Reykjavík Grapevine - jan. 2023, Blaðsíða 9

Reykjavík Grapevine - jan. 2023, Blaðsíða 9
9The Reykjavík Grapevine Issue 1— 2023 nating as a modern take on the punk movement, where everything they put out includes a satiric mirror to our soci- ety,” they said. “It’s like activism with a twinkle of humour in its eye. This unique flavour lends itself particularly well visu- ally, so it’s no surprise that ‘Jelly Belly’ — a video where the two members are mirrored in child actors portraying a younger version of themselves having fun but also dressing like grown-ups and playing with gender norms — is a great example of their work, and makes this video worthy of this recognition.” Honourable Mentions: Neonme - “The Flower Phallus”, Björk – “Sorrowful Soil”, Jae Tyler - “Give Me That (Yeah Yeah Yeah Yeah)” BEST LIVE ACT: Flaaryr "Flaaryr really takes you on a journey in his live performances,” our judge said. “He navigates time, sound and space like some kind of magical octopus.” If that’s not enough to get you intrigued, we’re not sure what is. The truth is that Flaaryr — real name Diego Manatrizio — might not be well-known to all of our readers, despite being a familiar face and regular community organiser within the Post-dreifing scene. But those who have been lucky enough to witness one of his performances first- hand know exactly how fun, captivating and engaging he is to see on stage. “My daughter said it sounded like he had a whole band with him — she was amazed that one person could make all of these different sounds,” one panel- list laughed. And it’s true: Diego’s use of loops, pre-recorded and sampled sound and different musical — and non musical — instruments makes for a set that’s just as visually entertaining as it is sonically. From mirrors to alarm clocks, it’s never easy to predict what might show up on stage. Diego even runs regular impro- visation nights, ‘Allt er hljóðfæri,’ or ‘everything is an instrument’ — a name that pretty much sums up his approach to music-making. To that end, in 2022 Flaaryr performed one of his most ambitious sets yet. As part of the RUSL sustain- able design festival, the artist didn’t play guitar at all, instead creating all sounds through interacting with different items on stage (including a flamingo garden ornament) that were rigged up with contact mics. In the spirit of the festival, all of the objects were discarded house- hold items, really proving the old adage; one man’s trash is another man’s trea- sure. Only in this case, Flaaryr’s treasure is ours to share. Honourable Mentions: BSÍ, Bjarki, gugusar YOU ShOULD hAVE hEARD ThIS: Sævar Jóhannsson There’s a neo-classical movement sweeping Iceland these days. And yet, for every Grammy-nominated, interna- tionally touring Ólafur Arnalds, there’s a Sævar Jóhannsson: quietly putting out beautiful music, but only receiving a fraction of the glory. For now, that is. “I think he has a bright future ahead,” one panellist said, confidently. While Sævar has previously released a couple of albums under the artist name S.hel, 2022 saw him deliver his first release under his own name. ‘Whenever You’re Ready’ is a sparse, emotional and hauntingly beautiful collection of instru- mental pieces. The main focus is Sævar’s delicate piano playing, supported by electronic elements and strings. “The title is apt,” one of our judges mused. “It’s as if he’s acknowledging himself that you might not know him yet, but whenever you’re ready: he’s there for you to discover. His mastery of his craft is sure to bring his name to the forefront of the world of Icelandic composers in years to come.” The You Should Have Heard This award is intended to acknowledge that sometimes the media doesn’t always get it right, and an excellent artist slips under the radar. Do yourself a favour and make sure that Sævar Jóhannsson doesn’t pass you by. Honourable Mentions: Final Snack, Bucking Fastards ONE TO WATCh: Neonme Salka Valsdóttir is not an unknown entity in the Icelandic music scene. A member of the mighty all-female hip hop collective Daughters of Reykjavík, as well as gritty, experimental rap duo CYBER, Salka has already firmly established herself as a significant player in the field. With a CV as impressive as this, it’s no wonder that when rumours started to swirl that Salka was set to launch her solo career under the stage name Neonme in 2022, people were hyped. “Neonme is one of the most excit- ing projects to watch develop, as Salka already has a brilliant career as a performer and producer. She’s on track to become one of the most excit- ing producers in all the land,” said one panellist enthusiastically. “It’s thrilling to see her work on a solo project and I can’t wait to hear how it’ll continue to develop.” Salka released two singles last year as Neonme (our panellists in particu- lar praised the music video for her track “The Flower Phallus”), and performed her first live solo show as part of the INNI showcase during Iceland Airwaves. Such was the excitement for her debut that the building was stowed out. Those who managed to squeeze themselves in were well rewarded. “As Neonme, Salka artfully pairs dreamy melodies, mythical soundscape and eerie, sometimes violent Aphex Twin-ish beats into a lush universe we all want to live in,” a judge described. Honourable Mentions: Sameheads, KUSK“T he a lb um is a b ol d pr es en ta tio n of d ar kn es s an d be au ty . I t’s m ys te ri ou s an d ca pt iv at in g, a jo ur ne y to s om e be au tif ul h el l I ’d li ke to s ta y in .” “Árni is one of these people that if you don’t already know who he is, you’ll almost be embarrassed when you find out you didn’t.” Flaaryr was in Argentina during the photo- shoot. Archive photo by Art Bicnick Salóme Katrín Neonme Ugla ←→ BSÍ

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