Best Tracks of 2018
selected by Hergeir Staksberg

Ævintýraferðin
“Flenn”

Two words: Good vibrations! This is where the good old Bee Gees falsetto meets the feel good vibes of MGMT. I absolutely love everything about “Flenn”. And I just can’t help picking up good vibrations every time I listen to the track. It’s just that good.

The funny thing is: Ævintýraferðin is aimed at children, but the music still manages to resonate with grownups. It’s similar to what is happening with animated movies in the shape of “Finding Nemo” or “How to Train Your Dragon”. They are aimed at children, but the older audience loves those movies just as much.

No more talking. Let’s just press play and get those good vibrations going.

Ævintýraferðin on Facebook, Spotify.

BYRTA ft. Silvurdrongur
“Hennara dansigólv”

BYRTA is an electro-pop duo made up of Guðrið Hansdóttir and Janus Rasmussen (Kiasmos). And the very moment their debut album hit the streets back in 2012, Byrta went skyrocketing.

Just as BYRTA were building an ever-growing audience, gaining popularity and everything looked set for success. They went silent. Until now.

In 2018 BYRTA finally made the long-awaited comeback everyone was hoping for. Reminding everyone of their brilliance. This time around BYRTA entered the stage with a guest appearance by Silvurdrongur and a new sound.

If you’re into super modern electronic dance tracks with trap elements, this one is for you.

BYRTA on Facebook.

Frostfelt
“Angel”

If you’re a fan of Thom Yorke. This one is for you.

And let’s say you’re not a fan of Thom Yorke. This track is still for you. The reason being: Beautiful soundscapes, catchy melodies and the trademark Scandinavian melancholy. All served on a single dish by main man Líggjas Olsen (a.k.a. Frostfelt).

Accompanied by producer wizard Sakaris, excellent strings arrangement by Rosabella Gregory and a stunning video by Heiðrik á Heygum. Angel truly is a worthy candidate for one of the best Faroese tracks in 2018.

Frostfelt on FacebookSpotify, Soundcloud.

HÙS
“Countrysangurin”

Hús is an electronic one-man band. Best described as a Faroese relative of Boards of Canada. Repetetive and hypnotizing beats combined with a unique atmosphere with loads of huge sounding reverb.

The long-awaited debut album “Nevember” has been in the making for some 10 years. And finally, in 2018 we got experience the musical universe of Hús. If you’re into instrumental electronic music. Consider this a hidden gem worthy of further examination.

HÙS on Facebook, Instagram, Spotify, Soundcloud.

Jasmin
“Baby Blue”

That voice though!”, has become the standard reaction when people hear Jasmins’ voice. From the very moment she opens her mouth we get flooded by a tsunami of emotions. That’s because Jasmin has the healthy habit of pouring her heart and soul into every single word.

More importantly Jasmin brings authenticity. Something the modern music scene seems to be lacking. And it’s that very same authenticity which touches us, and leads to spontaneous goosebumps.

With her debut album just around the corner. 2019 does indeed look promising.

Jasmin on Facebook, YouTube.

Marius Ziska
“Silvurlín”

The uncrowned king of insanely good indie pop/rock is back, and once more we’re up for a treat.

H.C. Andersen once uttered the wise words of: “When words fail, music speaks”. And that pretty much sums it up. Those five words are basically Silvurlín and Marius Ziska in a nutshell.

Althought the Faroese language might sound like the language spoken in Sims or by the cute one-eyed yellow minions, luckily the language of music always remains universal.

That being said. Please do yourself a favor. Crank it up and let the language of music wash over you.

Marius Ziska on FacebookInstagram, www.

Silvurdrongur
“Rógv ella ró”

Silvurdrongur is an artistic chameleon. It makes no difference whether you dress him up as a poet, rapper or film director. It just doesn’t matter. He’ll keep winning awards anyways. And with three awards in three different artistic categories in his back catalogue, Silvurdrongur has made his way into the Faroese vocabulary.

He is describing himself as an alien who doesn’t fit in. A fitting description and the main reason for his place on the top 10 list. In general, it’s the aliens who breathe life and nuances into our world. So let’s hear it for Silvurdrongur and join him on his musical journey by pressing the play.

Silvurdrongur on Facebook, Bandcamp, Spotify.

Svartmálm
“Deyðin nærkast”

“What the hell does Svartmálm mean?” You might ask. Well, the answer is: Black metal. And that’s exactly what Svartmálm deliver. Extreme. dark and demonic black metal… in Faroese!

It’s a well-known secret that the members of Svartmálm are among the very best musicians in the Faroe Islands.. Another well-known secret if you plan to grow as a musician is: You have to keep challenging yourself. And that’s exactly what the members of Svarmálm did. Svartmálm accepted the challenge of growth by entering a metal contest called Wacken Metal Battle. They even won the contest and went on to perform at Wacken Open Air.

Now that’s bravery and excellent musicianship for you!

Svartmálm on Facebook, Bandcamp, Spotify.

Teitur
“I Want to Be Kind”

Teitur rose to international fame with “Josephine”, “Louis, Louis” and “Catherine the Waitress”.

“I Want to Be Kind” is a totally different animal. This time round Teitur has taken the foot off the gas, and gone for a soothing and minimalistic approach. We are talking naked and honest while staying true to his unique talent as a storyteller.

This isn’t advanced technical music or highly intellectual and abstract lyrics. This is singing slightly out of tune. Reflections on everyday subjects and rather simple music. And that’s a good thing in the most positive sense imaginable. It just makes the album all the more human and beautiful.

Teitur on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, www.

VSJ
“God’s Work”

They came out of nowhere, and now they are everywhere. They are young, energetic and their positive vibes are highly contagious.

Being this good at such a young age is super rare. It also makes way for high expectations, but so far those high expectations have been met. VSJ just keep improving for every release, and it’s only a matter of time before they make it into the international stage.

VSJ on Facebook, Instagram, Spotify.