Logo
DiS Needs You: Save our site »
  • Logo_home2
  • Records
  • In Depth
  • In Photos
  • Blog
  • Podcast
  • Search
  • Community
  • Records
  • In Depth
  • Blog
  • Community

THIS SITE HAS BEEN ARCHIVED AND CLOSED.

Please join the conversation over on our new forums »

If you really want to read this, try using The Internet Archive.

87657

Festival Preview

Iceland Airwaves 2012: The DiS Preview
alhorner by Al Horner October 31st, 2012

For the next five days, DiS will be once more exploring Reykjavik and its famous Iceland Airwaves festival. Now in its thirteenth year, Airwaves is known the world over for its remarkable setting and amazing lineups, showcasing the best in new international and Icelandic music. Sigur Ros and Dirty Projectors are among the big names performing at this year's event but, with our knitwear ready, thermos's packed and passports checked, here's a rundown of some of the lesser known acts we're itching to see out there...

- - -

Oyama

Reykjavik locals Oyama don't make music particularly fitting of their blustery-but-picturesque surroundings but then again neither did Dubliners My Bloody Valentine, whose screeching guitars and bruising shoegaze they take definite cues from. 'Dinosaur' has a jerky Dischord Records-ish malevolence we like a lot. Original? Not particularly. Good? You betcha.

Amsterdam, Thursday (1 Nov) - 20:00

- - -

DIIV

June's Oshin, the debut album from spectral Brooklynites DIIV, delivered on the promise of the band's early singles with style and flair. Like a more cerebral Real Estate, there's flickers of post-rock and Joy Division-esque new wave to their sound, best evidenced on 'Doused', three minutes of rumbling, reverb-stained bliss.

Iðnó, Saturday (3 Nov) - 00:20

- - -

Valgeir Sigurðsson

The man behind the curtain on some of Bjork's finest work, Bedroom Community composer Valgeir Sigurðsson has also collaborated with the likes of Thom Yorke, Nico Muhly (also performing at Airwaves), Feist and fellow Icelandics mum. His frosty cinematic soundscapes are bound to provide the festival one of its most chilling and memorable performances. 'Big Reveal' is full of coruscating strings and firecracker electronics, and will burrow its way into your psyche.

Iðnó, Friday (2 Nov) - 21:20

- - -

Mikael Lind

If you liked Rachel's, the chamber music project led by Rodan guitarist Jason Nobles who sadly died earlier this year, Sweden-born songwriter Mikael Lind shows a similar knack for glowering piano-violin dialogues.

Faktorý Downstairs, Wednesday (31 Oct) - 20:50

- - -

Samaris

Minimalist and magical, there's a ghostly spark to Samaris' trip-hop experiments and hushed melodies that makes them one of our most anticipated bands of the festival. What they specialise in are gorgeous, haunting nocturnes like the one above, spiralling out from underneath its delicate central vocal into spacey, atmospheric terrain.

Faktorý Upstairs, Wednesday (31 Oct) - 00:10 Reykjavík Art Museum, Thursday (1 Nov) - 20:00



LATEST


  • Why Music Journalism Matters in 2024


  • Drowned in Sound is back!


  • Drowned in Sound's 21 Favourite Albums of the Year: 2020


  • Drowned in Sound to return as a weekly newsletter


  • Lykke Li's Sadness Is A Blessing


  • Glastonbury 2019 preview playlist + ten alternative must sees

Share on
   
Love DiS? Become a Patron of the site here »


Left-arrow

WIN! A night out at the Barclaycard Mercury Prize!

Mobback
87649

Manics Monday: WIN! Generation Terrorists

The Legacy Edition

Mobforward
87686
Right-arrow


LATEST

    news


    Why Music Journalism Matters in 2024

  • 106145
  • news


    Drowned in Sound is back!

  • 106143

    news


    Drowned in Sound's 21 Favourite Albums of the Y...

  • 106141
  • news


    Drowned in Sound to return as a weekly newsletter

  • 106139

    Playlist


    Lykke Li's Sadness Is A Blessing

  • 106138
  • Festival Preview


    Glastonbury 2019 preview playlist + ten alterna...

  • 106137

    Interview


    A Different Kind Of Weird: dEUS on The Ideal Crash

  • 106136
  • Festival Review


    Way Out East: DiS Does Sharpe Festival 2019

  • 106135
MORE


    news


    The Neptune Music Prize 2016 - Vote Now

  • 103918
  • Takeover


    The Winner Takes It All

  • 50972

    Takeover


    10 Things To Not Expect Your Record Producer To...

  • 93724
  • review


    The Mars Volta - Deloused In The Comatorium

  • 4317

    review


    Sonic Youth - Nurse

  • 6044
  • feature


    New Emo Goth Danger? My Chemical Romance confro...

  • 89578

    feature


    DiS meets Justice

  • 27270
  • news


    Our Independent music filled alternative to New...

  • 104374
MORE
Drowned in Sound
  • DROWNED IN SOUND
  • HOME
  • SITE MAP
  • NEWS
  • IN DEPTH
  • IN PHOTOS
  • RECORDS
  • RECOMMENDED RECORDS
  • ALBUMS OF THE YEAR
  • FESTIVAL COVERAGE
  • COMMUNITY
  • MUSIC FORUM
  • SOCIAL BOARD
  • REPORT ERRORS
  • CONTACT US
  • JOIN OUR MAILING LIST
  • FOLLOW DiS
  • GOOGLE+
  • FACEBOOK
  • TWITTER
  • SHUFFLER
  • TUMBLR
  • YOUTUBE
  • RSS FEED
  • RSS EMAIL SUBSCRIBE
  • MISC
  • TERM OF USE
  • PRIVACY
  • ADVERTISING
  • OUR WIKIPEDIA
© 2000-2025 DROWNED IN SOUND