Reykjavík Grapevine - 05.10.2018, Síða 8

The clam. The myds. The Reykjavík
Handshake. All of these are terms you
can use to describe chlamydia, one of
the most common sexually transmitted
diseases in the world. Iceland distin-
guishes itself in having the highest rate
of chlamydia in the world—about 619
instances per 100,000 people—a posi-
tion it has held for a very long time.
It’s a bit unfair to the rest of the world
to say that this is something we “won.”
It’s not like we tried, after all. There was
no draft pick for the Chlamydia Men’s
National Team, no qualifying rounds, no
cheesy theme songs and Viking imagery
deployed to drum up support for rising
to the top of the world in minor genital
infections. It just came natural to us.
In fairness, our top rank may actu-
ally say more about other countries
than it does Iceland. STD testing is
very prevalent and common in Iceland,
and health care officials have increased
testing for chlamydia over the past ten
years, thereby increasing the number
of positive test results. So maybe other
countries have even higher rates of chla-
mydia but don’t test enough. If so, they
have a lot of catching up to do. Aim high,
rest of the world.
WHAT HAVE WE WON?
Number One For
Chlamydia
No gold medals for this one
8 The Reykjavík Grapevine
Issue 18— 2018
LÓABORATORIUM
Meet chlamydia, of which we are CHAMPIONS! Y... yay?
Listen, watch & hear
more tracks:
gpv.is/play
Berndsen -
Alter Ego
Iceland’s bushy-
bearded hunk of
synth-pop lovin’,
Berndsen, has
finally unveiled
his long awaited
new album to the
waiting world. With
soft-focus textures
and languid
rhythms, “Alter Ego”
is, as promised,
an exploration of
mature themes. It
also contains some
mature references:
try and spot the
influence of various
‘80s pop titans as
you listen. JR
Iris Thorarins –
Yggdrasill
On Menningarnótt
2018, composer
Iris Thorarins
created an intricate
soundscape for
a 370 square
metre public art
installation inspired
by three Nordic
worlds: Paradise,
Hel and Yggdrasill.
Each world got its
own song, which
was recently
released on an
EP. “Yggdrasill”—
inspired by the
mythical tree—uses
string drones and
airy effects to
create something
distinctly
otherworldly.
Beauty incarnate.
HJC
Bistro Boy - Ljósbrot
Bistro Boy has been
fusing classical
flourishes with
electronica since
before Kiamos
made it almost
nearly kind-of cool.
His latest single
has a pleasing
psychedelic-nature
video, and the
track mixes string
arrangements with
smooth electronic
textures. We’d be
down with him
buying a distortion
plugin, but it’s some
chill, pleasant stuff
in the contemporary
mood music genre.
JR
RONNY - 99
RONNY is the
new rap project
from beat-maker
beatmachinearon.
While the song is
somewhat generic
trap, his previous
work is so beautiful
that we can’t help
but be excited to
see where he goes
with it. Hopefully
this song is a fluke
and he’ll integrate
his delicate and
unexpected beats
into upcoming
releases. Please
listen to us, RONNY.
HJC
ROKKY - My Lips
From RONNY to
ROKKY, We just need
ROMMY and ROLLY
for K-through-N
alphabetical
twinsies tour. “My
Lips” is a too-cool-
for-school dance
party banger
that has a lash of
Marie Davidson
and a smudge of
Miss Kitten. It’s
the first single, in
this incarnation,
from Ragnheiður
Haraldsdóttir, and
we want more—
watch this space.
JR
THE
GRAPEVINE
PLAYLIST
The must-hear tracks of the issue
www.tulipop.com Skólavörðustígur 43, Reykjavík
Ut
an
-

gá
tta
WORD OF
THE ISSUE
‘Utangátta’ has suddenly become a
mystical word in Hollywood, thanks to
Cary Fukuna-
ga’s hit Netflix
series ‘Maniac.’
In episode
nine, Jonah
Hill’s character,
Owen Milgrim,
plays an Icelan-
dic man named
Snorri who
(spoiler alert,
not that it
matters) acci-
dentally kills
an alien and
is a superspy.
'Maniac' is close to being completely
incomprehensible and a pathetically
shallow journey through real emotion.
The script is a shitty excuse for a
boyish take on ten different clichés in
as many episodes. The word utangátta
is fitting here, as it means absent
minded, which is exactly how we felt
when we drudged through this (s)hit
show. VG
Words:
Andie Fontaine
Photo:
Wiki Commons
First