It's shoegaze, not navelgaze. Oyama may have a strong My Bloody Valentine-streak, but the Icelandic five-piece have followed up their initial EP with an invigorated their sound on their debut LP, Coolboy, whose woozy, pitch-bending melodies range between airy dream pop and fuzzy psychedelia. We rec…
Our second day at Kex Hostel represented the diverse array of music and nations represented at the festival – from American feminist hip-hop and Finnish post-punk to teenage Icelandic punk and a fiery slowcore act with members from all around the world.
Ólafur Arnalds and Janus Rasmussen kicked off KEXP’s live broadcast from KEX Hostel during the 2017 Iceland Airwaves with a glistening set.
The Samaris-member performs four songs from her solo catalog in this session from KEX Hostel during KEXP’s 2017 Iceland Airwaves broadcast.
Second on today's broadcast live from KEX hostel at at Iceland Airwaves Music Festival was Icelandic singer-songwriter Axel Flóvent. Axel has achieved recent international prominence after years playing in his hometown of Húsavik (a small fishing village in the north of Iceland), and all around his…
First up on day four of KEXP's live stream from Kex Hostel at Iceland Airwaves Music Festival is Icelandic hip hop artist Sturla Atlas. The stage name for singer Sturla Atlason, Sturla Atlas makes 90's-style hip hop and RnB injected with Icelandic humor that manages to be both over-the-top and tota…
Next on the Iceland Airwaves broadcast live from Kex Hostel was Icelandic indie-rock artist Júníus Meyvant. Hailing from the remote Vestmann Islands, Júníus Meyvant (the pseudonym used by Unnar Gísli Sigurmundsson) started playing music later than most, after finding a beat-up guitar at his parents…
Our fourth day of live Iceland Airwaves music from Kex Hostel in the volcanic wonderland of Iceland kicked off early and with a high energy middle finger. Oh, are you hung over from Reykjavik's infamously late nightlife? Pink Street Boys don't care. These boys claim to be the loudest band in Icelan…
Opening our final day of the KEXP broadcast live from KEX Hostel at Iceland Airwaves is singer-songwriter John Grant. Though he is currently based in Iceland, he is one of only two American acts featured on this year's broadcast. Grant first gained notoriety as the lead singer of Denver-based shoeg…
First up on day three of the KEXP broadcast live from KEX Hostel at Iceland Airwaves Music Festival was soulful Icelandic-American blues-rock band Moji & The Midnight Sons. Conceived of in a small Reykjavik whiskey bar under the light of the midnight sun, Moji and the Midnight Sons are new face…
Our broadcast during Iceland Airwaves isn't always about the Iceland bands. While we do enjoy spotlighting groups that KEXP listeners might not otherwise hear, we also love to share with our Nordic friends some of our own favorites, like NYC's Caveman, whose lush, dreamy indie pop sound translates …
Sóley is the cutest creeper out there. The Icelandic singer-songwriter is so disarmingly charming, and her voice so exquisite, that even her songs about killer clowns, murderers and weird, one-eyed ladies are quite soothing. She's also an expert looper and a snappy dresser. In other words, there's …
The newest act on our lineup performs a dreamy set of indie-pop from the KEX Hostel in Reykjavik.
Watch the band's performance from Iceland Airwaves 2019.
aYia performs cataclysmic songs live from KEXP’s Iceland Airwaves 2018 broadcast at KEX Hostel.
KEXP staffers aren't the only Americans to fall under the ethereal spell of Iceland: when musician John Grant played the Iceland Airwaves Music Festival in 2011, he liked it so much, he decided to stay! Performing songs from the album he recorded there, his sophomore release Pale Green Ghosts, Gran…
Closing out our live video broadcast from Kex Hostel at Iceland Airwaves 2015 was a crazy set from Icelandic post-punk band Æla. Icelandic for "Puke," Æla is known for a raucous live show, with costumes, glitter, and wild antics. Their debut album Synið tillitssemi, eg er fravik was released in 200…
Next on the live video stream from Kex Hostel at Iceland Airwaves Music Festival is Icelandic feminist rap collective Reykjavíkurdætur. Formed in 2013, the name "Reykjavíkurdætur" was a bit of an accident. It was the name of the first song the collective released, and once they were referred to as …
