VONBRIGDI-HANAGAL 2X LP
VONBRIGDI-HANAGAL 2XLP is $37.00 plus shipping.
"The Land of Fire and Ice" has long been known for immense natural beauty, ancient folklore, hakarl, aluminum and hairy little horses. What you may not know is that punks were also there from the very start of the show. One of the most important bands to emerge from the thriving Reykjavík scene was Vonbrigði. Though they draw influence from UK and European post-punk and American hardcore, have no doubts Vonbrigði were 100% their own unique thing. They didn't receive a ton of international attention at the time and sort of faded into history but not without releasing a handful of songs, including a blistering hardcore track on the Rokk Í Reykjavík soundtrack compilation and an incredible EP on the fledgling Gramm label owned by Ásmundur Jónsson and Einar Örn (of Purrkur Pillnikk, Kukl and, more notably, Sugarcubes fame). All of the aforementioned songs are included here along with the rest of the previously (and unbelievably, I mean how is material this amazing not released immediately after recording it? Crazy!) unreleased '82/'83 sessions. 71 minutes of sweat and grit. Who needs volcanoes when you have Vonbrigði's fire?
All tracks recorded between July 1982 and January 1983 at Studio Hanagal by Kjartan Kjartansson. Mixed and mastered in 2020 at Klakhöllin by Hallur Ingólfsson. Art by Þórir Georg.
REVIEW FROM MAXIMUM ROCK'N' ROLL-I’m only four songs into this, and I’m going to file it under essential listening. This collection of Icelandic post-punk and hardcore was recorded in 1982—83 and sounds immediately vital and current. VONBRIGÁI is new to me, and apparently was not very well-known outside of ReykjavÁk’s punk scene, and that is a shame for the ages. The recording sounds fantastic: warm and full like it was recorded in a studio this week. The drums and bass sound especially great. As for the songs, they teem with post-punk unease and tension but drive with hardcore energy. The band comes across as super confident and tight. What a gem, seriously. The guitars are frequently dissonant and feedback-laden with flanger swirls around arpeggiated structures that predate noisy indie rock and post-hardcore by years. Syncopated beats lock in perfectly with driving bass lines that will make you bob your head and also scratch it because these folks are not a household name. If I’m making comparisons, it sounds like the first few ICEAGE records meshed with End Hits FUGAZI, but that’s not doing this album justice. Just go listen to it now and love it—it’s on Bandcamp. It looks like the double-LP is sold out, but hold out hope for a repress. Highly recommended.