Reykjavík Grapevine - 01.11.2018, Page 10

The R
eykjavík G
rapevine
Iceland A
irw
aves Special 20
18
10 Hayley Kiyoko
Dubbed “Lesbian Jesus,” the
news that she’d be gracing Air-
waves with sent jubilant shock
waves throughout Reykjavík’s
LGBTQ+ community. It’s like
all my Eurovisions have come
at once! But, in all seriousness,
Hayley is changing the face of
pop music. If someone had told
my closeted teenage self that in
fifteen years’ time there would
be a cool mainstream musician
singing love songs that I could
relate to, didn’t objectify me and
my community, and that those
songs would actually be good,
I wouldn’t have believed it. We
have far to go, but this change
is seismic.
Cheryl K. Ang
Cheryl K. Ang works at the Iceland
Music office, where part of her job
is listening to tonnes of new Ice-
landic music on a daily basis while
munching down matcha Kit Kats.
See some words from Cheryl about
the Airwaves conference on page
44. A panellist at our 2018 Music
Awards, she’s a source to be trust-
ed.
Vök
These guys are so underrated.
“Before” is one of those songs
that you’ve almost certainly
heard before but never knew
the name of, and if you’re
looking for feels, then Mar-
grét’s gorgeously melancholy
voice is all you really need.
Ólafur Arnalds
The best way I can think of to
describe Ólafur Arnalds’ mu-
sic is being hit with a heavy
dose of nostalgia. Everything
feels at once new but familiar,
in a wonderfully comforting
way. I’m so excited to see how
his new album is going to
sound in a live setting.
Hugar
These guys are on the up and
up, with a new album due soon
and some of the best atmos-
pheric sounds out there. They
have a great evocative cine-
matic sound that’s a real treat.
It’s the the type of music that
transports you elsewhere and
makes you forget about time.
Aurora (NO)
There’s something magical
about Aurora’s incredibly
versatile, crystalline voice. It
carries itself effortlessly from
Oasis’ emotionally fragile ‘Half
The World Away’ to the dance-
pop ‘I Went Too Far’—
the mix of folk and
electronic elements is
addictive, if nothing
else. I can’t wait to see
what else comes of her
music.
S u p e r o r g a n i s m
(UK)
If you ever wondered
what memes would
sound like in musical
form, Superorganism
is your answer. This
band is the epitome of
internet music, with
band members creating diverse
tunes from all over the world,
with lyrics that sound like Juno’s
flowing stream of conscious-
ness. They’re impossible not to
love.
Alex Sinclair
Alex Sinclair is the marketing
manager of the Mengi organisa-
tion and one of the people behind
the Reykjavík Music Market. As
such, she's a local scene expert who
hears a constant stream of new Ice-
landic music.
aYia
Saying I am a super fan is proba-
bly putting it lightly? aYia is one
of the most exciting projects to
have come out of Reykjavík in
recent years and their debut al-
bum is going to send them on
a path of world domination.
Check them out before they are
too busy conquering the planet.
Berghaim
A good friend of mine describes
Bergur in the following way: ‘all
the girls want to be with him,
and all the boys wanna be him’
and I think that sums him up
perfectly. Berghaim is his new
solo project, which is a bit more
experimental and different to
his usual indie sounds, but it’s
a great mix of storytelling and
simple but engaging beats. Defi-
nitely one for fans of ducks.
Madonna + Child
I love everything about this
band. Their aesthetic, their mu-
sic and their stage performance
is unique, mysterious and creepy
in the best possible way.
JóiPé x Króli
I have seen these guys per-
form so many times I have lit-
erally lost count. I once even
chased them across Iceland
and saw them three times in
one day. They are that good.
Une Misère
I only saw these guys live very
recently at PrikPort and I
loved it. Their energy, tunes
and wil lingness to climb
dangerous structures whilst
performing makes them an
extremely engaging act to
watch. It’s safe to say I will
be at all of their shows from
now on.
Bergur
Þórisson
One half of fast-r ising duo
Hugar, Bergur Þórisson is also
a respected young producer who
has worked with the a galaxy
of Icelandic music stars, incud-
ing the likes of Ólafur Arnalds,
Jóhann Jóhannsson, Sigur Rós
and Björk.
Magnús Jóhann
This guy is playing a big part in
the rapidly increasing quality of
Icelandic pop/hip-hop, sliding
his jazzy keys into anything and
everything he can get his hands
on. His live show will be a great
showcase of talent meeting mu-
sicality. You never know if he’s
going to play R&B grooves or
free jazz, or both at the same
time…
Berndsen
I went to see Berndsen in New
York earlier this year and wasn’t
sure if this show was happening
in the past or the future. His 80s
sounds mixing with a very in-
teresting appearance on stage
are great fun to experience. If
you are looking for a night to re-
member, go see Berndsen.
Matthildur
One of the rising R&B stars in
Iceland, Matthildur has just one
song out, but it is very promis-
ing, to say the least. I’m looking
forward to hearing more songs;
her debut, “Wonder,” has been
on repeat since its release.
SiGRÚN
After touring with seemingly
every band on the planet, Si-
GRÚN just released her first full
album and it’s amazing. The
music and its visual counter-
part are very hard to categorise,
but if you’re looking for some-
thing fresh, SiGRÚN is the one
to check out.
Axel Flóvent
It ’s hard to find good sing-
er-songwriters, as there are just
so many of them in this day and
age but Axel is definitely one of
the better ones. His songs are
beautifully crafted and he is also
a great performer; definitely on
my list of shows to see!
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