#neyslutrans

Introduction

DÍSA: We are media outlet Iceland Music News, the country's most honest media outlet.

GUÐMUNDUR: Yes. And possibly the entire world's.

HÁKON: And thus probably the most honest media outlet that's stepped into the RÚV studio.

GUÐMUNDUR: It's a sweet duty for us to present Rás 2's Album of the Week, which is Neyslutrans, by award-winning band Hatari.

HÁKON: To wit, my name is Hákon and I'm the editor for Iceland Music News; Vigdís is the assistant program director and thought the album was called Neysludans [Consumption Dance] but I corrected her just earlier, it's actually called Neyslutrans.

GUÐMUNDUR: And I'm Guðmundur Einar and I'm the CEO of Iceland Music News.

DÍSA: It should be mentioned that I'm usually called Dísa and I'm the program director and handle all published material. Well, the members of Hatari declined to present this album, and thus we were recruited for the job.

HÁKON: Right. As we understand it, they weren't offered enough money to introduce the Album of the Week, and therefore we were asked to come, and of course we jumped at the opportunity as soon as we had the chance.

DÍSA: Yes.

GUÐMUNDUR: Yes. It's of course amazing to get to introduce a masterpiece of this kind. The foreign media are tripping over themselves to declare this album the best album of all time.

DÍSA: Yes, exactly. It's a great honour for us as a nation that the songs will be performed at Hatari's release concert in Austurbær on February 22nd-23rd, and to perform such a masterwork live, as you say, is just... there are no words.

HÁKON: None. And we furthermore want to underline the great honour that it is to present this album. It's a masterpiece, and honestly I think masterpiece isn't a strong enough word to fully encompass the quality of it. But without further ado, here is the album of the week.

DÍSA: Neyslutrans.

HÁKON: Enjoy.

DÍSA: The band known as Hatari is composed of Einar Hrafn Stefánsson, Klemens Nikulásson Hannigan and Matthías Tryggvi Haraldsson, who composed and arranged the songs and lyrics on the album.

GUÐMUNDUR: But of course, in creating a piece like this, a multitude of other artists come into it as well. And what a list of magnificent artists. It will become clear when we play the songs. We should add that the album was recorded by publisher Svikamylla ehf.

HÁKON: In Panama.

GUÐMUNDUR: In Panama.

Engin miskunn

HÁKON: The first song on the album is called "Engin miskunn" [No Mercy], and the title really says everything that needs to be said. There is no mercy from the greatness of this song. The quality exceeds all measurements, and the listener is shown no mercy as it is played.

DÍSA: No.

GUÐMUNDUR: As the lyrics say, "Glory will descend upon the earth / All the Earth's children's doomsday drawing near". That's the feeling I felt when I heard this song.

DÍSA: Absolutely. I completely agree. You could just feel the glory taking over your...

GUÐMUNDUR: Body.

DÍSA: Body. It's worth noting that it was Magnús Leifsson who directed a music video for this song, one of the most respected directors in Iceland.

HÁKON: "Most respected" doesn't even cover how revered he is within the industry.

GUÐMUNDUR: Yeah. And this song is what's called the 'single' of the album, and is, so to speak, the outward face of the album.

HÁKON: Yes, exactly. And the glue that holds the album together.

DÍSA: Yes. We said the listener is shown no mercy in listening to this song, but of course that applies to the entire album, even though it's unusual for an album to begin with such a... really the best song.

GUÐMUNDUR: Yeah, this is the best song.

HÁKON: Yeah. We could say it applies to the entire album but perhaps especially this one, "Engin miskunn". There's no mercy in this, and this is really the song on the album.

