
'Lies Are More Flexible'—which will
soon see a vinyl release—and a new
remix EP is in the works. And if that
wasn’t enough, the amount of prom-
ising music created in the process of
making the new album was enough
to help Biggi and Daníel decide that
a follow-up, or sister-album, will
be released next year. In Daníel’s
own words: “To be continued!”
Gaukurinn
bar & live venue
TRYGGVAGATA 22
...and other events:
16/3: Drag-Súgur queer variety show
17/3: VxPxOxAxAxWxAxMxC (Austria),
Hemúllinn, Óværa, Narthraal,
Devine Defilement
22/3: Drag-Súgur DRAG LAB
23/3: LB023 Record release party:
Lord Pusswhip, Harry Knuckles,
Prince Fendi
24/3: Reykjavík Goth Night:
ESA – Electronic Substance Abuse,
Jóhann Eiriksson, Dj Mole IX,
Dj Vetrarsorg, Gbit
25/3: Singer/Songwriter Night
29/3: While My City Burns,
xGADDAVÍRx, Devine Defilement
www.gaukurinn.is
STANDUP COMEDY
in English every Monday
KARAOKE PARTY
every Tuesday
Free entry and starts at 21 both nights
OPEN-MIC
STANDUP COMEDY
in English every Wednesday
Free entry and starts at 20:30
We are very queer
friendly, open and
diverse. And we have
Vegan cocktails.
HAPPY HOUR
every day
from 14 to 21
gpv.is/music
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