screaming masterpiece

unashamed music junkie is what i am
i thought it was something that would dissipate with the years
maybe it's just a phase i am going through (i hope not)
but these days i'm almost totally obsessed by the stuff
i have a jukebox on my computer stacked with compilation cds
i have a mp3 player stacked with my favourite albums
i have at least 3 venues within walking distance presenting quality original music
i have a bunch of music shops in my suburb that i have become very familiar with
tonight i had an urge to strap on the iriver and walk
which i did - from one cd shop to another
it's probably not a good idea to go into a music shop
with an mp3 player strapped on and music feeding into your head
kind of walking into a bar already half sloshed
you're not going to not partake in that which is on offer
so feeling in the mode for something visual as well as aural
i scoured the music dvds declining all the usual suspects
then noticed on the new releases wall this very interesting looking dvd
screaming masterpiece
the familiar yet manic bjork gracing the cover
her name and a list of other 9 others listed on the front
including sigur ros which bumped the interest factor off the scale
closer inspection reveals it's a film/documentary on icelandic music
perfect for a world music devotee such as myself
the purchase is made and inspected over a pasta and wine at lucky jim's
then taken home, dropped into the dvd player
projector fired up and sit back to let it unfold
the mind is open (the glass is full)
in between amazing footage of the great outdoors of iceland we see
- sigur ros at full throttle in concert in new york
- mum and slowblow in collaboration bashing things rhythmically
- bardi johannsson making big cure-ish noises to a huge devoted audience
- apparat organ quartet with a full rock band backing doing a fuller kraftwerk
- eivor palsdottir a female electric guitarist with a stunning voice in front of a 4 piece band
- an unnamed string quartet with electronica backing in a cathedral
- bjork singing beautifully with an orchestra at an outdoor concert in new york
- trabant an experimental group performing for the president of iceland in his home
- mugison an acoustic guitarist singing and playing somewhere in reykjavik
- odin's raven magic performing an 800 year old poem with orchestra and choir
- slowblow a lo-fi alternative male/female multi-instrument outfit
- mum presented in video form with a gentle electronica backed tune
- footage from a 1981 film documenting iceland's punk heritage
- archival footage of the sugarcubes in the 80's
- ghostigital a full-on electronic based outfit
- quarashi performing their rap/rock in tokyo
- amina a young 3 piece violin/cello female group with electronica
- dans three an electronic group backing up bjork in new york
- sigur ros performing a beautiful moving piece at an outdoor concert
- singapore sling a hardcode alternative band in a club
- vinyl doing an icelandic version of the birthday party
- minus icelands answer to the ramones
- nilfisk the archetypal garage band picked up by the foo fighters
- a massed choir and orchestra doing something presumably uniquely icelandic
very disparate music but with some things in common
a striking vein of freshness and originality
a dedicated and enthusiastic audience
a society obviously very supportive of their musicians
now get this mind-boggling fact
stats that roll up at one point state iceland is a nation of
300,000 people
90 music schools
6,000 choir members
400 orchestras and marching bands
and an unknown number of rock bands, jazz combos and dj's
sounds like mecca for a music junkie
me wanna go...