I’d almost forgotten about Sykur. Unless I’m mistaken, the last time they dropped a new recording was their third EP ‘JÁTAKK’ back in October 2019, even before the pandemic. So long ago that the only reference to them in the now three-year old NMC is in the ‘About’ section.
I believe a couple of them have been pursuing projects that took them abroad for a while but it looks like a return to front line duty is on the cards with a Reykjavik gig tonight (12th October) and the release of a new single, ‘Pláneta Y’, the previous day. Fingers crossed that means an EP or full album is coming.
I see they aren’t down for Iceland Airwaves yet but there’s always a chance of an off-venue slot as they’ve done before.
I only had the privilege of seeing Sykur once and it was at that festival, again pre-pandemic. Their live reputation goes before them as much as that of the Norwegians of Pom Poko, whose own live set we reviewed yesterday.
And they didn’t disappoint; the amazingly energetic front woman Agnes Björt Andradóttir, propped up on boots that had six inch soles by the look of it, and with hair like prizewinning carrots, delivering her usual magnetic, explosive performance, her lungs pumping away as powerfully as ever, while the other band members, arched over their weird looking electronic instruments, twiddled their knobs ferociously with the urgency of boffins who are within millimeters of working out how to deflect the comet while it glows ever brighter in the sky.
So what of this new single? Well, just as I’ve referred to Pom Poko finding a new, more mellow feel of late, so that seems to be the case with Sykur, too.
For the most part ‘Pláneta Y’ is balladic, certainly by their standards, and even allowing for Agnes’ trademark, signature vocal (you would always know it was her) you wouldn’t automatically know it was Sykur. She only gets to make one fairly anemic scream for example.
Until, that is, some familiar and well worn – but always welcome – sharp, jagged electronic chords cut in, such as at 1:00, 2:00 and 3:50.
(Incidentally, the photo of Agnes above – which was actually put out by the band as a promotional one, that’s how zany they can be – has Agnes doing her best impression of Angela Rayner, the worse for wear after a night on the tiles in Ibiza. But still with her giant head dress in place; she is a fashion designer after all).
It ends up being a fairly soft electro rock song and I suspect that the real meat of the song lies in its lyrics. What is this Planet Y? Is it a play on words, like Weyes Blood’s ‘Generation Y’, where the alphabetic letter is asking a question?
One should never overlook Sykur’s skill at lyricism, which is often drowned out by the sheer exuberance of the musicianship.
But unfortunately, I’ve no lyrics to go at and I know as much Icelandic as I do Martian. Should that change I will of course update this report.
The main thing is that it’s good to know they are back, and performing live. Believe me you won’t know what’s hit you if you go to see them.
Sykur is: Agnes Björt Andradóttir · Halldór Eldjárn · Kristján Eldjárn Hjörleifsson · Stefán Finnbogason.
Find them on:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sykurtheband
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sykurtheband/
