KEXP at Iceland Airwaves 2013, Day 3: Grísalappalísa

Next on KEXP live from KEX Hostel at Iceland Airwaves was an insane set from Icelandic band Grísalappalísa. The band, whose name means "pig-legged Lisa," plays raucus music that genre-jumps like nothing I've ever seen before. Vocalists Gunnar Ragnarsson and Baldur Baldursson scream and grunt, with accompaniment ranging from punk, to psychadelic, to Kraut Rock--an energetic show, to say the least.They began with "Allt Má (Má Út)," which alternated between yelling, rapping, and dub-esque beats. Gunnar Ragnarsson grabbed the spotlight in a big way with his crazy dance moves, almost mowing over co-vocalist Baldur Baldursson in the process. Next was "Lóan Er Komin" which fell somewhere between post-hardcore and indie rock, but with a distorted saxophone. Ragnarsson took the show outside the bounds of the stage, jumping and falling into the crowd to get them riled up for the rest of the show to come.

"Brostékki Of Bjart," involved some shoegazey guitars, and lots of grunting, screaming, and chanting. You don't need to be able to understand Icelandic to know that the song is, as the band described it, "very filthy." Next was an untitled song, which Ragnarsson described as "a little less dramatic, maybe even a party song," and a party song it was. Mostly just straight up rock & r0ll with super-fun, driving guitar licks.

"Hver Er Ég?" started as sunny and uptempo, but then descended into spectacular, noisy chaos, with lots of chanting. They finished out the set with a much longer song, "Skrítin Birta," which began as a kind of jazzy piece (a little less chaotic, but no less weird) which then turned into a huge, cacophonous, improvised jam session. This has definitely been one of the highlights of the broadcast so far.