Thanks to everybody who commented on my last blog post! I really appreciate you sharing your playlists with everyone and introducing us to some great new music!

As I was responding to your comments, something hit me. You guys have shown us an incredible ammount of support over the last few years. You’ve called your local DJs to request our music. You’ve come to our shows and purchased our CDs. And your votes have caused us to win more contests and get onto more playlists than I could count. Each of you has helped make what we do possible.

Last week was really cool because we had twenty people contribute to our post! But, our anlaytics show that hundreds of people read it. Why is that? I’m not sure. But I feel that it is – at least in some part – due to the fact that so often the creation and delivery of art is a one way street. I want to change that; so I’d like to invite you to take a moment to do three things:

1. Visit atris.wordpress.com (This will be more fun if everyone goes to the same page.)
2. Scroll down to the comment box and introduce yourself. Write a few words about anything you’d like. How did you first hear our music? What city are you from? What are your favorite movies? Pretend we just met at a coffee shop. If you’d like share your blog address, Twitter ID or someplace where we and other people can learn more about you that would be great too!
3. Check the box that says Notify me of follow-up comments via email.

Please don’t do this for us, do this for yourself and for everyone. It takes a certain amount of bravery to put yourself out there; but it’s worth it. We love to get to know people with similar interests, ideas, and opinions. And it’s really cool when group discussions are started. If you have something in common with someone who posts, let him or her know! It makes me feel great to see people responding to my comments, and I love to chime back in to share my thoughts.

Looking forward to meeting you!

-Mason

La banda británica Blur regaló ayer en el diario The Sunday Times un cd con 10 de sus canciones. Se convirtió en el tercer grupo musical en hacer esto, detrás de Prince y Sigur Rós.

Las canciones que decidieron poner en el disco fueron grabadas durante varios shows que realizaron en el verano europeo.

La lista es la siguiente:

1- She’s So High

2- Girls & Boys

3- Badhead

4- Beetlebum

5- Parklife

6- Out of Time

7- Song 2

8- Pop Scene

9- Tender

10- The Universal

Además, el 29 de noviembre la banda lanzará cinco canciones más para que puedan descargarse desde iTunes.

Hacé click en la tapa del diario y lee la nota completa (en inglés).

Let me Preface this by stating that I am usually not an “album buff”. I get hooked on bands, and sometimes songs, but it a bit rarer for me to get hooked on an album, but it does happen. So I’ve thought that I’ll give you my top seven favorite albums and why I like them. Lately, I was listening to one of my favorite albums and I thought to myself — “This album is great, and better than the other albums”. So I felt that maybe there is some power via albums, and I’d spill my favorites. These are in no particular order, as it depends on my mood, so think of a sevenway tie for first.

1. Radiohead — Hail to the Thief

This is the Album that started it all. I randomly stumbled onto a radiohead track on my iPod and decided I wanted to listen to some radiohead jams for a while, so I put them on. First, I’m not a big radiohead fan. I definitely respect them though because they continue to be original and be able to reinvent themselves every album. Out of all the bands I know, I think they give a very distinct sound to each album, so naturally, I’ll like one album more than others. I love this one. Every song is awesome. Their newest CD was OK, but this CD is solid solid solid. I can’t think of a bad song on it. Its chilling, but rocks hard. Very well put together.

2. John Mayer — Where the Light Is

This CD is Awesome. I really like John Mayer, but not for his pop stuff. He went off and did a blues tour which was really cool. He is kinda conflicted because he has a big fan base with those girls who grew up listening to Neon and Your Body is a Wonderland, so he’s got that side of him, but he’s really a blues guitarist. And a damn good one at that. So he decided to have this show right? Well, its cool because there are two openers, and then John Mayer. The cool part about this CD is that the two openers are John Mayer as well. The first is him doing the “singer/songwriter acoustic guitar player”. He covers an AWESOME version of Free Fallin’ by Tom Petty. Then the second set is another opener that is supposed to pump the crowd up, and its him just playing blues and Hendrix covers. Its a Trio. Finally, the last act is the big full band, where he does a lot of his Continuum stuff. The DVD is even better. Every track is solid, and if you really want to see a talented musician just do everything, this is a good CD. My favorite track is the 10 minute long slllloooooowww blues track. Nice.

