Edward Hancox's Blog, page 14

Iceland’s (Lego) Yule Lads – Skyrgámur

Skyrgámur (Skyr-Gobbler ) – I cant be too hard on this Yule Lad. He and I share an affinity for skyr. We both love this traditional Icelandic yoghurt-style dessert, alhough he prefers the old fashioned, unsweetend type. I prefer the blueberry ones. He has even has a bit of a belly from eating so much Skyr. Skyrgámur arrives on December 19 and leaves on January 1.

Iceland’s (Lego) Yule Lads – Hurðaskellir

Hurðaskellir (Door-Slammer) – A Silent Night is unlikely with this lad. He loves to sharply slam doors, causing a huge bang, especially during the night. He isn’t doing it to frighten you, just for the fun of doing it. It is still noisy though. Hurðaskellir arrives on December 18 and departs on December 31.

Best Icelandic Albums of 2013

It’s the end of the year. I like lists. There is only one logical conclusion. Everyone else is doing it, so why shouldn’t I?

What follows, then, is my end of year list of Icelandic albums. It’s not based on anything but my taste in music, and the albums released over the past year(ish!) by Icelandic artists. I make no apologies if you don’t agree with my choices. Please make sure I know about it though; I love all the ‘it’s a travesty’ and ‘where the bloody hell is’ type correspondence!

Samaris – Samaris

Sounding like an Icelandic Portishead, Samaris are gaining momentum. Using clever electronics, Icelandic poetry and an often surprising clarinet, Samaris are going places. Standout track for me is Góða tungl. Its definitely a late night song, all trip-hop beats and gentle vocals.

Sigur Rós – Kveikur

I think Kveikur is a triumph. It sounds like a band having fun for a change, and that comes through. Kveikur feels alive. It could be argued that the album was written with a live set in mind, but I don’t much care. This is the sound of Sigur Rós at their most vital in a long time. Turn it up loud and rejoice in the return of Sigur Rós as a band.

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©Nanna Dís

ÍRiS – Penumbra

‘This Morning’ starts things off with its piano and strings, and ends with a surprising fuzz of feedback. ‘Daybreak’ has definite jazz leanings and cocky piano to prove it, whereas ‘Sea Song’ might just be the standout track. It has beautiful, urgent piano and makes you have goosebumps. The whole thing is a showcase for ÍRIS’s sultry, elegant voice. Goosebumps is a strange word, isn’t it?

Lay Low – Talking About The Weather

A late entry, this. The album opens with the eponymous ‘Talking about the Weather’; a slinky, sexy song, banishing all previous accusations of Lay Low being just another acoustic singer/songwriter. Other tracks have a deep south feel to them, replete with twanging guitars. ‘I Don’t Mind’ is soft and soulful and must have sounded wonderful a her recent concert at Fríkirkjan, as the wind hurried around the old church, pushing the snow against the windows. Maybe this album is about the weather after all.

Snorri Helgason – Autumn Skies

Overall, Autumn Skies is a melancholic, gentle affair, that sometimes lacks the immediacy of its predecessor, Winter Sun. It’s a delight though, and is suitably titled—it does have the feeling of summer bleeding away into autumn. I think it’s probably best consumed with a hot chocolate whilst watching the leaves turn from green to red.

Múm – Smilewound

Smilewound is a delight, and stands up well to repeated plays; the electronic beeps and squeaks seems to reveal more with each listen. I hate to say it, but it sounds infinitely Icelandic. I can imagine it being played by coffee shops all over Reykjavík, on repeat.

Ólafur Arnalds – For Now I Am Winter

For Now I Am Winter is a delicious piece of work. The strings, as ever, are lush and bountiful, and especially on ‘Brim.’ The electronics are also present, bringing a futuristic component to pieces, which can either be sublime or intentionally jarring. A vocalist, Árnor Dan, has been added to the mix. All the components that serve to make Ólafur Arnalds’ music so unique are present and correct.

Pascal Pinon – Twosomeness

These two sisters from Iceland have delivered fantastic album back in January which is full of quirky little tunes that burrow into your head. In a good way. Jófríður voice is extraordinary; sweet, soft and yet full of character. By the time they are singing the delicious ‘Bloom’, now replete with flute solo and that lovely ‘oh,oh,oh’ refrain, my heart has melted.

Amiina – The Lighthouse Project

Amiina have managed to capture the essence of their magical live shows in The Lighthouse Project. I don’t know how I managed to miss Amiina performing in a lighthouse, during an Icelandic summer, whilst arctic terns wheel outside, and oystercatchers pace the grass. Damn. I would love to have been there, for one of those special performances. Never mind, The Lighthouse Project is the perfect souvenir to remind me just what I missed.

