Reykjavík Grapevine - 07.12.2018, Blaðsíða 32

Music

Jónsi has released a triple-
album of experimental mate-
rial collected under his Frakkur solo
moniker. After a limited vinyl press-
ing sold out at last year’s Norður og
Níður festival, this body of work has
now been given a wider release. It’s
a triple-album that’s named after the
period in which it was created, ‘2000-
2004.’ Each of the three sessions
involved different instruments and
equipment, resulting in three distinct
bodies of work. It’s an intriguing
mixed bag of ambient composition,
mischievous electronica and Jónsi’s
inimitable cooing vocals that Sigur
Rós fans will lap up. Check out frakkur.
bandcamp.com or find it on Spotify.

Slick emerging pop quartet Vök have
announced their new album, slated
for release on March 1st, 2019 via the
Nettwerk Music Group. Written and
recorded by Margrét Rán Magnús-
dóttir and Einar Hrafn Stefánsson in
collaboration with UK producer James
Earp, ‘In the Dark’ reportedly sees
Vök taking their 'pop sound' even
further than before. The band have
been making waves internationally
in recent years, growing from their
xx-influenced roots to develop a
more propulsive and polished sound
of their own, and finding an audience
by touring with Goldfrapp, Ásgeir and
Editors.
As always, there are a plethora of
Christmas and New Year concerts go-
ing on around Reykjavík this month.
Check out page 26 for our guide
to some of the best—including a
special Prins Jóló festive special, and
a free IDNÓ knees up with Teitur and
bagdad brothers. On New Year’s Eve,
the bars open at midnight (don’t ask
why, it’s weird), and rumour has it the
best parties will be Kiasmos and Jon
Hopkins at Húrra, and a rumoured
concert at IDNÓ. Good luck out there,
y’all! JR
MUSIC
NEWS
Love, Drugs
& Escapism
Mysterious duo kef LAVÍK
accidentally grow a cult-like following
Words: Tara Njála Ingvarsdóttir Photos: Timothée Lambrecq

Band
‘Follow kef LAVÍK on Facebook to
catch their next gig and make sure
to nab tickets to their show.
Kef LAVÍK are an unusual band in
more ways than one. They’d released
three albums—‘Kuldinn er Fínn,’
‘Lifum Alltaf,’ and ‘Vesæl í Kulda-
num’—before they even played their
first gig, opening for Vaginaboys in
front of 400 people at Harpa in 2016.
An instant hit, every show since has
has sold out.
Such an out-of-the-blue arrival
is rare. Perhaps it’s something to
do with the way they crack them-
selves open—their lyrics are naked-
ly personal, addressing struggles
with love, pain, drug abuse, suicidal
thoughts and longing. Their shows,
conversely, are nothing short of cel-
ebratory. Their devoted crowds sing
at the top of their lungs, jumping
around to the upbeat electro-pop-
rap crossover tunes. Even those
who don’t understand the words get
swept up in the atmosphere their
diehard fans create.
Anonymous duo
Their setup as a band is also unusu-
al. Despite (or perhaps because of)
their cult-like appeal, the duo prefer
to remain unnamed. The music is
written by an honour-roll engineer-
ing student—for the purposes of
this article we’ll call him “The Writ-
er.” His music is performed onstage
by his partner in crime, who’s stud-
ying to become a chef—we’ll refer to
him as “The Frontman.”
The two have known each other
since childhood, and the band start-
ed as an inside joke. “Then it stopped
being funny,” smiles
The Writer. “But he
[The Frontman] is
still happy when I
send him lyrics to
practice. Like: ‘Ég finn skíta lykt af
aumingjum.’” (English translation:
“I smell bullshit from losers.”)
“He says it for me.”
The three albums tell the story of a
tumultuous drug-fueled relation-
ship, and the lyrics struck a chord
with listeners. It was a surprise to
the band when, at that very first
concert, the crowd started singing
along.
The lyrics reveal an inner turmoil
that perhaps their audience shares.
“People connect to the material,”
says The Writer. “I’ve always thought
that I’m just writing what the public
are thinking, but wouldn’t say out
loud. And I still don’t.” He smiles
slyly at The Frontman. “He says it
for me.”
The albums form a single cycle
of works, all tied to one autobio-
graphical tale. “I’ve been trying to
get myself into equally dramatic sit-
uations,” says The Writer, “so that I
have some more material to work
with. But it hasn't worked out... yet.”
Conspiracy theories
It wasn’t by design that the albums
had been released before the first
show. Life just got in the way: The
Writer is also a fisherman, and The
Frontman was putting long hours
in at work. The two maintained
their anonymity until their debut
gig, leaving a lot of empty space for
their burgeoning audience fill in the
blanks.
“What may start out as a true
story spreads and mixes with other
theories,” says The Writer. “It’s cool
that there are conspiracy theories
about us. Maybe that’s a part of the
cult.”
The winners
Kef LAVÍK released a new album
recently, entitled ‘Ágæt Ein: lög um
að ríða og/eða nota eiturlyf’ or ‘Fine
Alone: Songs on Fucking and/or Us-
ing Drugs.’ It marks
the start of a new
narrative. “But it’s
about the same pro-
tagonists,” says The
Writer. “The winners. You could say
that heat—summer and death—are
the background of the new album.
But the stories are still not fun. Not
fun at all.”
gpv.is/music
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