3. Aretha Franklin — Amazing Grace

This may be my favorite album of all time. I have a heart of soul more or less. One part of my soul is probably Juno, and the other half is for sure like a deep south baptist choir. Oh man, this CD is good. So Aretha Franklin is a person who grew up singing gospel in church since her dad was a minister. Thats where she learned to sing, and boy, it obviously served her well. Anyways, its the mid-70’s and she really wants to go back to her roots, so she manages to convince the exects at her record label to let her record a LIVE CD at a real church. It was recorded twice (two concerts, on different nights with different songs), and then for the record release they picked the best 13 songs or so, but I have the full version, which is by and far better. It just has the two shows from start to finish. Its everything you see in the blues brothers and more. The crowd yells when they start to get the feeling, and the backup choir and band is really tight. Probably the closest I’ve become to converting is after listening to this album, lol, so all you people looking to convert, I’d use this as ammo. No one can sing like Aretha, and nothing lets the emotion come out more than with gospel music. Amen.

4. Mahler’s 5th Symphony

My favorite classical Symphony probably. I guess the firebird is up there, but it depends what version you listen to. Mahler’s symphony #5 is always going to be good, as long as you have a good orchestra. Of course some versions are better than others, and to that I’ll leave it up to ya’ll to decide which version of it is your favorite. However, its those first 20 seconds that are really great. Its a good CD to round out my top 5. If you’re in that sort of Clockwork Orange depressive classical dark mood its good. My favorite image in my head is Donté desending into Hell. Thats what it sounds like to me at least.

5. Justice — Cross

Brilliant Album. Its really original, really, it truly is. It is kinda a futuristic danceable decibel sound. It has a bunch of that awesome low cut bass that I like a lot. IDK… I just really like it. I can’t have all indi-rockers. I mean, lets be honest, Narrow Stairs by Death Cab for Cutie is a great CD — in my opinion their best — but I’d like to mix it up. But I think this CD will sound really good in like 10 years, basically like how the Clash made it big before their sound was popularized. Anyways, thats kinda the idea. Its super moody, but very futuristic. Guitar totally changed the way most music was created, and I think in the same way computers are of course doing the same thing. They’ve been experimenting since the 70’s/80’s with computer sounds, but I think the rise of the DJ is tackling some new ground, and this CD will be looked at as a turning point.

6. Coldplay –Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends + the Prospectors March EP

My favorite album of 2009, fairly easily. Man, its just a great album. The EP has a bunch of great tracks too. I was a coldplay fan, but honestly when X & Y came out I was kinda disappointed. A Rush of Blood to the Head was such a great album… I was looking forward to something awesome, and I thought it was kinda the same sound as previous albums. Then they came out with VVODAAHF and it was a great new sound that had pop and vigor with just the right amount of “coldplayness” that soars above and looks down below at you as you listen. It was only after hearing THIS album that I went back and listened to X & Y (and parachutes) and had, really, a new found appreciation for all their prior albums. I think I just needed to hear something different to contrast it to in order to understand.

7. Sigur Ros –Með Suð Í Eyrum Við Spilum Endalaust

You know you just can’t beat sigur ros… especially on this album. Fucking Brilliant. I mean… its just the Icelandic roots I suppose. For those of you who don’t know Sigur Ros, they are an awesome band from Iceland. They paint these beautiful landscapes of sound that just remind you of overcast and cold, but crisp and fresh, like your breath on a cold day. Those who don’t live far north won’t understand. But its just really really great. They do all kinds of cool stuff to get their “sound” such as playing guitars with viola bows, and the lead vocalist sings over the top of everything in kinda this falsetto sprightly godlike voice that wafts over everything. And its in Icelandic (or I’ve heard their own made-up language, but i can’t verify) so its very smooth and enchanting. They make Sufjan Steven’s soundscapes look like hot cross buns. Seriously, one of my favorite albums. In all truth… this was supposed to be my top 5 favorite albums, but I realized I couldn’t keep Coldplay or Sigur Ros off the list. Too damn good. I can’t guarrentee everyone who reads this and listens to Sigur Ros will like it, but you need to listen to it without interruptions, like just as you’re going to sleep or something. Its very very soothing. They also do a great job of being able to have totally different sounds on different albums, but I like this one the most. I’m not sure why, I think it all just comes together nicely.

Well, there you have it. If you’re curious, I recommend you check some of these out. Now, I picked my top 7 favorite based on what I like to LISTEN to. This is not the list of the “greatest albums of all time”. I think you need to add historical context into that one, and that changes the list a ton, I mean, what would the world be without Led Zepplin or the Sergeant Pepper’s? So this is purely what I like. There are lots of other close finishers, but I thought that some of these albums would go out of favor with me in a few years, like the band Tally Hall (which I love), and Narrow Stairs album by Death Cab for Cutie, or a few Rap Albums (sorry I couldn’t get one of those on the list), but I think that five years from now, my music preferences will change a bit, and I won’t like them as much, so they didn’t make the list. I’m about 85% sure that 5 years from now I’ll still love all of these albums, they are pretty timeless in my book (with the possible exception of Coldplay and the Justice album). So I encourage all of you to check them out, and enjoy.

