Reykjavík Grapevine - mar. 2021, Side 19

Sensory
Overload
The delicious cacophony of
Susan_creamcheese
Words: Hannah Jane Cohen Photo: Provided by Susan_creamcheese
Album
Check out Susan_creamcheese on
all streaming platforms.
Enter the fantasy: You’re on a weird-
ly positive bath salts trip. It’s the
peak of the party and the noise of
the dance floor begins to envelop
your soul, drowning out the pump-
ing of blood through your pounding
eardrums. You can’t breathe. You
can’t speak. In fact, you have abso-
lutely no idea what the upcoming
seconds hold. You might be having
a heart attack. But, as the sweat
pools on your brow, you—for the
first time in your life—are totally in
the moment and totally, deliriously,
out of control. And what’s playing
as you willingly enter the void? Su-
san_creamcheese.
Buckle up
Susan_creamcheese is the solo
project of Vilhjálmur Yngvi Hjál-
marsson, who recently dropped
two albums with the post-dreifing
collective entitled ‘common house
buggy’ and ‘glupsk 2’ (a collabora-
tion with Örlygur Steinar Arnalds
and Gu!mundur Ari Arnalds). His
creations distil every type of elec-
tronic music you can imagine—and
some you can’t—down to a kaleido-
scopic melange of cacophony. Even
Nostradamus himself couldn’t an-
ticipate where Vilhjálmur’s songs
end up—they’re that enchantingly
erratic. So, dear readers, when you
check out his work, here’s some ad-
vice: Buckle up. It’s going to be a
weird ride.
Sonic ADHD
Susan_creamcheese—the name—
is a reference to Vilhjálmur’s teen-
age Frank Zappa phase. “On one of
his albums, there’s an interlude. It’s
a skit where he’s making fun of hip-
pies. Then the interviewer, played by
Frank Zappa, talks to this girl and
she says, ‘My name is Suzy Cream-
cheese’ and the name just kind of
stuck with me.”
The Suzy Creamcheese lore runs
deep. Admittedly, it’s an internet
rabbit hole you could easily spend
hou rs i n , but
basical ly, Suz y
Creamcheese was
(allegedly) a mon-
iker given to var-
ious women who
were sort of hype
guys for Frank
Zappa. Their job
was to get the
party going and
keep it high. It’s
therefore an apt
reference for Vilhjálmur’s music—
which really would shine brightest
at the deepest, darkest, late-night
parties.
Vilhjálmur describes his music
as “ADHD.” “It’s very much atten-
tion deficit disorder,” he says, quite
calmly. “I never have any concrete
ideas for songs. I just start doing
something. Sometimes I have plans
that I’m going to make something
more approachable or more pop, but
then it just always goes in some re-
ally weird direction. It doesn’t really
turn out exactly that way because of
ADHD. It just goes somewhere else.”
1,934 views
To approach this ether, he often
utilises found clips. “I sample a lot
from the internet: YouTube videos,
Instagram stories, TikToks,” he ex-
plains. “I’ll also very often go out
for walks and record sounds in the
environment. Then I add, you know,
99 jumps and make a snare to give
it a beat. I really like to plant all of
this together so it’s not too ‘bleep-
bloop’. I find a middle ground, but
I’m not perfect in production, but
that’s what I like about making my
music. It’s very naive.”
For example, a sample from his
song “Vindharpa 4” came from a
YouTube video he found on a deep-
dive. “It’s this old man speaking in
a foreign language. He seems to be
ranting, but he, or someone, put a
vocoder on his voice,” Vilhjálmur
says. He fails to mention that the
man is wearing a tinfoil hat, which
seems to make it all the more ab-
surd. At the time of writing, the
video has 1,934 views—that’s how
deep of a dive Vilhjálmur takes to
find his inspirations.
‘common house buggy’ is a collec-
tion of songs Vilhjálmur has made
over the last two years, but that said,
he urges listeners not to hold their
breath for another solo release soon.
“I have songs that I’m working on
but you release stuff when you’re
totally ready,” he admits. He takes
his time with things, he explains,
rework i ng a nd
remixing songs
end lessly unti l
the moment is
right. “I don’t like
pressuring myself
to be creative,” he
concludes.
But i f these
two albums tell
us anything—it’s
that Vilhjálmur
doesn’t need to
pressure himself to find creativity.
No, he’s already got delicious son-
ic cacophony running through his
cream cheese veins.
19The Reykjavík Grapevine
Issue 03— 2021
Event Picks
The much-anticipated and
constantly-rescheduled
Debussy — Rameau concert
with classical virtuoso Víkingur Hei#ar
Ólafsson was one of the best-attended
concerts of 2021 so far, with 800
guests in attendance. Held at Harpa
over the second weekend in March, it
was a smash hit. That said, there was,
of course, a small hitch. Among the
guests was one that didn’t pay for its
ticket—the notorious party pooper
COVID-19. After one attendee tested
positive for the virus, all of the guests
subsequently needed to get tested
with a dozen or so entering quarantine.
VG
Bubbi and Bríet made headlines in the
beginning of March with the release
of their new duet “Ástrós,” written
by Bubbi. The song tells the story of a
woman who murders her partner after
enduring brutal domestic violence.
Some are saying this is Bubbi’s best
song in decades—and that guy has a
catalogue most musicians in Iceland,
and even the Northern hemisphere,
would, well maybe not kill for, but you
get it. The song’s goal is to spread
awareness of the large growing prob-
lem of domestic violence during this
time of COVID and it’s safe to say it’s
done its job as every other Icelander
has shed a tear listening to its beauti-
ful and brutal lyrics. VG
On the topic of COVID-19—heard of
it?—Scooter is coming back to Iceland
and will infect the whole nation with
his happy hardcore vibes until even
your Grandma ends up swinging from
the chandelier like an amphetamine-
fuelled Energizer bunny. The concert
will be in Laugardalshöllin on the 22nd
of October, provided there are no
COVID-19 interruptions. GusGus will also
play at the concert as well as ClubDub
and DJ Margeir. This is the 597th time
Scooter will perform for Icelanders,
who obviously have way too much
energy to burn and some serious soul
searching to do. VG
MUSIC
NEWS