Spillingardans

HÁKON: The next song on the album is called "Spillingardans". This is a magnificent song, and it's of course a special honour for Iceland Music News to have been the media organization present interviewing Hatari when the first clips from the music video for the song had yet to be released - so Iceland Music News was the first media outlet in Iceland to publish a clip from the video for "Spillingardans", and it's a really special honour because this song is, in most people's opinion, by far the best song on the album. If you were to apply some kind of adjective to it, there would be a lot of them, but this song is very barbed. Yet at the same time, the end of the barb is soft. The song says, "The watchful hand of the oppressor", and the oppressor in this case is the dishonest media, for instance, and, um, a lot of other things. But the song is called "Spillingardans", and I ask you to listen well, because this is the best song on the album. It could be mentioned that "Spillingardans" was originally released as a single, as one individual thing published by itself, in 2018, and the song is based on a song of the same name by the duo Plató.

Klámstrákur

DÍSA: It's a great honour for us at Iceland Music News to present the album Neyslutrans by Hatari, and especially for me to present the song "Klámstrákur", because if you listen to this song, I think most people can hear the lyrics and think, "Yes. Yes, I am a filthy boy." And it's especially an honour because this is, without a doubt, the best song on the album. It was released as a single last year and it only gets better with each listen. Klemens gets to come out and play in this song, where he kind of raps in parts, and I can only speak for myself, but my image of Klemens changed greatly. You could say something deepened there. This is the song "Klámstrákur" by Hatari.

Klefi/Samed

GUÐMUNDUR: The next song is the song "Klefi" or "Samed", by Hatari and Palestinian musician Bashar Murad. We at Iceland Music News have been lucky enough to meet Bashar a few times and interview him, and I can state for the record that he is one of the most magnificent artists to ever set foot in Iceland.

DÍSA: Can I add that he is also very polite?

GUÐMUNDUR: Very polite.

HÁKON: Unique.

GUÐMUNDUR: And a good boy. Samed means to be steadfast, and is widely used in the struggle for Palestinian rights. It's a special honour for me to introduce the song "Klefi/Samed" because this is in many people's opinions perhaps the very best song on this album, and thus in the history of Icelandic music. "I walk barefoot in the clouds," sings Bashar, "worthy," but when I listen to this song, I wonder if I am worthy. Either way it's a great blessing to be able to enjoy music of this caliber. "I am whole, and I am warm," and that's how you feel when you listen to this song.

Þræll

DÍSA: The song "Þræll" by Hatari is a new song on the album Neyslutrans by Hatari. In this song, Klemens presents a lovely contemplation on submissiveness, which I think will touch most people. This is without a doubt the best song on the album. It has been very well received, both in Italy and Poland and other places, and when I say well received I mean a lot of people sing along, and of course it has been widely praised. There is a piece of the lyrics that speaks to me; it's "You yank me, throw me around; you slap me on the cheek." I think this song does that to me. It yanks me, throws me around, slaps me on the cheek, and after listening, I come out of it a slightly better person. This is the song "Þræll" by Hatari from the album Neyslutrans.

Hlauptu

HÁKON: The next song is called "Hlauptu" by Hatari. I feel a little bad to be presenting this song, because to present a song like this in a time like this is really more than I am capable of. This song is, by every measure, by far the best song on the album, and there's just no way around that. The song "Hlauptu" is an incredible work of lyricism, an incredible song in every way, incredible artists working on it along with Hatari, it's Cyber that wrote it with Hatari. Cyber and Hatari traveled around Europe on the "Europe Will Crumble" tour where they conquered not only Europe but the entire world with this song, and if I just Google "Cyber" [typing noises] and press Enter, I get a lot of varied information about this song, which, uh, shows how big this song is. "Hlauptu" by Hatari!

Hatrið mun sigra

GUÐMUNDUR: So, the next song on the album is a decent song.

HÁKON: Yeah, it's a decent song. It's... you can debate its merits, as people have. But a decent song, sure, we of course are a media organization and must be fair and honest in our reporting, so, decent, I don't know.

GUÐMUNDUR: Fine. It's fine.

DÍSA: I'm - if we're going to have honesty as our guide I just have to permit myself to say that the lyrics of this song... I just don't know. I think it's too dark.

