Svona er sumarið 2005

Every summer Tónlist (or Skífan) compiles an album of what they consider the best or most popular Icelandic songs. This year’s disc includes 34 songs. They probably should have stopped at 24. My thoughts:

01 Þú færð bros - Sálin hans Jóns míns - The best my poor brain can translate this is as your happenin’ smile, which is probably woefully wrong. I’ve said it before but here it is again: Stefan is the man! His voice is sounding so good these days, he could sing the Icelandic phonebook and I’d listen. Sálin knows how to write and deliver good songs and they’ve done so consistently for many years.
02 Leyndarmál - Írarfár – Secrets. Birgitta’s band. She’s considered Iceland’s answer to Brittany Spears, but she does have a little more talent. Which may not be evident in this song.
03 Má ég sjá? - Skítamórall - There’s a bit of a punkish feel to this in its musically choppy verses that serves it well. In the accompanying video the guys appear a bit thuggish for being dressed in white suits.
04 Dans, dans, dans - Nylon - Girl band. Their harmonies aren’t bad but the disco music is.
05 Let love carry on - Svala - oh my ears! Would it sound cruel to suggest someone chuck this gal down the nearest volcano?
06 Vaknaðu - Í svörtum fötum - Wake up! Pretty boy Jónsi’s band. Just don’t let him sing in English and everything should be fine.
07 Stjörnuhrap - Kung fú - Star fall? Reasonable pop/rock band. Tónlist doesn’t carry much from them and I wish they would. Are they too new?
08 Aldrei liðið betur - Sálin hans Jóns míns - Never doing (living?) better? Has an Earth Wind & Fire jazzy horn section that’s rather zippy and I love the “yeah” up the scale that comes out “yeaheaheaheaheaheahea!” So cool! Hvað þarf ég meir?
09 Here for you - Myst - This shouldn’t be any good but for some inexplicable reason it is. Perhaps it is the girl’s slightly husky voice and heavy Icelandic accent.
10 Ég er hérna - Von - I am here. Good pop/rock song.
11 Sætari en ég - Bermuda - Sweeter than me – New band. Sort of a much more mainstream Unun without the decent guitar. The only song I’ve heard from them.
12 Hamingjusamur - Buff - Happy/Lucky – Never heard of these guys before. The chorus is catchy. Very summery, rocking out while driving in the car.
13 Ég er ekki sú - Igore - I am not you? Female rap. Make it stop! Even the beautiful Icelandic language can’t help.
14 1.000 sinnum - Kung fú
15 Ég vil ekkert - Ísfold - a slight step up from Írarfár.
16 Þráin - Oxford - Another pop/rock band. They’re starting to all sound the same. Not that there’s anything wrong with that when they sound like this.
17 Segðu já! (ásamt Hildi Völu) - Stuðmenn - All right I will, já! I don’t like Ragga giving up the microphone to anyone, especially an Icelandic Idol star. Lucky for Hildur there is nothing this band can do wrong in my opinion.
18 Rabbits - Papar - I hate this song. How is it the most requested?
19 Þú og ég - Á móti sól - You and me – They get criticized some for being too pop, but they’re okay by me. Duet with Birgitta Haukdal. Lyrics are incredibly lame.
20 Allur lurkum laminn - Bjarni Ara - And suddenly it’s 1940. This belongs in a Pink Panther movie. Bit of a “Fever” feel to it.
21 Starlight - Heiða – Not Unun’s Heiða. Not even close. Is she purposely channeling Madonna?
22 Chocolate - Hera – This gets my vote for one of the worst songs ever written. The lyrics are beyond insipid. “Chocolate feels like a really big kiss.” Ewwwwww!
23 Songbird - Hildur Vala – Surely Christine McVee didn’t endorse this!
24 Heaven help - Davíð Smári - Reminds me of some American song from the mid-70’s but I can’t think which one. A lesser Player?
25 Ljós - Regína Ósk - She has a powerful voice but I don’t like the style of music she’s chosen to showcase it. Pop crap.
26 The night of the demise of faith - Helgi Valur - What? “You were only sleeping with angels weeping…” Again I say, what?
27 Dansinn - Brimkló - Not a big fan. Actually this song isn’t that bad, kind of pleasant, but it’s too country for me.
28 Þú ein - Jón Sigurðsson - An Icelandic version of “Love Hurts” although that isn’t what the title translates to. Recently Elvis Costello and Emmylou Harris performed this song on Letterman in the same style as it’s done here. As a soft love ballad. Which I doubt is was Nazareth ever intended seeing as they sung it with such angst and strained vocal chords so that you can nearly literally feel the pain involved. Edgy and in agony. Not sweet.
29 Eydís - Sniglabandið -Tres lame ellur hur?
30 Langar samt í þig - Dans á rósum
31 Sól og sumar - Sixties - Sun & summer in the city. Doesn’t get any better!
32 Ef ég gæti... Se potessi - Leone Tinganelli og Regína Ósk - If I can … and something Italian? Latino pop. Hrafnhildur thinks it sounds like “Guantanamera.”
33 Dúett í Dallas - Súellen and some guy who goes unnamed and should have done the song by himself. Another girl from the “I learned to sing by listening to Madonna” school which needs to be shut down. And then she starts in with Valley Girl voiceovers. Ugh!
34 Hún virkar ekki á mig - Spútnik – Back to the pop/rock.