Thanks,
Guthrie

The sounds of Sigur Rós feature prominently in The Boys Are Back, a new family drama from Shine director Scott Hicks that stars Clive Owen.

The soundtrack features seven Sigur Rós songs, primarily from their 2008 album Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust, as well as Indian Summer from Jónsi & Alex’s Riceboy Sleeps project.

The extensive use of the Icelandic post-rock band’s music effectively provides a substitute for a conventional score.

Clive Owen in The Boys Are Back

As Hicks explains, “Initially, I used their songs as a temporary score, but it was working so perfectly that I decided to approach the band directly to see if we could licence the music. I was forewarned that they were extremely picky about what they would allow their music to be used for, but I went to Iceland to screen for them and they simply loved the film. Georg, the bass player, said, ‘There is an Icelandic word which I can’t translate which perfectly describes the experience of seeing this film.’ I said, ‘Well have a try’ and he said, ‘The word means you feel better for being alive having seen this film’ which I found was a profoundly moving thing to say.”

The Sigur Rós songs featured in the film are Illgresi, Festival, Fljótavík, Straumnes, Ára bátur, Inní mér syngur vitleysingur and Samskeyti.

The Boys Are Back is based on Simon Carr’s memoir of the same name and features Clive Owen as Joe Warr, a sports reporter who struggles to raise his son Artie following the death of his wife. With a parental style low on rules and high on anarchic fun, Artie enjoys an unconventional upbringing that’s accentuated with the arrival of Joe’s estranged son Harry. Joe’s loose approach to parenting, however, brings its own dangers.

Tape Deck Mountain
stereogumのサイトでghost colonyって曲をふらっと聴いてたらズシンときました。こんな感覚ひさしぶり。脳にくるような。すーごいかっこいい。
ギター、ベース、ドラム/キーボード。サンディエゴの3人組。
snowcloneというところから少数の作品を3つ出して、その後Lefseからカセット、7インチ、そしてこの11月にデビューアルバム、だそう。またこのタイトルがなあ…ほんとghostって言葉すきだな。あこがれかな。
聴いてノックアウトされたghost colonyは不穏な空気と重さが出ている曲だけど、ほかのはほんのりポップでほんのりサイケデリックなのがおおい。この差はなんだろう。どちらの音もかなり好み。紹介されているところによってはlo-fiからhi-fiまでってことで”mid-fi”なんて表現もでてきてたり。myspaceの影響を受けたアーティストの欄を見ると「the microphones, my bloody valentine, mew, dinosaur jr., sonic youth, pumpkins, sebadoh, deerhoof」となっていて、よく表れているような。マイクロフォンズがいちばん最初に書いてあるあたりがまたなんか。つながりはよくわからないけどOn My Honorって曲をletting up despite great faultsがremixもしていて、オフィシャルでダウンロードできます。ポップです。

official / myspace – Tape Deck Mountain
official / myspace – Lefse records

ghost colony (live)

++++++++++

downloads
* Covers / James Figurine
DntelのJimmyさんが期間限定でカバーアルバムを。どなたのカバーかはmonchiconさんのサイトに出てました。

* s/t + Susy + Tree Roots / Parachutes
Sigur RosつながりのあのParachutesが解散してしまったみたいですね。全3作品をフリーダウンロード公開しています。残念。

Maseratiのドラムさんが亡くなったり、円楽さんも。残念がすこし続きます。一時期すごく笑点みてた。

もうそろそろ12月。もうと言えばMOWのあたらしいのはおいしいですね。ぶどう、カスタードといまいちだったのだけど、今回のエスプレッソラテ味は良いです。

Well, NME are near the Top of the BEST MUSIC WEBSITES for a reason and have once again given us a glimpse into their minds with their(DUH DUH DUH!!!!!)

LIST OF THE 50 GREATEST ALBUMS OF THE DECADE~ I hate to say it, but I am going to make my first Proclamation as a Music Blogger = This is THE LIST THAT MISSED!!

