Age ain’t nothing but a number, and even numbers appear to be relative. My awareness of this concept most acute when I’m writing about music. Like the recent performance of La Cenerentola at Seattle Opera. Read More
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Getting Giddy at Seattle Opera’s Cinderella
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A Second Serving – Interviews in Iceland
Gone Postal
Far more interesting than my usual navel-gazing posts are the interviews I had with Icelandic musicians who are among the most intelligent, interesting, and entertaining people I have ever met. I left every interview with a better understanding of not only their music, but of music in general.
Earlier I listed some of these interviews. At the time I was still working on more, each of which, in one way or another, posed some kind of writerly challenge. Even though my mistakes are perhaps more apparent here than on the first batch, I hope you get more from these interviews than just my lessons-learned. There is some great music here. Read More
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Bringing Reykjavik! Home
Not the city, the band. They were one of the best surprises of my Airwaves, and I later realized they shared the same joyful vibe as the old band Black Happy. I took a break from metal night at Amsterdam to cross the street to Gamli Gaukurinn and check out Reykjavík! on the strength of their video “Hellbound Heart,” which documents the flight from Reykjavík to the band’s home town Ísafjörður. (Unsurprisingly, this is the work of Bowen Staines.) Read More
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Discovering the Dark in Sigur Rós’ Valtari Videos
When I saw Sigur Rós at Airwaves this year, I was surprised by the dark imagery that came to mind. I always thought of Sigur Rós as very positive. They are named “Victory Rose” after the singer’s baby sister; even their creepiest-sounding album, Von, means “Hope;” the song “Starálfur” was the sound of wonder reborn in Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou; and when I first discovered the band, the lyrics were all in “Hopelandic.” But most of all there is the sound. How can music be dark when it sounds like sunlight shining through ice? Read More
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Stalking Ásgeir Trausti
I saw Ásgeir Trausti four times at Airwaves this year. Add the Reykjavík Calling show in Seattle, and I’ve seen him play five times. With the possible exception of my boyfriend’s band in college, I think that’s the most times I’ve seen any musician. Obviously, I really liked Ásgeir Trausti’s debut album Dýrð Í Dauðaþögn (Glory in Dead Silence). But it’s not like I set out to see as many Ásgeir Trausti sets as possible. It’s not like I was stalking Ásgeir Trausti. Read More