Iceland Symphony Orchestra:
Grammy Celebration
March 18th - 20:00 - Harpa -
2,400-5,700 ISK
AT THE TIME YOU ARE READING THIS, THE
ICELAND SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA COULD
BE GRAMMY WINNERS OR GRAMMY
SHOULD-HAVE-BEEN WINNERS! We
don’t know because this is bein!
published pre-Grammys. Either way,
they will celebrate. Pop the cham-
pa!ne. Sin! a paean. HJC

Sycamore Tree
March 19th - 20:30 - Harpa - 4,990 ISK
Sycamore Tree—the duo of Ágústa
Eva Erlendsdóttir and Gunnar
Hilmarsson—is bringing the good
ole’ Americana to Harpa. Expect
dramatic lyrics about loss and
homecoming, that country singer
thing they do where they raise the
note at the end of the note and even
a harmonica. Yee-haw! HJC
POWER PALADIN
March 20th - 20:00 - Gaukurinn - Free!
Give in to the temptation
of the palantír and join
Kvothe for a magical
journey into the
forbidden forest. For
when Iceland called
for power metal, Power
Paladin came to its aid.
The band, a longtime
Grapevine favourite—
check out our Airwaves
reviews for proof of our
devotion to their ka-
tet—is soon to release
their debut album,
which will no doubt
be sung by the sirens
for aeons to come. So,
weary traveller, come
rest your wand by the
fire and weep to the
beauty of the unholy
warcry as you plan your
quest to Mordor. For
the wolves will come
soon, down through
the abandoned caverns
of dwarven Moria and
the golden fields of
Fillory, and ye best not
be in the fields of Calla
(Gaukurinn) when that
happens (after closing).
Donne your best cloaks
and richly embroidered
tunics (or just a cloak, if
you’re a slut). HJC
Verily! A volcano, virus and vendetta, held as a votive not in vain, vanquished our music listin!s pa!es. Vá! smh
Music
“I’m not perfect
in production, but
that’s what I like
about making my
music. It’s very
naive.”
Add a bagel to this album and we're in business
gpv.is/music
Share this + Archives