Ásgeir – In The Silence

It could be argued that this should be in the 2014 list, but Ásgeir has produced a wonderful little album here. I suppose it might be pigeonholed ‘folktronica,’ and invite comparisons with Bon Iver, or Jóse González, or even James Vincent McMorrow, but it has something else too. Everything sounds perfectly balanced, and has layering that neatly wraps around Ásgeir’s vocals. Yes, it’s gentle, softly beautiful stuff, but Ásgeir sings his falsetto with such emotion that it sounds personal, like a love letter written just to you.

Iceland’s (Lego) Yule Lads – Askasleikir

Askasleikir (Bowl-Licker) This naughty little fellow hides under beds waiting for someone to put down their ‘askur’ (a type of wooden bowl with a lid used in days gone by), which he then raids for scraps of food. Askur are difficult to find these days, and Askasleikir has had to take some tips from Þvörusleikir and Pottaskefill to fill his belly. Askasleikir arrives on December 17 and leaves on December 30.

Book Review: Blue Eyed Pop

Dr. Gunni (real name: Gunnar Lárus Hjálmarsson) is our guide through popular music in Iceland. It’s some sort of journey, with twists, turns and some dead-ends. It’s a good job that Dr. Gunni is a worthy guide, with enough knowledge, images and personality to forge a path through this weighty tome. The title Blue Eyed Pop is taken from a Sugarcubes song of the same name.

The story starts with ‘Dancing out of the Darkness,’ a chapter devoted to the 1930s and 40s and the beginnings of music in Iceland. My particular favorite, and there are many great images throughout Blue Eyed Pop, is with accordian “kings” Herman Gellin and Ernst Borgström on tour in Iceland in 1930.

The next few chapters rattle by, explaining in detail the songwriters of the early50s, the rock ‘n’ roll imported to the U.S. airbase at Keflavík, and Iceland’s very own Beatles, Hljómar. The 70s are best brushed over, it appears; Icelandic Folk Prog, anyone? and the 80s center around the film, Rokk í Reykjavík, which included a young Björk, then performing with Tappi Tíkarrass (Cork Bitch-Ass. No, really!).

The 80s section also includes some truly awful hair and suits, although this isn’t unique to Iceland.

Things really pick up though towards the end of the 80s, with the Sugarcubes providing plenty of entertainment, even up to their demise. Who knew that they supported U2, The Cure and The B-52’s?

The author also hits his stride here, with the text becoming sharper and more energized. By the time he is describing the ‘Sveitaballs’ of the early 90s, the smell of sweaty teenagers supping illicit alcohol can almost be smelled coming off the page.

Dr. Gunni continues to gather speed as he reaches closer to the present day. After Björk and the notorious swan dress, he is on to GusGus, and then it’s Sigur Rós. Look out for the delightful photograph of Jónsi on a bicycle.

No stone is left unturned here either, and pretty much every Icelandic musician I can think of gets a mention and some amazing fact or other. Did you know that Mugison’s father is a harbormaster in the West Fjords? Or that Nanna from Of Monsters and Men once performed in a garage band called Pointless?

You could argue that Dr. Gunni is too inclusive, and that his tendency for detail may exclude all but the most dedicated follower of Icelandic music, but that’s being pedantic. I think it’s best consumed by dipping in here and there, anyway, rather than in a whole sitting.

In conclusion, this is an intriguing, detailed history of Icelandic pop that deserves to be on the bookshelf of every fan of Icelandic music. It explains, with words and photography, where the music you are listening to has come from, and crucially, where it might go next.

Originally published on Iceland Review online.

Iceland’s (Lego) Yule Lads – Pottaskefill

Pottaskefill – Pot-Scraper. Pottaskefill is the Yule lad I can identify with the most. Pottaskefill races to get all the leftovers from pots, and even has a long, flat tongue to get all the leftovers out. Who can blame him? We all like seconds don’t we? You’ll need to be quick though with Pottaskefill around. Pottaskefill arrives on December 16 and leaves on December 29.

Christmas With Grúska Babúska

Harpa Fönn Sigurjónsdóttir is one part of Grúska Babúska. I’ve been intrigued by Grúska Babúska and their music for a while now, but having heard about Harpa’s firm belief in the Icelandic Yule Lads, I can see why their music is just so enchanting. Oh, and they also have a new record coming out. It’s not clear whether that will be delivered by a Yule Lad too.

