Reykjavík Grapevine - 19.07.2019, Blaðsíða 8

Reykjavík Grapevine - 19.07.2019, Blaðsíða 8
One of the most widely known Icelandic superstitions is that we believe in elves. While this is not true of all Iceland- ers—or perhaps even most—even the staunchest epistemological sceptics hesitate to interfere with an elf hill. Elf hills don’t have to be what you might traditionally think of as a hill; they can be very large boulders. The important thing is that elves live inside these things, and you wouldn’t want someone barging into your home wrecking all the furniture, would you? Care and caution around elf hills is especially important when it comes to construction projects. Hardy is the fool who dares to build a road through one, as they will be met with failing machin- ery, uncooperative earth or even work- site injuries. Fortunately, there are ways to avoid catastrophe. You could, for example, simply build the road around the hill. This is why the road connecting Kópa- vogur and Reykjavík does that weird curve—to avoid disturbing Álfhóll, an elf hill that was complicating construc- tion efforts for decades. You could also hire a priest to speak with the elves in an effort to appease them, as they did in the small West- fjords town of Bolungarvík in 2011. There, spiritualist Vigdís Kristín Steinþórsdóttir convinced parish priest Rev. Agnes Sigurðardóttir to confer blessings upon a construction area in the hopes of appeasing the elves. While it may seem strange that a utheran minister would involve them- selves in such a pagan superstition, we should bear in mind that superstitions are cultural; not necessarily confined to one religious denomination. There might be no such thing as elves, but do we really want to take that risk? The answer, usually, is no. Don’t Mess With An Elf Hill Or a boulder that looks like it might be one, for that matter 8 The Reykjavík Grapevine Issue 12— 2019 LÓABORATORIUM Listen, watch & hear more tracks: gpv.is/play Krassasig - Brjóta Heilann One half of art-pop duo Munster, Krassasig’s debut single ‘Brjóta Heilann’ is a bright, breezy, and amiable pop tune. With a clattering rhythm, bassy pulses, chill guitar strums and catchy vocals, it’s the kind of track that could easily become a summertime hit. See him at Airwaves. JR múm - Smell Memory (Kronos Quartet rework) 20 years on, múm’s seminial ‘Yesterday Was Dramatic, Today Was Okay’ is now considered a milestone of subtle, handmade electronica. To celebrate the anniversary, Kronos Quartet have reworked the distinctive ‘Smell Memory,’ recomposing the heavily-treated string sound of the original as orchestration. JR ADHD - KEXP Live Session This evergreen quartet fuses elements of jazz, improv, post-rock and more into their thrillingly propulsive sound. Between the virtuosic drums of percussion of Magnús Trygvason Eliassen, brothers Óskar and Ómar Guðjónsson on saxophone and guitar, and Tómas Jónsson on keys, ADHD are particularly impressive live— hear them at full force on this stellar KEXP session. JR K.óla - Allt Verður Alltílæ Having emerged from the DIY Post- dreifing scene, K.óla’s new seven- track release is crisply recorded and lushly produced pop music. Her voice has a fine timbre with a ragged emotional edge reminiscent of Karin Dreijer, and compulsive pop tunes like “Nýir Draumar” bring to mind U.S. Girls. Great stuff. JR Siggi String Quartet & Una Sveinbjarnardóttir - Opacity This latest piece from the Siggi String Quartet channels serious Koyaanisqatsi vibes. The strings initially are so frenzied that they sound percussive, leaping around in octaves and fifths, while the eerie chords and a slightly psychedelic video complete the effect. FR Hjaltalín - Love From 99 Smoochy pop barons Hjaltalín return with another new single. A slow-dance beginning with Högni’s distinctive vocals and some unexpected brass chops gives way to a fidgety chorus, of sorts. Having successfully crowd- funded their as-yet untitled new album, catch them live at Harpa on September 6th. JR GRAPEVINE PLAYLIST The must-hear music of the issue „E ng in n v er ðu r ób ar in n b isk up “ JUST SAYINGS One expression you are likely to hear in Iceland is “enginn verður óbarinn biskup,” which literally means “no one will be an unbeaten bishop.” Essen- tially, the phrase means “it takes considerable work to reach your goals,” and one English version of this expres- sion would be “no pain, no gain”. The phrase is apparently even confusing to Icelanders, many of whom have questioned whether beat- ing up bishops was a common practice in the old days. In fact, it’s a reference to one Bishop Guðmundur Arason, who was influential in the 12th and 13th centuries. Guðmundur appar- ently had to endure a lot of hardship in order to attain this high office, especially as a child, when he would be severely beaten if he slacked off on his studies. Today we know that physical violence does not help children study, but the expression has persisted over the years to present day. AF ICELANDIC SUPERSTITIONS Words: Andie Fontaine Photo: Art Bicnick First @FLATEYPIZZA FLATEY.PIZZA GRANDAGARÐUR 11 101 REYKJAVÍK +354 5882666 PIZZA NAPOLETANA Touch this rock and the elves will fuck you up
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