Geyser: Icelandic Indie Rock Anthology

Before Bjork started caterwauling about UFOs, before the Sugarcubes was upping the weirdo factor on MTV’s 120 Minutes with Dave Kendall (whatever happend to THAT guy?) Iceland was growing a great indie music scene that went totally unappreciated in America…except by Enigma Records. Geyser is an anthology released on vinyl in 1987 featuring a nice lineup of talented groups from the land of the midnight sun.

Iceland’s indie scene is even more fascinating today with blokes like Bardi Johannsson (aka Bang Gang), but before Bardi, there was Kukl, Hoh, Bubbi Morthens and Das Kapital tearing things up. This album covers all the bases from techno throb to the great, Crass-like screaming about “the man on the cross” on Kukl’s stellar track. Mickey Dean and De Vunderfoolz give some new wave/Billy Idol thrills with “Citified”…there simply isn’t a bad cut on this album.

I have no idea why Enigma released this in 1987, but I am so grateful they did…it gave me a lot to look for when I finally made to Iceland for two years in 1999. Icelandic indie lovers should also search high and low for a two-CD soundtrack to the film Rokk i Reykjavik, a concert film roughly equivalent to Urgh! A Music War in terms of the number and diversity of bands. If you want to get an idea of modern Iceland indie music, check out my interview with Bang Gang’s Bardi Johannsson for Gearwire.com.