Hooray for our award winning artists
We’ve said it before and say it again, we’re thrilled to work with our family of talented musicians. What makes us even more thrilled is when they get nominations or win awards like they did last Friday night. The Iceland Music Award ceremony was held on March 4th and our very own Agent Fresco and Of Monsters and Men left the ceremony with two awards each.
Their success at the ceremony clarifies what we believe and know, our artists make outstanding music and they make us proud. Agent Fresco and Of Monsters got 10 nominations in total and Júníus Meyvant came after them with two nominations.
Our artists’ awards this year are:
Rock Album of the Year
Agent Fresco – Destrier
Song of the Year - Pop
Of Monsters and Men – Crystals
Singer of the Year - Male
Arnór Dan Arnarson (Agent Fresco)
Live Performer of the Year
Of Monsters and Men
Other Nominations:
Of Monsters and Men – Beneath the Skin (Album of the Year - Pop)
Agent Fresco – See Hell (Song of the Year - Rock)
Júníus Meyvant – Hailslide (Song of the Year - Pop)
Júníus Meyvant (Singer of the Year - Male)
Nanna Bryndís Hilmarsdóttir (Singer of the Year - Female)
Agent Fresco (Live Performer of the Year)
Event of the Year (Agent Fresco’s Album Release Show in Harpa)
Record Producer of the Year (Styrmir Hauksson and Agent Fresco)
Agent Fresco release new single + album info!
One of Iceland’s most escalating rock bands of this century Agent Fresco has released their second single from their sophomore album. Their complex and aggressive yet tender and passionate music compound has earned them quite some following in their native land and their international following is burgeoning. Agent Fresco have been working hard like bees in a nest to make their forthcoming album complete and now they have the reward insight. The new single is entitled “See Hell” and it’s their second one since the release of the stunning “Dark Water”.
A new video has been made by production company Tjarnargatan in Reykjavík that you can watch below.
“See Hell” is also one of the twelve songs featured on our newest edition of This Is Icelandic Indie Music.
Agent Fresco’s anticipated sophomore album, entitled Destrier, will see the light of day on August 7th and we’re so proud be a part of spreading the message of this great band in Iceland. They’ve signed with German label Long Branch Records who’ll take care of them internationally.
The artwork of Destrier is made by one Dóri Andrésson.
Agent Fresco are playing like madmen this year and coming up are gigs at Secret Solstice Festival, Eistnaflug, UK Tech Fest, Iceland Airwaves and a European tour is coming up.
Destrier track list:
1. Let Them See Us
2. Dark Water
3. Pyre
4. Destrier
5. Wait For Me
6. Howls
7. The Autumn Red
8. Citadel
9. See Hell
10. Let Fall The Curtain
11. Bemoan
12. Angst
13. Death Rattle
14. Mono No Aware
This Is Icelandic Indie Music reaches gold sale in Iceland
It is with utter gratitude and joy that we announce that the first installment of This Is Icelandic Indie Music has reached the gold selling limit here in Iceland. This Is Icelandic Indie Music was released in the spring of 2013 and it’s the first compilation ever to be released on Record Records. This is not our first gold selling album but it always makes us downright happy and delighted when that happens. It’s not too long ago when Mammút reached gold with their second album, Karkari, and we’ve also seen the same great thing happening with Of Monsters and Men’s My Head Is an Animal and Retro Stefson’s third and self-titled album. Let us tell you what, they all have their songs included on This Is Icelandic Indie Music!
The second chapter in the series arrived in the spring of 2014 and it has also been well received. This Is Icelandic Indie Music gave a good insight into what was happening in the Icelandic music scene in and around 2013 and it includes twelve exclusive tracks by twelve individual artists released by Record Records. You can get your copy of by clicking right here.
This Is Icelandic Indie Music Vol. II is out now!
This Is Icelandic Indie Music Vol. 2 is out now!
