For such a small country, Iceland has produced a surprising number of excellent artists. From Bjork to Mum to Seabear to Olaf Arnalds to Sigur Ros, it's really extraordinary the amount of wonderful music that comes from that island.
This last mix of 2011 is an Icelandic journey. All the music is created by artists from Iceland.
Icelandic music for me begins & ends with Sigur Ros & Bjork. They are both in the mix, with Jonsi, from Sigur Ros, making multiple appearances. In addition to the Sigur Ros tune, Jonsi contributes "Stokkseyri" from Riceboy Sleeps & "9" by Frakkur.
When a listener, Kevin, suggested the mix & the title, he was thinking of Iceland as a land of extremes...glaciers & volcanoes, 24hr days & 24hr nights. This mix doesn't swing too wildly from one extreme to another. It's more ice than fire. A few of the tunes do build in typical post-rock fashion, but generally things are fairly subdued.
