Well, I visited Iceland and found F.I.R.E., even though I wasn't looking for it. This is a very cool 1993 compilation CD of interesting bands from the country who invented Democracy long before we could put a patent on it here in the US. It looks like the label itself is F.I.R.E, Inc. I would say the music borders on the experimental, but it definitely makes for an enjoyable listen.
4 bands---2 songs each.
Púff, curver, Kolrassa Krókríðandi, & stillupsteypa. Haven't seen much about Púff--saw a blurb that Sölvi Blöndal of Icelandic rap group Quarashi was a member of the band. Kind of noisy twisted post-punk, maybe a little like the Birthday Party or Scratch Acid. I particularly like the song Gotulif which opens the album, with the vigorously sarcastic la-la-la's. Their other tune here, bdfghkmnpst aelt of fliott is in the same vein.
Stillupsteypa are quite a wild anarchic experimental band who have been doing their thing for years. Not everyone might be into their music, but they are usually up to something interesting. Band members included
Helgi Thorsson, Sigtryggur Berg Sigmarsson, and Heimir Bjorgulfsson. Riduveiki is an odd electronic droney experimental piece, with lots of backward loops and feedback. Probably not everyone's cup of tea, but you know, that's why there are so many varieties of tea. Songur Songl is a crazed Lord of the Flies-ish percussive rant,though in comparison to the former song, it's kind of poppy sounding. There is a compilation of their work entitled The Immediate Past is of No Interest to Us, which would be a good place to get a taste of their creativity.
The two songs by curver aka Birgir Örn Thoroddsen are pretty excellent I think. His music is electronic/industrial and I don't think the songs here take a back seat to other groups making the same sort of music. He is in the group Ghostigital with Einar of the Sugarcubes. I guess he was a teenager when he recorded these songs, which is pretty impressive. The percussion on Nottin 2. Hluti (baerinn) reminds me of Big Black a bit. Vicious, but with a good beat and I could dance to it, as they used to say on American Bandstand. His noisy and many-beats-per-minute eight minute opus The Magic Window ends F.I.R.E. on an aggressive high note. Smekkleysa records put out a curver compilation Saer 1991-1994 that you might find interesting.
I left the best for last though, Kolrassa Krókríðandi, known more familiarly under the name Bellatrix, who put out a few albums that were released in the US in the 90's. The two songs here were so impressive, that when I heard these songs I was wondered why noone was onto the talent this small island possessed. Ikarus is simply an amazing song, a dark, drony, dub infected, middle easterny violin infused tune. Simply peerless. These women were only 16 at the time of this release! Eliza M Geirsdóttir on vocals and violin, Sigrún Eiríksdóttir on guitar, Ester Bíbí Ásgeirsdóttir on bass and Birgitta Vilbersdóttir on drums. Their other song on the comp is the more traditional post punk Ljadu mer vaengi with fierce drums and plaintive vocals. Really good stuff. I can also vouch for the quality their mini-album Drapa. You can get mp3's of 3 of their pre-Bellatrix Icelandic music on Smekkleysa's website fairly cheaply. Their album Kynjasogur contains the two songs from F.I.R.E.
Overall, I think this compilation is pretty great. First and foremost the music is interesting and exciting to me, and there are qualities in this music that come directly and uniquely from living on this Scandinavian island halfway between Europe and America. It's by no means cookie cutter imitations of current musical trends going on at the time.
So many times I've been dead wrong about music. But when I spent some time in Reykjavik, I heard great artistic things going on, even beyond The Sugarcubes. Today Icelandic music is no great secret anymore, and music industry people at critics make junkets to check out the local talent. Back then, I guess the rest of the world was either too self-obsessed or stupid to recognize that great music can come from anyplace, not just England or the US.
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