Indie and pop-rock According to the Icelandic label Record Records, the indie pop-folk group
Of Monsters and Men is Iceland's biggest act since
Björk and
Sigur Rós. Their debut album
My Head Is an Animal, as well as their first single "Little Talks", reached high positions in single and album charts worldwide. In 2013 they won the
European Border Breakers Awards. Singer-songwriter
Ásgeir Trausti did likewise in 2014, and ever since has been successfully touring Europe and the U.S. with his melodic-folk-pop songs, which he sings both in his native language Icelandic and in English. The singer-songwriter
Emiliana Torrini is an established Icelandic artist who had a base in the UK for many years. Her song "
Jungle Drum", from her 2008 album
Me and Armini, is internationally known and reached number one in the German, Austrian, Belgium and Icelandic single charts. Her album
Tookah, released in 2013, reached the Top 50 album charts in several countries. Other artists that are attracting attention outside Iceland include the electro-pop group
FM Belfast, indie pop / rock / folk band
Kaleo as well as the singers and composers
Sóley and
Sin Fang, who are both known as founding members of the band
Seabear.
Alternative and metal The alternative and metal scene is vibrant with Icelandic bands playing large festivals in Europe and the United States. The metal-band
Sólstafir is widely known outside Iceland. Already back in 1999 they had a contract for their debut album with a German record label. The Viking-Metal Band
Skálmöld played two sold out shows with the
Iceland Symphony Orchestra in the capital's concert hall Harpa in December 2013.
Agent Fresco combine metal, rock and alternative elements with the unique voice of singer Arnór Dan Arnarson and have also gained international attention. The instrumental post-rock and alternative-rock band
For a Minor Reflection is widely known since supported
Sigur Rós on tour back in 2009. Their sound is often compared to
Explosions in the Sky or the Scottish post-rock band
Mogwai.
Dead Skeletons are not only known for their unique psychedelic-rock sound but also for their artwork and an art gallery in Reykjavik run by front man and singer Jón Sæmundur Auðarson.
The Vintage Caravan, founded by two of the members in 2006 when they were only 12 years old, have played festivals in Europe, including the
Wacken Open Air and toured with bigger bands like
Europe and
Opeth. Iceland also has a thriving
extreme metal scene which is gaining recognition abroad. The black metal band
Svartidauði are widely considered a central figure in the development of the Icelandic black metal scene. Many of the scene's most significant albums were recorded and produced at Studio Emissary, a recording studio set up by Irish musician Stephen Lockhart, and the cassette label Vánagandr has also had a significant role in the development of the country's black metal scene.
Electronic music The techno house group
GusGus is one of Iceland's most successful exports in the field of electronic music. So far they released nine studio albums. The latest
Lies Are More Flexible came out in February 2018.
Hatari is an techno-industrial group from Iceland, most notable for their participation in
Eurovision Song Contest 2019 with the song
Hatrið mun sigra, where they placed 10th in the Grand Final. Other artists include DJ duo
Gluteus Maximus,
Hermigervill,
Bloodgroup and
Sísý Ey. The international franchise
Sónar held their first festival in Reykjavik in 2013 with a long roster of international and local electronic acts.
Experimental Ben Frost, born in Melbourne, living in Reykjavik, is bringing together electronic soundscapes with classical elements and noisy tunes. His latest album,
Aurora, was released in June 2014. Classical elements also characterize the symphonic music of composer and singer
Ólafur Arnalds. Other widely known experimental bands are
Múm and the high school originated
Hjaltalín. The trio
Samaris have gained attention, especially in Europe, and have played festivals all over Europe. Their self-released EP,
Stofnar falla, received positive reviews and was followed by their self-titled debut album, released in July 2013.
Mengi in Reykjavik is a centre for
avant garde music,
experimental music and
contemporary music. The organisation organizes
performances,
exhibitions,
conferences and runs a
recording studio and a
record label.
