Reykjavík Grapevine - 01.02.2019, Síða 32

Music

Iceland has some interesting
prospects vying to represent
the country at Eurovision this year.
Skaði is a trans singer whose entry,
‘Jeijó, keyrum alla leið’, is a collabora-
tion with Elli Grill and Glymur. Gothic
techno troupe Hatari have entered
a track called "Hatrið mun sigra," or
"Hate Will Prevail." Their entry could
prove controversial given the con-
text—when it was first announced
that Eurovision would be held in Israel,
17,000 Icelanders signed a petition
calling for a boycott. RÚV considered
the petition, but pressed ahead. In any
case, semi-finals will be held on Febru-
ary 9th and 16th, with the final decider
on March 2nd.

Two Icelandic artists have made the
longlist for this year’s Nordic Music
Prize. Acronymic twins GYÐA and GDRN
are both up for the award, which will
be presented at the Norwegian music
industry by:Larm Festival on February
28th. GYÐA’s “Evolution” is an album
with a mesmerising cello-and-voice
sound, and GDRN’s stylish R’n’B also
made waves on her home turf. To win,
the Icelanders will have to best Swed-
ish greats Robyn and Jenny Wilson,
and artists from Norway, Finland and
Denmark. Norway have won three years
running, and the last Icelandic artist to
win was Jónsi in 2011.
Dj. flugvél og geimskip has released
a new album, “Our Atlantis,” via Dutch
label Geertruida Records. Having
previously explored the themes of
space travel and the ocean floor, the
artist says Atlantis was the logical next
step. As always, her music is a bold and
unusual mixture of “influences from
all over; Syria, India and South America,
90's drum and bass, Bollywood, and
punk.” Dj. flugvél og geimskip will
tour Europe with veteran noise-rock
outfit Lightning Bolt to promote the
release— a tour on which “the music
is very different, but what the bands
have in common is releasing a com-
puter game.” JR
MUSIC
NEWS
Release
The Trows
Arnljótur communes with the
Orkadian fairies as Kraftigalli
Words: Tara Njála Ingvarsdóttir Photos: Timothée Lambreq

EP & Concert
Kraftigalli will perform on February
8th at 18:15 at Kópavogskirkja with a
visual performance in the volcanic
rocks; he also plays at Mengi on
February 14th. Get the ‘Trítill’ EP via
smitrecords.bandcamp.com.
Trows rockin’ and rollin’, joking
and telling stories, oh my! Icelandic
micro-label Smit Records released
Kraftgalli’s adventurous three track
EP ‘Trítill’ on vinyl last autumn.
Trítlar, or trows, are mysterious,
mischievous fairies or spirits from
the folklore of the Orkney Islands.
They’re small and shy, only leaving
their habitats at night to enter peo-
ple’s homes as they sleep. There are
tales of them kidnapping musicians,
or luring them into their dens. It
seems like multi-tasking artist and
musician Arnljótur Sigurðsson is
certainly one of those lured, and he
shares this adventure on his ‘Trítill’
EP, made under the pseudonym
Kraftigalli.
Wall wormhole
Arnljótur is a well-known musical
mastermind, and has been delving
into trows since he was visited by
some, who climbed into his subcon-
scious. “I dreamt there were trows
coming out of a wall in a proces-
sion,” he recounts, his eyes glim-
mering. “They were neither happy
nor upset, and waved their hands to
say hello.”
“At the time I was making
sound-poetry and wordplay, which
are sort of wormholes in language,”
he continues. “I felt like it fit nicely
with the trows. They love to sing,
dance, drink and party, and they ap-
peared to me through some kind of
a wormhole.”
Hold the door
Arnljótur felt a duty to document
their visit, and the result is the ‘Tr-
itll’ EP and a collection of drawings.
“I had to document it,” he says. “If
I hadn’t they might not have stuck
around.” He channeled the trows
when making the music. They seem
like playful and dionysian beings.
The EP begins with them rockin’
and rollin’, then they start to play
with words before a hip-hop-hap-
pening storytime finale.
Arnljótur’s live performance of
the songs is an ethnological journey
that brings the trows’ presence full
circle. It tells the tale of their arrival,
revealing where they come from and
how they act and play. He essentially
gives them a gateway to us, too. That
is perhaps how the doorway between
trows and people has remained open
over time.
Drawn portal
Icelandic nature and its mythical
creatures (elves, trolls, et cetera) are
often credited as an inspiration for
Icelandic music. “I’ve written poetry
about nature, but I haven't felt it in-
spiring my musical ventures per se,”
smiles Arnljótur. “But, to my own
surprise, I’m now making music
about the trows.”
Arnljótur’s depiction of the trows
is certainly a fun ride. With ‘Trítill,’
he invites us to joke with them, par-
ty and dance with them, and get a
glimpse of our world through their
eyes. His drawings of the creatures
are another portal between our
world and theirs. “People can get a
couple of trows to hang up in their
homes,” he says. “Then they can ap-
pear from their walls just as they
appeared to me. I also make sure
to feed them—maybe I give them
Smarties, landi, pilsner and such.
Once I gave them tuna salad and
peppermint oil, which I thought
would be a strange combination.”
“It’s important to keep the trows
on your good side,” he finishes.
“When they visit a place they need
a bit of food in their bellies so they
won’t get mad, or hit you on the
head, giving you a bald spot.” gpv.is/music
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Communing with the trows: Orkadian húldfólk
Dj. flugvél og geimskip's fish friend
Gyða: eyes on the prize
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