I Don’t Know If I Agree With The TOP 10 & I am going to check out the #1 Pick again to make sure that I completely disagree~

This Is About YOU THOUGH, SO GO AHEAD & CH-CH-CH-CHECK IT OUT —–>  Stereogum’s 50 Greatest Albums Of The ’00s

If Nothing Else, There Should Have Been AT LEAST ONE ALBUM BY A CERTAIN BAND WHO I BELIEVE IS THE GREATEST AMERICAN ROCK BAND OF THE LAST 13 YEARS

(Funny Number I Know, But That Is How Long They Have Been Putting Out Albums)  – I mean, even if you are part of the crowd that believes they “Sold Out,” Their 3rd Album & The First Of The Thousands SHOULD BE IN THERE, NO QUESTIONS ASKED. I will write more soon enough, I don’t want to ruin it for anyone who hasn’t seen it yet and I know how pi$$ed I can get if there is a Massive Spoiler in something I am reading about something that I am about to Hear, Watch, See or Read  (Does that make sense?! Just think about it 

Woo Hoo!!  My 2nd PoST~!!

Respect~

Cheers~

xo

KNiFA

Siguiendo los pasos de algunos artistas como Sigur Ros y Prince, Blur va sacar un disco que vendrá en la edición del 22 de noviembre del Sunday Times, el disco vendrá junto al diario e incluirá 10 canciones en vivo grabadas de esta gira de reunión que tuvo Blur.

Según el Sunday Times, saldrán 5 canciones gratis para descargar vía Itunes.

Aquí les dejo el Track List del disco:

01 She’s So High
02 Girls & Boys
03 Badhead
04 Beetlebum
05 Parklife
06 Out of Time
07 Song 2
08 Pop Scene
09 Tender
10 The Universal

Zjawiskowa i tajemnicza muzyka z Islandii – Sigur Ros.

Myślę, że nie da się jednoznacznie określić ich stylu. Zespół słynie z falsetowego głosu wokalisty, a także z wykonywania utworów głównie w swoim ojczystym języku – islandzkim. Dla niektórych będzie to pewnie tylko “miałczenie”, ale dla mnie jest to coś więcej…

Poniżej przedstawiam według mnie jedne z najlepszych utworów grupy.

Zachęcam do wysłuchania i zapoznania się bliżej z twórczością Sigur Ros.

Polska strona zespołu

Sigur Ros on My Space

“Glósóli”

“Sæglópur”

“The Nothing Song” (Untitled 4)

Tijs is helemaal van de samenwerkingen de laatste tijd. Eerst Sigur Rós, toen Dizzee Rascal en nu is het de Three 6 Mafia waar Tiësto mee samenwerkt.

Zo gaat Tijs toch weer helemaal terug naar zijn roots in da hood van Breda.

Was het nummer met Jónsi van Sigur Rós nog wel aardig, het nummer met Dizzee Rascal (en dan wel de versie op Dizzee’s album) echt goed, deze samenwerking met Three Six Maffia is eigenlijk best beroerd.

think of Bjork…think of Sigur Ros…then think of Marilyn Manson and The Cure.

what is the least common denominator for these artists?
that they’ve created an ambient around the music they play. an ambient that contains their music, their visions, their style. they’ve developed a sense of aesthetics that emphasizes what their music is about.
how many musicians do it? gangster rappers and fashionista singers apart (!!!), I can only think of a few, the “freaks of the industry”!

yes alright, all musicians create a certain ambient for a certain video, but you must agree most lack an overall artistic vision. The few artists on my list, instead, offer their inner world!

and to do it, they turn to other artists that understand their “cosmo”, one of them being Floria Sigismondi, a superb photographer and film director.
I got to know her thanks to the video “The Beautiful People” by Marilyn Manson and got immediately hooked up with her work that reminded me of photographer Joel Peter Witkin.
she perfectly translated the oniric quality of those musicians (the ones I mentioned at the beginning) into images and movement.

There are recurrent elements that characterize her work: the way things and people move (or crawl) – her technique reminds me of stop motion; the patina that reminds me of old films and photos, the sense of darkness that reminds me of “Freaks”.
in a metaphor, she provides the warp in which the musician can weave its weft!

I suggest who doesn’t know her work immediately go check it out. it’s wonderfully inspiring!!

http://www.floriasigismondi.com/

from "Untitled #1" by Sigur Ros and directed by Floria Sigismondi

Hoppípolla is off the album Takk… by Sigur Rós (iTunes)

Download the mp3 from zShare.

See the song featured in a demo reel by Greg Ephraim, Director of Photography, on Vimeo.

I’ve been meaning to post this here for ages, it’s a collection of songs that myself and JP Keenan churned out during our time working together. We shared a keen interest in a good handful of bands, Mogwai, Redhouse Painters, Wilco, Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Broken Social Scene and Sigur Ros. It was one of the most productive periods of music making I’ve been involved in, JP is a hard taskmaster and he milked all kinds of music from my finger-ends and I like to think I returned the favour.

