Reykjavík Grapevine - 05.10.2018, Side 40

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40The Reykjavík Grapevine
Issue 18— 2018Culture
As we drift into autumn and both Air-
waves and the end of the year get closer
on the horizon, we thought it would be
a good time to look back at the Icelan-
dic music that most enthralled, inspired
and surprised us over the last twelve
months. From gothronica to nu-classical
to doom-rock and zeitgeist-capturing in-
die-pop, here’s the first part of our music
team’s tracks of the year.
John Rogers
An underrated album this year was
‘Light Is Liquid’ from múm's Örvar
Smárason. It’s loaded with crisp, clean
electronic melancholia, produced with
a beautiful retro-futurist sheen. Lead
single “Photoelectric” is a highlight,
with a guest vocal performance from
up ‘n’ comer Sillus, but the tracks I’ve
returned to most frequently are “Hail-
storms & Hydrogen Bombs,” which
expresses fleeting moments of posi-
tivity under the twin spectres global
warming and Trump-era politics, and
“Cthulu Regio,” which offers a pretty
stoic take on the end of the world. An-
other must-hear is the forthcoming
“Affliction/Absolution” 7” from emerg-
ing goth-pop star Sólveig Matthil-
dur—her band Kælan Mikla is going
overground this year after opening for
Placebo and The Cure, but her solo ma-
terial is nakedly emotional and utterly
compelling.

Hannah Jane Cohen
In my interview with Ólafur Arnalds
earlier this year, he joked about how
he wanted his music to be more than
just something you put on in the back-
ground while studying. I get what he
meant, but Ólafur has a knack for
turning passive listening into a vis-
ceral experience. Managing to be at
once both calming and completely in-
offensive, his newest effort, ‘re:mem-
ber’ is as good as mood music can get.
Standouts for me include the title
track and “they sink,” both of which
are great to cry to. Ólafur may not be
the most hip choice on this playlist,
but hey, it’s been on rotation at my
place.
Phil Uwe Widiger
My track of the year so far is the third
track of Morpholith’s ‘Void Emis-
sions’ EP. “VoidWalker” is the EP’s
longest track, clocking in at 12 min-
utes, and it’s worth every second of it.
The song starts with a melodic riff,
followed by a verse with clean singing
that consequently breaks down into a
heavier part with feverish screams—a
little taste of what is yet to come. Mor-
pholith are known for incorporating
psychedelic elements into their ston-
er-doom sound, and the solo on this
track is no exception. At around five
minutes, the track slows down, and
we are led into a melancholic section,
featuring spoken word, with amazing
drum parts. The song builds in inten-
sity, only to climax into a breakdown
that makes my neck hurt every sin-
gle time. When the song finally ends,
I always have trouble remembering
where I am at, as if I had just travelled
into another world. Pure eargasm.
Valur Grettisson
It’s safe to say that the one of the
most distinctive bands in the Icelan-
dic music scene is the project of the
brilliant farmer-slash-musician Prins
Póló. His new album, ‘Þriðja kryddið’
(‘The Third Spice’) is full of humor-
ous naive melodies and surprisingly
inventive lyrics about carelessness—
like what to do when the toilet paper
is missing, and a melancholic ode to
the let downs in life. Which brings us
to the greatest track of the year, “Líf
Ertu Að Grínast” (“Life, Are You Jok-
ing?”). This depressing anthem about
the mundane rituals of life is ampli-
fied with sarcastic Disney-style steel
drums, cheerful ‘whoos,’ and perky
‘80s drums. But don’t let all that fool
you, for the mindfulness is busy, it’s
out walking the dog. Everybody is just
out working their ass off, and asking
themselves vital questions like “do I
have any chance to own a blue metallic
Benz or a fake fur coat?” The album is
easily one of the best of the year, and
“Líf Ertu Að Grínast” is on its way to
become a defining song of a genera-
tion.
Words:
The Grapevine
Music Dpt.
Photo:
Ingibjörg
Birgisdóttir
This Year’s
Must Hears
The Grapevine team’s favourite tracks of 2018, part one

Cry me a waterfall, it's the end of the world as we know it
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“‘Líf Ertu Að
Grínast’ is on its
way to become a
defining song of a
generation.”
Listen:
Hear the tracks
at gpv.is/tymh,
and check out our
latest playlists at
gpv.is/play.