Reykjavík Grapevine - sep. 2019, Blaðsíða 8

One of the oddest traditions that
Icelanders have is to look at the weather
the night before the 24th of April—the
first day of summer—to forecast the
months ahead. It’s vital that summer’s
eve is really cold and the ground freezes.
If this happens, you see, it means that
the whole summer will be, as they say,
Gucci.
Good weather?
As a test, farmers would often put out a
sea shell full of water overnight on April
23rd to see if the water would freeze. If
the summer and winter froze together,
they believed, the fields would be late to
bloom. Scientifically, for this to happen,
they needed a cool and wet summer
for the first half, and a dry one for the
second. This might be good for farm-
ers, but definitely not for office workers
who use their four weeks of vacation in
the early summer, as the author of this
piece did.
But, of course, what do farmers
really know about good weather? Farm-
ers don’t see the relentless sun as posi-
tively as us city slickers. We just want to
get some vitamin D in our blood and get
a tan while we are it, goddammit.
Strong superstition
This superstition is so strong in
Iceland that the media reports about
it on the morning of the first day of
summer. So it’s safe to say that this is
more than a silly belief, it’s intertwined
into the culture.
Be Cool, Or The
Summer Will Suck
If it freezes the night before the first day of summer,
everything is gonna be Gucci!
8 The Reykjavík Grapevine
Issue 14— 2019
LÓABORATORIUM
Listen, watch & hear
more tracks:
gpv.is/play
Krummi -
Stories To Tell
Krummi is a
legendary rock and
roll figure in
Reykjavík, who also
plays a part in
making the best
goddamn vegan
food in town at
Veganæs. His new
song, “Stories To Tell,”
is the first offering
from his new solo
project. A solid
country-blues folk
song with a nice
melody, it’s a far cry
from his metal years,
but an interesting
development for a
good artist. VG
GÓÐxÆRI - Tú Trakk
A “album” that spans
two minutes, the
heavy punk effort ‘Tú
Trakk’ is a fantastic
thing to rebel to.
While it was probably
written, recorded,
mixed, and mastered
in the span of one
hour, it’s actually
pretty fucking good.
Breakdowns,
desperate
screaming, left wing
ideology, and general
havoc-ry, it’s
something we’d love
to see this played
live. HJC
Joey Christ -
Sagga ft. 24/7 -
A lethargic and
In short, ”Sagga”
is the “Esskeetit”
of Iceland—
some absolutely
meaningless word
that is supposed to
sound cool,. The song
is well composed
but the lyrics are of
course some echo of
overblown American-
Icelandic machoism.
Nice for hip hop
lovers; a tough one
for haters. VG
GKR - ENN AÐ LÆRA
After GKR’s re-
emergence with
the somewhat
depressing
“SKROLLA,” he’s back
with a similarly
introspective track.
While it’s a rather
generic trap song,
the lyrics wow. With
a hopeless vibe, GKR
debates whether he
wants to fit it or be
an outsider in the
rap scene, or if he
even has a choice.
Cheer up GKR. We like
you. HJC
Bubbi Morthens
- Límdu saman
heiminn minn
Bubbi Morthens is
a solid Icelandic
version of The Boss
himself, Bruce
Springsteen. He
released a new
album, ‘Regnbogans
stræti’ (Rainbow
Street, in English),
just before Gay
Pride. This song is
classic Bubbi: solid
craftsmanship but a
little hollow. All in all,
it’s more of the same
formula that we have
heard from him over
the past years. It’s
basic Bubbi pleasing
the crowd. And there
is nothing wrong
with that. VG
Tara Mobee - ATYTA
For fans of Halsey
and other pop
woman, Tara Mobee
will be a welcome
addition. “ATYTA” is
not her best work—
the track demotes
her powerful voice
into a blanket haze
of autotune. But she’s
young, talented, and
still finding her niche.
We’re anxious to see
what happens next.
HJC
GRAPEVINE PLAYLIST
The must-hear music of the issue
„Hvað Dvelur
Orminn Langa“
JUST SAYINGS
This bizarre saying translates to:
What's keeping the long worm? What
it means in practice is: Why the hell is
this taking so long?
But what’s up with the worm? Well,
it’s not really a worm, but a ship of
Ólafur “The King” Tryggvason, who
ruled Norway in the year 995. Snorri
Sturluson first coined the phrase in
Heimskringla, the most famous saga
ever written. The words were spoken
by some other king and an earl, who
were tired of waiting for Olaf’s ship to
arrive, as they were anxious to kill him
as soon as possible.
The phrase is sometimes still used
in Iceland and is not that odd to say,
especially if you want to sound super
cool. VG
ICELANDIC
SUPERSTITIONS
Words:
Valur Grettisson
Photo:
Art Bicnick
First
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101 REYKJAVÍK +354 5882666
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Cue "Ice Ice baby"