My favourite track is probably Tick Tock with Sleep a close second. All tracks are offered as a free mp3 download, just click the relevant button.

The project eventually morphed into a live band that I couldn’t commit to, they’re alive and well and writing some amazing songs. You can find out a little more about them at heatvslight.co.uk

December 2007 – BeatRoute Magazine

By Trevor Bacque

You’d think that if you were the front man of a group that sold over 15 million albums, gained over 10 Grammy nominations, and had fans worldwide, you might have a bit of an ego.

Think again. Jón Þór “Jónsi” Birgisson, bow guitarist and lead singer from Sigur Rós remains humble despite great commercial success. The Icelandic foursome whose name comes from Birgisson’s little sister, Sigurros, was broken into two words which, translated, means “victory rose.”

Confined in his hotel room, Birgisson and the band are waiting around to perform a series of acoustic shows in Los Angeles. Sigur Rós is performing a secret Myspace show to help promote their newest babies, a double CD release of classic songs and unreleased tracks, and their DVD film Heima, or “At Home”.

“The idea of doing a live album that would follow the movie sounded interesting,” says Birgisson. “Doing the double album was funner; with b-sides and outtakes.”

Working with Canadian filmmaker Dean DeBlois, (Lilo and Stitch, The Raccoons) the DVD chronicles the group touring around their native Iceland in the summer of 2006. After playing two large scale shows, the band opted for a series of smaller venues including a protest concert and a performance in a small coffee shop.  These are included in the bonus features. Birgisson explains how he respects DeBlois.

“He’s an amazing guy.” says Birgisson, “And did a lot of good on set footage.” But before DeBlois came along, the group had hired another filmmaker who didn’t give the group the best results from live performances. “We were depressed and didn’t like the footage,” he adds.

The band released Heima November 6 in North America. Before that, it premiered during the Reykjavík Film Festival in Iceland, which the band was very excited about.

Following their small tour in the states, the quartet will head home to write and record their new album, which the band is just beginning. The progress is really young, as Birgisson puts it. He is the lead singer, but the group collaborates together during the song writing process.

The double disc Hvarf-Heim includes four previously unreleased tracks, and a remake of “Von”, which appeared on the Von album. The second disc, Heim, has all acoustic versions of their songs that span their entire discography.

“This is our first time kind of doing acoustic stuff,” says Birgisson, simply. “It’s really good actually.

Look out for the Album Leaf’s new album, due to be released February 2nd on Subpop, ‘A Chrous of Storytellers’ is said to be their best yet. And with Sigur Ros member Birgir Jón Birgisson on mixing duties again, I’m sold.

A Chorus of Storytellers:
1. “Perro”
2. “Blank Pages”
3. “There Is a Wind”
4. “Within Dreams”
5. “Falling from the Sun”
6. “Stand Still”
7. “Summer Fog”
8. “Until the Last”
9. “We Are”
10. “Almost There”
11. “Tied Knots”

Here’s two of their best taken from the 2006 album ‘In a safe place‘ and an interview with founder Jimmy LaValle.

Over The Pond

If you like Over The Pond, check out isolatedmix2.

Another Day

Album Leaf Interview

“Well – let me take you on trip……..around the world and back, and you won’t have to move you just sit still”!

I’m not sure if Depeche Mode had Icelandic post-rock weirdoes – Sigur Ros – in mind when they wrote “World In My Eyes” (tune!) back in the 90’s, but if you’re looking for something completely otherworldly you shall definitely not miss this opportunity for being taken on a trip of formidable format.

As much as I’ve wanted to I’ve always found Sigur Ros’ soundscapes extremely challenging. I’ve tried sitting through their last double album, and as beautiful as it was in parts, I eventually gave up for fear of falling asleep and never to wake up again. Maybe it’s the language, maybe it’s the droning competiveness – I don’t know ? At least I tried, have the album but skipped the thought of acquiring the t-shirt!

Now – with the release of this AWESOME remix of their “Gobbledigook” there is definitely excitement around my parts. Whoever Gluteus Maximus is beyond me, but this fantastic excursion into the darker caves of Iceland coupled with the native “chants” of Sigur Ros is the kind of trip I really, really enjoy.

Clocking in at 10′24″mins “Gobbledigook” is widescreen, cinematic Tech shit for “The Heads” coming complete with Spanish handclapping, muted kick, weirdo drum patterns and an atmosphere so thick you can cut it out in bricks, and smoke yourself into oblivion!

Drop this in a dark room at 5. a.m and you’ll have people losing their minds!