The second installment in Record Records’ compilation series This Is Icelandic Indie Music is out now. The first one came out in the spring of 2013 and it was the biggest selling compilation that was released in Iceland that year.
This Is Icelandic Indie Music Vol. 2 features thirteen tracks by thirteen Record Records artists, including four previously unreleased. The compilation is available on CD, vinyl and digitally. The physical copies are available in record stores in Iceland and online via the Record Records store and the digital version is available worldwide in all main digital download services.
The last few months have been great for indie rock band Mammút. Their third full length album Komdu til mín svarta systir was the most praised album released in Iceland last year. It was chosen the album of the year by Morgunblaðið, Fréttablaðið, Fréttatíminn and The Reykjavík Grapevine and it also received prizes at the Icelandic Music Awards and Kraumur Short List. Reggae band Ojba Rasta followed up their magnificent 2012 self-titled debut with Friður last year and it includes popular radio hits such as “Einhvernvegin svona” and “Ég veit, ég vona”. The Record Records newcomers FM Belfast have released their third album that’s entitled Brighter Days. One of the most anticipated releases of 2014 is the sophomore album by jazz infused math rockers Agent Fresco. 2014 marks the return of alternative rock band Benny Crespo’s Gang who will follow up their brilliant debut album from 2007, “Birthmarks” is their first release since the brilliant 2010 single “Night Time”. See You In The Afterglow is the most vibrant album by pristine guitar rock outfit Leaves, “Ocean” is the second and recalls 60s pop sensibility of artists such as The Walker Brothers and Phil Spector. Pixies touring buddies and KEXP-lauded pop outfit Mono Town released their long awaited debut album in the spring of 2014. In The Eye Of The Storm features the haunting Iceland radio hit “Peacemaker” which is just a topping of a great album. The newest Record Records signee is a young singer songwriter from the Vestmann Islands (a small archipelago based south of Iceland) called Júníus Meyvant. We expect nothing but great things from this utterly talented musician. The substantial female singer songwriter Lay Low released her fourth self-produced studio album Talking About The Weather in late 2013. It’s an outstanding album and a great add-on to her rich catalog of albums. The distinguished indie pop band Tilbury released their solid sophomore album in the fall of 2013. Northern Comfort is a delicate and sometimes chilly album with synth drenched songs about love and the hunt for love. Vök, the winners of Iceland’s Music Experiments, created a fair amount of buzz with their highly confident debut EP, Tension. Hymns, the sweet and heartwarming debut of neo-folk outfit Hymnalaya made them some fans in the lines of Of Monsters and Men and Seattle’s radio station KEXP. Snorri Helgason’s richest and possibly his delicate album to date is also the debut album for Snorri Helgason the band. Autumn Skies is performed by Snorri himself and also his band that features people from múm, Amiina, Moses Hightower, Hjaltalín and other stalwarts of Iceland’s blossoming music scene.
The track list of This Is Icelandic Indie Music Vol. 2
1. Mammút - Blóðberg (from their 2013 album Komdu til mín svarta systir)
2. Ojba Rasta - Ég veit ég vona (from 2013 album Friður)
3. FM Belfast - Brighter Days (from 2014 album Brighter Days)
4. Agent Fresco - Dark Water (from forthcoming 2014 album)
5. Benny Crespo’s Gang - Birthmarks (from forthcoming 2014 album)
6. Leaves - Ocean (af plötunni See You In The Afterglow, 2013)
7. Mono Town - Peacemaker (af plötunni In The Eye Of The Storm, 2014)
8. Júníus Meyvant - Color Decay (af væntanlegri plötu, 2015)
9. Lay Low - Gently (af plötunni Talking About The Weather, 2013)
10. Tilbury - Turbulence (af plötunni Northern Comfort, 2013)
11. Vök - Before (af stuttskífunni Tension, 2013)
12. Hymnalaya - In My Early Years (af plötunni Hymns, 2013)
13. Snorri Helgason - Kveðja (af plötunni Autumn Skies, 2013)