Reykjavík Grapevine - jan. 2019, Blaðsíða 35

and Florence + The Machine as a
part of a brass band. It’s safe to say
that she learned a lot. Although the
Onælan album is unique, you can
clearly hear her influences. But it
was the strong songwriting that
convinced me that this is some-
thing promising. It’s one of the best
albums of 2018. The final album got
a bit buried in the Christmas mad-
ness—Hermigervill’s long-awaited
‘II.’ This album is everything you
can ask for when it comes to solid
electro music. He even throws in
some old school Roland TB bass
sounds to satisfy the 90s electro
nerds. The album is playful, me-
lodic and humorous. It's a good step
forward for Hermigervill and I hope
he’ll travel further on this track.
Hannah Jane Cohen
I was introduced to the work of
Daníel Bjarnason only whilst writ-
ing a feature about him and his op-
era ‘Brothers’ earlier this year. Not a
modern opera lover, I was hesitant,
at first, but I’ve since fallen head
and soul in love with everything
Daníel has done. His newest effort,
‘Collider,’ is a particular favourite.
The album is—as you’d expect for
the composer—super dramatic.
That said, it’s also weirdly dance-
able, especially if you’re the type
that likes to put on tunes so they
can dive headfirst into fantasti-
cal daydreams while vacuuming.
Daníel’s tunes make me feel like
I’m the star of some dark ballet.
The choral parts on ‘The Isle Is Full
Of Noises: I. O, I Have Suffered’ are
particularly good to emote to. Out-
side of the classical genre, I got su-
per into the Sisters Of Mercy-esque
vibes of Port, a group that has un-
fortunately flown massively under
the radar. Their album, ‘Night Mu-
sic,’ which came out in September,
was the perfect soundtrack for my
reformed goth life. It’s rare that a
band can authentically capture that
old goth vibe, but they did (and I’m
pretty sure they even used a drum
machine.) Other than that, Ólafur
Arnalds earned many Spotify plays
from me, as did Dadykewl’s smooth
hip-hop and Great Grief’s recent
hardcore/rock debut. Overall, it’s
been an eclectic year for Icelandic
music. But really—here’s hoping
this year’s Eurovision song is bet-
ter than the shitshow of last year!
Phil Uwe Widiger
There were only a few Icelandic re-
leases that stuck with me this year.
One of them was Morpholith’s first
EP, ‘Void Emissions,’ which com-
pletely blew me away— a feeling
that was only intensified by their in-
sanely powerful live shows. Morpho-
lith’s mix of psychedelia and doom
riffs is guaranteed to put you into a
heavy trance. Another release that
thoroughly impressed—and which
was closely connected to an intense
live experience—was Hórmónar’s
debut album ‘Nanananabúbú.’ With
compelling lyrics, emotional vo-
cals that pierce right through your
heart, and a rough yet well-judged
production, this was my Icelan-
dic album of the year. More than
once I have cried my eyes out and
screamed along with this album,
because it is just so damn good. If
you ever have the chance to see this
band live, do not fucking hesitate—
just do it and thank me later.
35The Reykjavík Grapevine
Issue 01— 2019
Sigrún - Ónælan
Sólveig Matthildur
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