Don’t miss!

Mp3: Sigur Ros – Gobbledigook (Gluteus Maximus Mix)

1. Radiohead. Kid A
2. Sigur Rós. Ágætis Byrjun
3. The Hives. Veni Vidi Vicious
4. Primal Scream. XTRMNTR \
5. PJ Harvey. Stories from the City … from the Sea

…

Extra. TOP USA. Albume. 2000

• A Perfect Circle. Mer de Noms
• Deftones. White Pony
• Queens of the Stone Age. Rated R

Autor: Eddie Better

Yo Yo Yo Playtonics,

Recently I have been listening to a lot of mashups which got me to thinking that perhaps I should share some in a weekly segment I like to call “‘¡MASHUP MONDAY! Here is the inaugural list of mash ups, complete with ratings (out of 5 stars) and descriptions:

Emancipator -Shook (Sigur Ros Vs. Mobb Deep Mash Up)

This is a simple but effective blend of the takes the beautiful opening track from ( ), chopped up and layered with Mobb Deep on top. Perhaps the most tasteful remix I have ever heard.

The Hood Internet - Passion Pit vs Juvenile – Back That Sleepyhead Up  1/2

A subtle beefing up of Passion Pit’s “Sleepy Head.” Style points but not too much doing.

Chiddy Bang - Because (Radiohead mash-up)  

I am a sucker for verse on top of indie beats (see: So Po Sound) and I love the use ofRadiohead’s “Because” but this track is in serious need of a stronger beat. As is, it sounds pretty flat.

Nas vs. Cornershop - If I Ruled The World (Objectiv One Mash Up)  -

Major Fail. Complete thematic discontinuity between sample and verse. Nas was not trying to write “Waiting on the World to Change.”

I’m going to focus on something for a second that no one EVER seem to focus on. Iceland. That is right. That wonderful country of Iceland located well, where the hell is it located exactly you ask? After googling Iceland for 2 seconds I pulled some insightful info. for you about Iceland.

Iceland is a volcanic island in the North Atlantic Ocean east of Greenland and immediately south of the Arctic Circle. It lies about 4,200 kilometers (2,600 mi.) from New York and 830 kilometers (520 mi.) from Scotland. About 79% of Iceland’s land area, which is of recent volcanic origin, consists of glaciers, lakes, a mountainous lava desert (highest elevation 2,000 meters–6,590 ft.–above sea level), and other wasteland. About 28% of the land is used for grazing, and 1% is cultivated. The inhabited areas are on the coast, particularly in the southwest where about 60% of the population lives. Because of the Gulf Stream’s moderating influence, the climate is characterized by damp, cool summers and relatively mild but windy winters. In Reykjavík, the average temperature is 11°C (52°F) in July and -1°C (30°F) in January.

Blah, blah blah. Let us get to the good stuff. I have a friend who traveled to Iceland. Random right? She told me it was her favorite country that she has EVER been to. She said it didn’t feel like reality. So now I’m thinking what is Iceland’s secret?

To start if I were to ever visit Iceland, I would stick out like a sore thumb. Think about it, I look the OPPOSITE of every citizen in a northern slavic country. I am a brunette. I have hzael/ brown eyes. (woah I feel like I’m writing a personal ad describing myself for dates.) I also like long walks on the beach, candlelit crab dinners for two, Al Stewart (who doesn’t?), AND I’m a Sagittarius. The archer. Meaning I am incredibly optimistic.

Back to Iceland. I’m looking for a good reason to convince my parents to take our next vacation to Iceland. Have any good ideas?

Oh I just came up with one! I HAVE to go to a live concert of Sigur Ros. He is icelandic. Haven’t heard of him? Check out his songs: Inní Mér Syngur Vitleysingur, Hoppipolla, Saeglopur, Gobbledigook.(for the record, I had to go into my I-tunes and copy and paste the titles of these songs because they’re so hard to type. Try even pronouncing them. I can kind of do it after listening to the songs. I am assuming though that Sigur even says these words in his songs.

I don’t know if that will go over so well with the rents. They aren’t too keen on my music taste. Hm, how about

After some more Google searching, I found something really good by the Icelandic Tourist Board: (I wonder if they even get a lot of tourists.) I am by NO means trying to insult Icelandic people. In fact I have never met an Icelandic person. I would love to have an icelandic friend.

