Tuesday, October 27, 2009

Sprengjuhöllin: Hoping for Icelandic Economic Stimulus

Photo and video by Ming Wu

Iceland's Sprengjuhöllin (pronounced "sprenk-yu-hok-lin" and roughly translated to, "castle of explosions") rolled into Ottawa's Avant Garde last night for the fifth show of their 10-day Eastern Canadian tour. The show was a treat for the 20-or-so people who turned out. Sprengjuhöllin played a sweat-filled set of well-executed pop rock. The five members squeezed onto a stage no bigger than the average balcony and ran through a selection of their two albums, Bestu kvedjur (2008) and Timarnir okkar (2007). Having translated half of the songs into English, for the tour, it's clear that the boys are aiming for new crowds, off the island.
Sprengjuhöllin's sound is best described as a more intricate, early Peter, Bjorn and John. The band is fun and serious at the same time. Their sound is pop and experimental, which results in a great dynamic both on record and on stage.
For your listening pleasure, I've included one track in Icelandic and two exclusive English tracks. Enjoy!

P.S. Check the instructional video on the pronunciation and meaning of Sprengjuhöllin below.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I'm so glad they brought it on for Ottawa! They definitely brought the fun to Toronto on the weekend.