What will you be doing for Christmas this year?

I am going to India and Bangladesh! I’ll be spending Christmas in India with my boyfriend and my best friend, who lives there. She is a chef and runs a restaurant there and we’re staying with her on Christmas Eve and Day with all her loveliness, smiles, laughter and amazing spicy hot food! And loads and loads of drinks. Ahh… just rest with general sunshine and warmth… I cannot wait, as this summer and fall have been one of the darkest and coldest I remember here in Iceland, and it’s really hard to get anything done, so it’s time for some sunshine and inspiration!

Do you believe in the Yule Lads? Which one is your favorite?

Oh yes, of course. I’ve even met one of them! I will never forget it. I was about 11 years old and I had already had some doubts whether the Yule Lads were real or not, but I didn’t want to reveal those doubts to anybody, as then I might stop getting candy in my shoe! But anyway, on Christmas Eve Stúfur (Stubby a.k.a. Shorty) came dazzling into my house straight from the mountains and made a big fuss like a true Yule Lad. My whole family seemed really startled, I noticed. I looked around and saw that no one in my family was missing. Stúfur made dirty tracks all over the carpet, ran into the house, threw some old bag on the floor, made some rude comments, and was out of the bathroom window into the snow. I grew up on a farm which is quite a distance from the village, and I remember spending the next years trying to solve the riddle about where Shorty had come from! Now I know that of course he came from the mountain, and that’s all I need to know.

What’s the best thing about Christmas in Iceland?

The snow definitely. I will really miss that when I’m in India, I think. I remember missing that a lot when I spent Christmas in Uganda. It really feels like something is twisted when it’s sunny and hot over Christmas, but not freezing cold, dark and snowy.

Have you ever thought about releasing a Christmas song?

No, not really. Hmmm… ? We should really start thinking about that.

I know that you are releasing a collection of B-sides. How did this come about?

We had written ten songs for our debut release, but since we wanted to make our first release strong enough, and as it was going on a USB stick, we finally picked the maybe six most approachable tunes to put on the USB, so the remaining four tunes accidentally became a B-side. Then when we started writing the new album, the music took such a turn, that we realized that these four tunes would never ever fit the new stuff, even if we continued working on them, so we decided to release them as a B-side.

Where can we hear them?

Well, the tunes were only released on a limited edition (20 copies) of a babushka doll for the shows on Iceland Airwaves, but on December 17 there is a launch party and show in Boston in Reykjavík where we’ll have a few for sale! And the same day the four songs will be on our SoundCloud, our Bandcamp and we’ll upload them on YouTube… So it’s basically a little Christmas present from Grúska Babúska.

What are the plans for Grúska Babúska in 2014?

Me and my boyfriend are going to set up a studio in our new house, and us girls are going to start recordings of our new album in February (that we’ve already started writing) as soon as I’m back from India. So, a new record will come out next year! And there are very exciting news for the new album and the band in general: there will be a new member joining us next year! And she is super talented and super wonky to say the least! I cannot say more at the moment, but it’s all very exciting!

Grúska Babúska website.

Originally published online at Iceland Review online.

Iceland’s (Lego) Yule Lads – Þvörusleikir

Þvörusleikir – Spoon-Licker/Ladle-licker. Þvörusleikir likes nothing more than Þvörur (a type of a wooden spoon with a long handle) or any sort of spoon or ladle to lick. He has a good slurp to get the most from each spoon. Its not working out that well though, as Þvörusleikir is often extremely thin due to malnutrition. Þvörusleikir arrives on December 15 and leaves on December 28.

Iceland’s (Lego) Yule Lads – Stúfur

Stúfur (Stubby/Shorty).

Stúfur is abnormally short. He is far by the shortest Yule lads. This can be a blessing and a curse for Stúfur; he can use his diminutive size to steals pans to eat the crusts left on them without detection, but it can also cause him to get stuck in snow drifts. Something that doesn’t happen often to the over large Giljagaur. Stúfur arrives on December 14 and departs on December 27.

Iceland’s (Lego) Yule Lads – Giljagaur

Giljagaur (Gully Gawk). Giljagaur, despite being the biggest of the lads, is a tad shy and hides in gullies and ravines waiting for an opportunity to sneak into houses and cowsheds to steal milk. He also has a penchant for singing, so if you see a lad with a belly, a milk moustache and singing loudly, it will be Giljagaur. Giljagaur arrives on December 13 and departs on December 26.