Iceland – Discoveries the Entire Year
Iceland is not only closer than you think, but far different than you ever imagined. Where else can you witness such marvels of Mother Nature as a tremendous icecap and several glaciers, spouting geysers and steaming solfataras, volcanoes (hopefully dormant), raging rivers and magnificent waterfalls, a multitude of birds, cavorting whales just offshore and many other surprises. Summers are surprisingly warm and winters not as cold as you might expect. Regardless of when you visit, be assured that the warmth shown by Icelanders, their desire to share their culture and the efforts made to make your stay as pleasant as possible will, like the spectacular landscape, never be forgotten. Looking for a holiday or vacation in Europe? - Visit Iceland for your holiday – Your official Iceland travel guide to Iceland vacation.

Let’s go! Who’s in?

“Seguia Incorporado en la cama y miraba a la mujer que yacia a su lado y apretaba en sueños su mano. Sentia hacia ella un amor indescriptible. Ella debia tener en aquel momento un sueño muy fragil porque abrio los ojos y lo miro con asombro.

- ¿Que miras? – pregunto ella

Sabia que no debia despertarla, que tenia que hacer que volviese a dormirse; por eso trato de responder de tal modo que sus palabras creasen en su mente la imagen de un nuevo sueño.

- Miro las estrellas – dijo

- No mientas, no miras las estrellas. Estas mirando hacia abajo.

- Porque estamos en un avion, las estrellas estan por debajo de nosotros -  respondio Tomas.

- Ah en un avion – dijo Teresa

Apreto aun mas la mano de Tomas y volvio a dormirse. Tomas sabia que ahora Teresa estaba mirando por la ventana redonda de un avion que vuela muy por encima de las estrellas.”

La insoportable levedad del ser, Milan Kundera

Maybe it’s the  midnight sun or even aurora borealis phenomenon, but the fact is, musical scene in Iceland has some good and really creative bands.

Have you ever heard about Múm? First time someone told me about this band, it was classified like a band that make some delicious little noises to our ears.These so called “little noises”  is the band’s musical proposal: experimental music, eletronic effects and remixes.

Also from Iceland, with a similar proposal and coming from the same decade, the Sigur Rós band also uses musical resources like delicate vocals and experimentalism.

But before those two band came up, there was a little eskimo lady trying her luck in the music world, that’s right, Björk.  Eccentric, fresh and full of creativity, we may say that this avant-garde singer had opened up doors to other bands, that, later had drunk up a little in her source.

Well, let us just cut to the chase:

