Iceland review - 2013, Page 10

8 ICELAND REVIEW
in downtown reykjavík, you will find the world’s
best record store, according to andrew Mellor,
reviews editor at Gramophone magazine in the u.K.
the store and record label 12 tónar is located on
skólavörðustígur 15 in downtown reykjavík, and
it’s the perfect place to unearth and explore music
you’ve never heard of—be it by a local band or the
latest opera from Vienna—under the watchful eyes
of all the presidents who have ruled the republic.
Mellor asks in his recent article on 12 tónar how
come such a store can be run in little reykjavík but
not in the ten-million strong london, the capital of
popular music. he had no answer. PS
0402
Culture Club
05
03
Watering
Holes
New bars
recreation
reykjavík
Cheers! several new and interesting bars have opened their
doors in the capital in recent months. stúdentakjallarinn at
the university of iceland’s háskólatorg is an obvious hangout
for students, loft hostel on Bankastræti 7 is the bar with the
best balcony view, the perfect place to spot your next best
friend. loftið on austurstræti 9 has a special cocktails menu,
the Bunk Bar on laugavegur 28 boasts the largest selection
of tequila in town and the f-bar on nýlendugata 14 serves
14 types of local beer. harlem og Volta on tryggvagata 22
is where you find the artsy art students and at Kaldi Bar
on laugavegur 20b, named after the beer brewed at north
iceland microbrewery Bruggsmiðjan, a mixed crowd of
students and pr gurus. the price of a pint in reykjavík is
around isK 1,000 (usd 8). PS
BE
WARM
BE
WELL www.icewear.is
Þingholtsstræti 2-4 » 101 Reykjavík » Tel.: +354 561 9619
Fákafen 9 » 108 Reykjavík » Tel.: +354 568 7450
Austurvegur 20 » 870 Vík í Mýrdal » Tel.: +354 487 1250
ICEWEAR
SHOPS
let tHere Be ligHt
amiina is one of my favorite icelandic
bands, so you have to take this review
with a grain of salt. the sextet’s six-
track ep the Lighthouse project is
an assortment of old and new songs
orchestrated with amiina’s unique
minimalistic magic. amiina started out as
an all-girl string quartet performing with
sigur rós more than ten years ago and
now they’ve released their third album.
the Lighthouse project is a stripped-
down album compared to amiina’s earlier
projects, but the feel of it is more intimate
and atmospheric. of the six tracks, the
first, ‘perth,’ is my favorite, while the
beautifully-written ‘Kola’ is the perfect
song to light up your day. and mine, for
sure. PS
tHe LiGHtHouSe projeCt
amiina
morr records
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fanfare of a
literary nation
The reykjavík INTerNaTIoNal
lITerary FesTIval
Nordic House, iðnó theater, Harpa and
other locations in the city center
September 11-15, 2013
a fixed event on the icelandic literary calendar
is the reykjavík international literary festival.
founded in 1985, it has attracted authors such
as haruki Murakami and herta Müller. held
in mid-september, the festival coincides with
the pen international conference. seventeen
authors from 16 countries, and ten icelandic
authors, will participate in panels, readings
and discussions. the program also includes
readings in a swimming pool and the grand
finale: the literary Ball.
tapping into iceland’s rich literary tradition
is the newly-established iceland Writers
retreat, which will be held in reykjavík for
the first time april 9-13, 2014, at icelandair
hotel natura. Workshops in english will be led
by world-famous authors. the event will also
include readings by icelandic authors, cultural
excursions and a special sightseeing tour of the
natural wonders of the golden Circle.
bokmenntahatid.is/icelandwritersretreat.com
ESA
Dozen tones
12 TóNar
record store