HÁKON: I kind of have to agree with that. See, I'm just going to read a bit...

DÍSA: I just had to say it.

GUÐMUNDUR: Perhaps it should be mentioned that the next song is "Hatrið mun sigra".

HÁKON: By Hatari.

DÍSA: Yeah - I can't even say that title.

HÁKON: And, and... let's see this, "Hate will prevail, Europe will crumble."

DÍSA: No.

HÁKON: I think it's distasteful. This is not in any way appropriate for our children to hear.

GUÐMUNDUR: No, that's the question.

HÁKON: Because you can say whatever you like about Eurovision, and reversing it, and that really they mean there should be peace and so on.

DÍSA: Yeah, blah blah blah.

HÁKON: But they're saying that hate will prevail and Europe will crumble. Under no circumstances is it healthy for children to hear that.

DÍSA: No.

HÁKON: And now the coronavirus is coming, and this is not a joke!

DÍSA: Hákon, I - sure, we are here to present the album of the week on behalf of Hatari, and I think we've entered a gray area, but we as the media outlet Iceland Music News, we just have to tell it like it is. We speak when others are silent. And I'm glad this has been said.

HÁKON: Nonetheless...

GUÐMUNDUR: Nonetheless, this song is... fine. And it will be performed, along with every other song on the album, at Hatari's release concert in Austurbær.

HÁKON: Yes, February 22nd and 23rd, for those who are interested. This song will of course be performed there, and who knows, perhaps if the audience shouts "Again! Again!" loudly enough, they'll perform it for a second time. Who knows?

GUÐMUNDUR: It should be said that the version on the album is a bit longer than the one performed in the Eurovision Song Contest, and this improved it significantly.

DÍSA: Yeah, that's true.

HÁKON: Yeah, it did. One thing to say for this song, and the band Hatari, it got a lot better when it no longer had to obey the strict rules of Eurovision.

GUÐMUNDUR: We are Iceland Music News and the next song is the song "Hatrið mun sigra", by Hatari.

Spectavisti me mori/14 ár

GUÐMUNDUR: Next we're airing two songs in a row, first "Spectavisti me mori, Op. 8", which means "You watched me die", and is a reference to the song "X" by Hatari. Pétur Björnsson composed violin for this song. And directly following this incredible musical experience is the song "14 ár".

DÍSA: Yes. Which is also new on the album. There is a lot of desperation in that song; there is a kind of Stockholm syndrome in the lyrics, our coercive relationship with capitalism. There are many connections to be made, and, really just a classic Hatari hit in terms of structure and so on, which flows extremely well from Pétur's melody. He studied the violin in Leipzig.

HÁKON: We at Iceland Music News of course recommend that listeners listen to these two songs together in one stew, so to speak, so that the former song precedes the latter. By Hatari.

DÍSA: Yes. I think it's very original to have two songs go together like this, and I think it's the unanimous opinion of the editorial board that this is the best song on the album.

GUÐMUNDUR: Yes.

HÁKON: Yes. It's the best piece.

GUÐMUNDUR: Best piece.

DÍSA: Piece of music.

HÁKON: This part of this work of art is really what glues it all together, what gives it life as art that we can benefit from, not just us, the individuals of Iceland Music News, or us the individuals who work at Iceland Music News as news reporters working in a difficult environment, but also we who love Hatari.

GUÐMUNDUR: Yes.

DÍSA: Yes.

HÁKON: And have listened to Hatari. And we who love music, we can say that too. And that's why there's no way around why this piece is the core of the piece of art that is the album.

DÍSA: These are the songs "Spectavisti me mori" and "14 ár", by Hatari.

HÁKON: And we thank Hatari for this.

Ógleði

GUÐMUNDUR: We are Iceland Music News, and the next song is "Ógleði" [Nausea]. But nausea doesn't have to be a bad feeling.

DÍSA: No.

GUÐMUNDUR: Sometimes you experience nausea when emotions overwhelm you and the art overpowers the body.

