Reykjavík Grapevine - 12.04.2019, Blaðsíða 8

Iceland has the second-highest rate
of antidepressant use worldwide, so
it’s no surprise that they were also
recently named the fourth happiest
place on Earth, according to the World
Happiness Report, which ranks overall
satisfaction based on a country’s GDP,
available social support, individual
freedom, and other factors. It makes
sense—a nation that would choose to
send an anti-capitalist BDSM band to
Eurovision is clearly one that has got its
shit figured out.
Smiles all around
This isn’t the first time Iceland has
shown its stuff in the happiness cate-
gory. The country was the fourth happi-
est in 2018, third happiest in 2017 and
2016, second happiest in 2015, and so
on. Basically, ever since the index’s
inception, Iceland has been in the top
10. Hey—Iceland may not have smited
at the World Cup, but they are killing it
in the smiles department.
In conjunction with the report, the
Icelandic Directorate of Health revealed
that the happiest Icelandic people live
in the small southern fishing town of
Grindavík. To be honest, it’s a bit of a
mystery why, but potentially this is
because of the fantastic lobster soup at
their local café, Bryggjan. Don’t lie—if
you could stuff yourself with delicious
lobster soup every day, you’d probably be
very happy. That is, unless you’re kosher.
:D --> D:
Of course now that WOW Air has shut
down and tourism is dead and we are
all about to lose our jobs, perhaps happi-
ness might decrease. The króna value
definitely will.
Icelanders Are
Living Their Best Life
The fourth happiest country? Duh!
8 The Reykjavík Grapevine
Issue 05— 2019
LÓABORATORIUM
The road to happiness
Listen, watch & hear
more tracks:
gpv.is/play
Kristín Anna -
I Must Be The Devil
Kristín Anna
Valtysdóttir, the
artist formerly
known as Kría
Brekkan, has been
on the Reykjavík
music scene since
múm became a
breakout success.
This accomplished
chamber pop
album comes after
a long break, and
it was worth the
wait. JR
Snorri Helgason - Við
Strendur Mæjorka
Meaning, roughly
translated, “By the
Coast of Majorca,”
Snorri’s latest is
seemingly an ode to
getting the hell out
of this sub-Arctic
wilderness and going
on your holidays. And,
during a grey April
day in Iceland, who
would argue with
that? JR
Junius Meyvant -
New Waves
Like a time-capsule
of analogue 1970s
soul-pop comes
Junius Meyvant’s
“New Waves.” It
might not have
a single drop of
anything new in
it—it could just as
easily be a dusty
charity shop vinyl
find as a Spotify
playlist discovery—
but that doesn’t
stop it from being
an enjoyable few
minutes of musical
nostalgia. JR
Högni -
Paradísarmissir
The dulcet-toned
Högni returns with
an ode to love
that’s both simple
and grand in scale.
He croons softly
through this one,
over a delicate
piano melody
that unfolds into
a memorable
orchestral string
arrangement. JR
Janus Rasmussen -
Green Wine
While his partner
in Kiasmos, Ólafur
Arnalds, takes a
lap of the some of
the world’s best
concert halls, Janus
Rasmussen has kept
himself busy. His solo
album—‘Vín’—is a
continuation of the
Kiasmos brand of
atmospheric, low-key
electronica that has
a certain sun-kissed
feel. JR
Tumi Árnason
/ Magnús
Tryggvason
Eliassen - Perfect
Animal
Beginning with a
few notes played
on what sounds
like a pan flute,
this masterpiece
of raw sounding,
improvised jazz
quickly turns it
up to 11. “Perfect
Animal” comes
at you like a
hurricane, with an
erratic energy that
fades away just as
quickly as it came.
Check it out on
Bandcamp. SD
THE
GRAPEVINE
PLAYLIST
The must-hear tracks of the issue
Þa
ð
lig
gu
r í

au
gu
m
u
pp
i
JUST SAYINGS
“Það l iggur í
augum uppi” is
an old and fairly
common saying
in Iceland. It
literally trans-
lates to: It lays in
the eyes upstairs.
Confused? Well,
it actually means
“obvious.” But there is nothing obvious
about it. I mean, on what floor do these
eyes live? The saying implies that things
are so obvious that it’s just ridiculous to
discuss that any further. Icelanders use
this term in their everyday language
and it feels quite organic in discussions.
But of course, if you translate the idiom
to English, it unveils the oddity of the
Icelandic language in a hilarious way.
So the next time an Icelander tells you
about something obvious, just say: Well,
of course, it lays in the eyes upstairs.
How complicated can it be? VG
WHAT HAVE
WE WON?
Words:
Hannah Jane
Cohen
Photo:
Art Bicnick
First
www.tulipop.com Skólavörðustígur 43, Reykjavík