KEXP at Iceland Airwaves, Day 3: Sóley

Opening the third day of KEXP’s broadcast live from Kex Hostel at Iceland Airwaves Music Festival was Icelandic singer-songwriter and KEXP favorite Sóley. Previously a member of Seabear and Sin Fang, the soft-voiced multi-instrumentalist has had a very successful solo career. She released her debut We Sink in 2011, and has mesmerized audiences internationally with her delicate, dark, and sometimes downright spooky songs. Her new record, Ask The Deep (Morr Music), continues the tradition of macabre themes established in We Sink with songs like “Ævintýr” (“Adventure” in Icelandic) which describes the true story of a Brazilian man being buried alive.

Kex was packed early with festival-goers eager to see the popular artist in such an intimate setting. It's rare to see Sóley perform without her band, but alone she stood, plucking an acoustic guitar as her voice floated gently above the hushed crowd.  The audience was so quiet it felt like they were holding their breaths for fear of scaring her away. The back door open, even those sitting on the porch were stone silent, listening to Sóley's high, clear singing.

After playing "Smashed Birds" and "While I Sleep (Scary Adventures)"--a song from her brand new EP Don't Ever Listen, she moved to the upright bar piano for the remainder of her set. "The Sun is Going Down II" with airy keys reminiscent of a childhood music box, sounded both whimsical and ominous, while "Pretty Face" had the audience rapt and totally still. She closed her set with "Dreamers," from her most recent album Ask the Deep, which was playing live for the first time. A beautiful start to the third day of our Airwaves broadcast!