Múm’s Myspace

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X6C6YvnlT60

Tutti gli spazi aperti, quelle infinite strade di campagna che portano al mare, quell’immobilità degli spazi stessi fatti di ulivi e dei secoli che portano come incastrati dentro; quell’amore che alcuni paiono celare nei tronchi stessi che si aggrovigliano come amanti in sordina e tu in rispettoso silenzio continui lungo la via del mare. Attraversi quelle strade e un po’ attraversi la vita tua e i ricordi incastrati tra muretti a secco e cieli azzurri. Infinito silenzio che portano dentro. Silenzio e lentezza, la stessa da cui sei fuggito anni prima, quando una valigia qualsiasi bastava chè tanto dentro volevi solo metterci il suono delle corse che serbi nel cuore. Quelle corse che fai stando fermo e il mondo, ignaro, continua ad andare chè tanto, lo hai imparato, nessuno è indispensabile, neppure tu. E ti ricordi delle volte in cui ti sei fermato su quelle strade e pensato a tutti quelli che prima di te, negli anni, han guardato quegli alberi o quei muretti a secco. E la piccolezza tua che non tiene il confronto e l’assurdità delle cose che insegui, che credi importanti nell’attimo in cui la frenesia inevitabilmente rapisce anche te, ma tu appartieni ad altri luoghi. Luoghi di silenzi e, a volte immobilità, come quella degli ulivi, quella che si staglia dalla terra rossa e punta in alto ma di poco e se fin su ci arriva, ci arriva contorta. E ti trovi a pensare a quella immobilità e a quanto ti ha fatto paura il suono forte che ha; paura di restar incastrato in quel silenzio, in quella sacralità di un luogo così uguale a se stesso che di cambiar ha poca voglia perchè lì il passato è come un pezzo di vita stessa. Non si cambia nè rinnega e a te la rabbia di dover andar via. Via perchè un giorno ti sei svegliato e hai come sentito la stanchezza di certi sguardi tracotanti di chi pensa di esser migliore per il solo fatto di rubarti magari un posto in fila. E oggi qui il cielo è bianco, così bianco da far luce e sto pensando a quelle strade, quelle che portano al mare, quelle in cui credevo di aver lasciato ricordi e invece son le strade stesse che son incastrate nel ricordo. E tutte quelle che ho percorso e gli stati d’animo e i pensieri rapidi mentre butti un occhio fuori dal finestrino e guardi i colori che scivolano via mentre tu continui ad andare e una musica riempie l’abitacolo e ti godi un po’ la tregua dalle parole. Quelle che ho inseguito e poi perduto quando il suono della vita è stato più forte della capacità mia di dire e come vortice quel suono mi ha travolta e lasciata come spalle al muro. E il freddo di quel muro lungo la schiena quando proprio lì, la vita ti incastra, ti ammalia e poi abbandona. E intanto vai, attraversi strade nel silenzio e dentro, a volte, arriva l’eco del vuoto. Quel vuoto in cui hai perso l’equilibrio così tante volte fino a trovarlo quasi meraviglioso. Quel vuoto che ti spinge, in tensione costante, a desiderarti come migliore, a correre un po’ di più per riempirlo di cose che servano sul serio, che scaldino davvero e anche in una giornata come questa, quando la tua casa sta per essere invasa da gente festaiola e tu proprio festaiola forse non lo sei mai stata chè la vita ti ha insegnato che il rumore non è suono, la confusione non pienezza e, a volte, ti chiedi se certe cose le vedi solo tu. Sto davvero pensando maledettamente a quelle strade vive nel ricordo e potessi le ripercorrerei adesso, o anche una di quelle che qui portano su, verso i colli. Perchè l’inverno è così vicino che ho come voglia di perder lo sguardo in quelle foglie già rosse per il freddo guardando fuori dal finestrino e lasciando tutto il resto dietro, a scivolare piano e silenzioso come quando pensi che esiste un tempo, il giusto tempo, per tornare indietro e riabbracciare chi ti ha vista partire senza dire. Tornare indietro e spiegare che davvero, a volte, bisogna andare per aver forza di tornare, fosse anche solo col ricordo, andare e camminare soli mutando costantemente prospettiva per capire, cogliere un particolare e nasconderlo nel cuore, ricordarsi ogni singolo sibilo di vita attraversata per trovar parole giuste per svelarlo a chi ha occhi per vedere ogni singolo barlume di luce che anche un cielo bianco come questo porta incastrato in sè, come quelli infiniti e azzurri del mio passato, quegli spazi immensi che immagino nascosti a un passo, un solo passo, da tutto questo bianco.

Oggi fermo il tempo e guardo fuori, poi metterò tutto in ordine e aspetterò che questa casa si riempia di gente e poi si svuoti ancora per chiudere poi la porta e sorridere ai superstiti che tanto questa festa l’han voluta. Aspetterò quel tempo, scandito, del silenzio quello in cui ognuno andrà a dormire e richiuderò la finestra su questo pezzo di cielo che si vede da qui. Un angolo di mondo splendidamente mio, quello invaso stasera da chi mi chiederà “E tu chi sei?” e io sorriderò pensando, forse è il caso che tu questa strada non la incroci ancora perchè oggi sono in macchina e guido verso il mare. Non tutto si può dire. Non tutto raccontare.

I am probably the most downright pooped I’ve been in the last year and a half. Play practice has proceeded to suck all the vitality out of me, despite my feeble protests. All my grades in my classes are slowly sinking lower…hopefully I can fix this problem soon. Tomorrow is the last performance, sadly, and I will be reduced to a jelloid mass by the end of it. But cast party! Yaaaay! I am excited.
In other news, been listening to very mellow music recently (currently, C.Visar Vagen), stuff like Sufjan Stevens and Wilco and some Death Cab. But the song that really has the power to rendr me speechless is Sigur Ros’ Agætis Bjirun (or however it’s spelled). The piano! The acoustic guitar! The little minor bits! I love this song; I would like it to take up residence in my heart for the rest of my life.
Well, getting tired here, plus I have to take off my makeup so I don’t smudge it all over everything (I hate stage makeup with the passion of a thousand angry bees), so going to retire for now. Will write more tomorrow.
Ciao, all.

Meine Güte, der Song ist auch schon wieder 10 Jahre alt. Ich hab ihn aber ausgewählt, weil er perfekt zum momentanen Wetter und zu meiner Stimmung passt. Wer Sigur Rós noch nicht kennt, dem möchte ich sie wärmstens ans Herz legen. Vor allem die Alben “Ágætis byrjun” (von dem dieser Song ist) und das 2002 unbetitelte Album.

Ja, ich weiß 10 Minuten Song sind heutzutage schon heftig, aber es lohnt sich wirklich, die Kopfhörer aufzusetzen und sich zehn Minuten Zeit zu nehmen. Versprochen.