DÍSA: Exactly. That said, it is right to present this song with a disclaimer, as if you have acid reflux, it has been known to cause the acidity or Ph value of the stomach, which should be around 3 - it has been known to raise it to around 3.333, which can cause a certain illness. It should be stated; we won't sugarcoat it.

HÁKON: Yes. We at Iceland Music News must state this. We're proud of it.

DÍSA: Yes. It's important information. But it's an amusing coincidence nonetheless that 3.333 is not unlike 3,333 ISK, which happens to be the ticket price for children under 18 for Hatari's release concert, which will take place on February 23rd.

HÁKON: In Austurbær. And Iceland Music News of course wants to use this opportunity to express our deepest gratitude to our sponsors. It's a variety of sponsors, such as... many, who have taken part in supporting us with various grants that we have accepted, and we are grateful to be able to accept such grants, to make it possible for us to sit here and talk about the song "Ógleði" by Hatari, which is indisputably the most important song on this album.

GUÐMUNDUR: As the lyrics to the song say, "Everything that trembled shattered like glass; what was inside me, it wasn't me." Dear listener, let the music shatter your soul like glass, so that a more perfect self may be rebuilt from the ruin.

Helvíti

HÁKON: We at Iceland Music News are very proud to present the next song, the song "Helvíti" [Hell] by Hatari, and this is, as the title suggests, a hellishly good song, if you'll indulge me. And of course, to say something is hellishly good really means it's so good you need to curse to emphasize it. I'd rather not curse, I did it just now for the sake of the example, but I won't do it again. We at Iceland Music News are thus saying that it simply cannot be emphasized enough how good this song is. The song is called "Helvíti". And the lyrics can be quoted - it should be noted that Svarti Laxness is part of this song, also known as Stinni Steins. The song says, "a constant hardon". This is something that's not good for anyone, to have a constant hardon. I've heard that four hours is a very long time, but constant is something I cannot even imagine, and that probably happens only in the purest of hells. And no one wants to be there.

DÍSA/GUÐMUNDUR: [suppressed chuckling]

HÁKON: These are very explicit descriptions of what happens in the hottest of hells, which makes it incredibly evocative, and it really touches people deeply, and perhaps even cuts them.

GUÐMUNDUR: That's right, Hákon. And we should mention that we are approaching the end of the album, the end of this great journey that the album has been. And at this point we've reached Hell. The destruction of capitalism has here reached its peak, and the album describes in great detail the environments and experiences of Hell.

Nunquam iterum/Niðurlút

DÍSA: We've come to the end of the album Neyslutrans by Hatari.

HÁKON: Iceland Music News, here with you.

DÍSA: Well, an end but also a new beginning, you could say. Or a kind of...

HÁKON: Lullaby?

DÍSA: Yes, it's a lullaby; we're being led into a new world. These are two songs strung together, which is extremely original. It's "Nunquam iterum, Op. 12" - Nunquam iterum means "Never again".

GUÐMUNDUR: Yes. And it's fun to note that the members of Hatari are great academics and speak fluent Latin, just like us at Iceland Music News.

HÁKON: Behind the masks, there are voracious readers and bookworms.

GUÐMUNDUR: And this is followed by the song "Niðurlút", which is the final song of the album. Both of these songs are written to the same lyrics.

DÍSA: Different artists worked on the songs; the former is a melody by Friðrik Margrétar who arranged it for the choir of the Iceland Academy of the Arts, and then it's GDRN, one of our foremost singers, who worked on the song "Niðurlút."

HÁKON: Both of these artists are of course great friends of Iceland Music News and have of course boosted our reputation.

GUÐMUNDUR: This song is no less than magnificent.

DÍSA: No. I'll permit myself to say this is the best song on the album. A subjective opinion, some would say, but I am basing this on my education and experience in the music business.

GUÐMUNDUR: Yes.

HÁKON: This song being the best song is just not up for debate.