REYKJAVIK!
The SiS Interview by Dany Sloan

At a time when it seems like the world is crumbling, Icelandic group Reykjavik! Make life seem like the greatest thing ever. The band's debut album may have been salivated over by every hipster on the planet, but this is a five-piece that refuses to take things for granted. In the midst of recording their follow-up, they scrapped everything up to that point in order to really make the album that they yearned for.

Although the band may be exploring their darker side, these world travelers are upright young gentlemen. Since we love a challenge, we recently did our best to break through that facade and really found out what is going on inside these guys' heads.

SIS: How did the band get together? What were your initial goals? How has
that changed?

Haukur Magnússon: Thanks for asking, Stranded in Stereo. Reykjavík! was formed in the philosophy department of the University of Iceland in 2004, where Bóas (vocals) and I (guitars) discovered we shared a mutual interest in all sorts of things, music being their number one subject of conversation while not sharing notes on the antics of Heidegger and Kierkegaard. One day an idea was born; why not make music and not just talk about it? A mellow sort of acoustic duo at first, we soon started adding members to the mix, each one contributing his own distorted viewpoint to making the the neurotic, schizo-monster panorama we now possess. Ah.

SIS: What are you guys up to in 2008?

HM: We are currently putting the finishing touches on our second full-length, and plan to release it as soon as possible. We are actually running a bit late with completing it, as we scrapped half a record we made this spring and begun anew with a fresh producer and a different way of doing things. The new songs were already kind of dark and frustrated, and Ben Frost's noisy aesthetic and sonic terrorism ethos have brought out their worst in a way that excites us as much as it scares us. Our new album is the manifestation of a decade of conflicted emotions and confusing non-frustration; we want to make sure everyone hears it as we believe it important that they do.

SIS: Who do you often find yourselves compared to, and do you like or dislike
that comparison?

HM: We have found out that people compare us to such a variety of bands that we are now certain that we sound like every band in the world. The Pixies, At-The Drive in, Sonic Youth, Hot Snakes, Rapeman, Les Savy Fav, Ramones, Lil' Wayne, Björk, Sigur Rós, Emilíana Torrini, Gusgus, and so many others. Of course it feels good to be compared to bands that we think highly of – and we think highly of most bands that don't suck. At the same time it often seems weird. Like if I was to ask of you: "Which music journalist do you most often get compared to?" You know... that would probably piss you off and make you feel derivative, even though your proudest essays perhaps betray a homage to the writings of Lester Bangs or Robert Christgau (or Chuck Klosterman?). We could be compared to a movie for all we care, but it would have to be something with Jeff Bridges in it.

SIS: Who are some of your favorite bands to play with? Do you think any of them will take over the world?

HM: Anybody could take over the world. All of our friends that make music do it
well! Good people make good music. FM Belfast is one amazing band and all the members should have a "master of the universe" trophy in their living room. Retro Stefson is another band that we love and the deserve the best, what a band! Skátar, Mugison, and Morðingjarnir. All these bands are such beautiful people making such
interesting and cool things! And there are many more, and these are just our Icelandic friends. Life is truly amazing, and there are some pretty killer bands out there.

SIS: What is your favorite and least favorite thing about being on the road?

HM: The absence of family and loved ones is the biggest flaw for sure! But being able to travel to never-before-seen places with friends that you love is something special! Being able to get to know new people and explore is just the greatest. We have met so many fantastic folks that you would never believe it! People that come to shows, people that play shows with us all over. Getting to hear about the story of place we are at each time and just the whole "being there" thing. Getting to go around the world is such a privilege.

SIS: If any member of Reykjavik! were on the cover of a tabloid, who would it
be and why?

HM: That would most definitely be one of our two bass players, the resident noise-monger and adventurer Valdimar Jóhannsson - or "Valdi" as he is affectionately referred to by us. Since moving to Brussels to pursue love and an education in the field of sound recording, he's already made big waves in the European high society and amongst the continent's Old Money Masters. He is surely already involved in some sort of sex scandal with Old Europe's elite. He is a master of mischief, a true human black hole of joy and deliciousness.

SIS: When family ask you what your band sounds like, what do you tell them?

HM: That's a good question. We pretty much have problems describing our sound to anyone, as we are mostly nice and polite young men and people don't expect any sort of noise from us. So we usually say we play a loud, punky, screamy sort of rock. It's usually enough to ward off any further interest.

SIS: What's something about your hometown that most people don't know?

HM: I imagine most people don't know anything about our hometown, Ísafjörður
(pop. 3.000). It is where 5/6ths of the band grew up, and it is a remote town in a remote fjörd on a remote corner of a remote island.

If you are indeed asking about that town, then I will tell you: even though conditions can be really harsh, almost every night is completely still and frozen, and the people are lovely. As are the looming mountains that make sure nothing goes awry, except for when it does.

If you are asking about our current hometown of Reykjavík, however, then we will tell you that most people don't know that Reykjavík gets seriously hit by floating particle pollution on still days in winter. Even though the country is "pure" and all, people still use nails on their tires (to ward off sliding on ice). People are agressive around here, not always in a bad way. It is just that everything has to happen fast and everybody firmly believes in what they are doing. So times that brings along some sort of intenseness that can be overwhelming. Icelanders all tend to feel like they are on top of their game and are not afraid to show it. It is often a good thing, not always.

The city looks nice though! It has this "a kid built this" vibe to it. Young architecture next to cultural places. Houses that look like they are built by six year-olds out of legos. That has a nice charm to it!

We also make and serve excellent coffee. Viva la revolucion.