Classical music Plainchant and polyphonic singing in the Middle Ages and Renaissance With the Christianization of Iceland ca. 1000 came music traditionally associated with the Roman Catholic church. Plainchant was sung daily in churches, and later also in monasteries and nunneries. This was in accordance with the rite of the archbishopric of Nidaros (Trondheim) in Norway. A significant work of Icelandic origin is
Þorlákstíðir, the office for
Saint Thorlákur, which survives in a music manuscript from ca. 1400. Most of the manuscripts containing this music were destroyed after the Reformation, and only survive in fragments. Many of them were later used for book-binding and were removed from the binding in the early 20th century; these fragments are now found in archives in Reykjavík and Copenhagen. Plainchant was also sometimes sung in two parts, called
tvísöngur in Icelandic. This tradition goes back to at least the early 13th century, since the Bishop Lárentíus Kálfsson tried to ban it ca. 1220, wanting instead that singers would sing only "what was written in the choirbooks." Despite this,
tvísöngur is found in manuscripts from the 15th-18th centuries and was a significant performing tradition, both in sacred and secular contexts. Other polyphonic music was introduced in the 16th century, presumably by the schoolmaster Erasmus Villatsson, who is said to have introduced "discantus" or four-part music, to students at the Latin school at Skálholt in the 1560s. In recent years, the origins of these works have been traced to well-known songs from continental Europe, such as the famous
Susanne un jour by
Didier Lupi, which in Icelandic was sung as "Súsanna, sannan Guðs dóm." Also, the song "Vera mátt góður," found in the 17th-century manuscript
Melódía (Rask 98), now in the Arnamagnæan collection in Copenhagen) is ultimately derived from a song by the Florentine composer Francesco Corteccia, "Ecce bonum licet". Among his contributions to Icelandic music is the national anthem,
Lofsöngur. Belonging to this first generation of Icelandic composers were
Sigvaldi Kaldalóns and
Sigfús Einarsson, and Emil Thoroddsen, best known for their songs with piano accompaniment. The most significant Icelandic composer in the first half of the 20th century was
Jón Leifs who studied and worked in Germany until 1944 when he fled Nazi Germany to Norway and later Iceland where he became a considerable force in Icelandic musical life. A female composer from the same period, who also studied in Germany until the beginning of the war was
Jórunn Viðar. Today, Iceland has a vibrant classical music scene, with numerous composers of contemporary music achieving international success. These include
Haukur Tómasson,
Anna Thorvaldsdottir,
Daníel Bjarnason,
Jóhann Jóhannsson and
Hugi Gudmundsson.
Performance The first proper orchestral concert in Iceland was held in 1921, in conjunction with the royal visit of
Christian X of Denmark, the reigning monarch of Iceland. The ensemble created for the occasion was given the name Hljómsveit Reykjavíkur (The Reykjavík Orchestra), and performed sporadically in the years that followed under the direction of Sigfús Einarsson and Páll Ísólfsson. Following the founding of the Icelandic
National Broadcasting Service in 1930, and the festivities at the 1000th anniversary of the
Alþingi, and through the pioneering work of musicians like Franz Mixa,
Victor Urbancic and
Róbert A. Ottósson, this ensemble was slowly transformed into the professional symphony orchestra known today as the
Iceland Symphony Orchestra. The orchestra resides in
Harpa, Reykjavík's largest concert hall, and holds weekly concerts in its Eldborg auditorium. Additionally, a number of musical ensembles regularly perform in Reykjavík, playing music that ranges from Baroque to contemporary music. These include the
Reykjavík Chamber Orchestra, CAPUT ensemble and Nordic Affect. Several classic music festivals are held in Reykjavík and all around Iceland annually, including
Dark Music Days and Reykjavík Midsummer Music. Icelandic classical instrumentalists have achieved success internationally. Undoubtedly, the most famous Icelandic citizen within the world of classical music is the Russian pianist
Vladimir Ashkenazy, who settled in Iceland with his Icelandic wife Þórunn Jóhannsdóttir in 1968, following their defection from the Soviet Union. He was awarded Icelandic citizenship in 1972. Other notable, Icelandic classical instrumentalists with international careers include Sigurbjörn Bernharðsson, violinist and member of the
Pacifica Quartet, Elfa Rún Kristinsdóttir, violinist,
Víkingur Ólafsson, pianist, and the cellist Sæunn Thorsteinsdóttir. ==List of Icelandic music artists==