Seabear - We Built A Fire

01. Lion Face Boy
02. Fire Dies Down
03. I'll Build You A Fire
04. Cold Summer
05. Wooden Teeth
06. Leafmask
07. Softship
08. We Fell Of The Roof
09. Warm Blood
10. In Winters Eyes
11. Wolfboy

Defying its humble beginnings as the lo-fi solo project of Icelandic singer/ multi-instrumentalist Sindri Már Sigfússon, Seabear has morphed into a rambling experimental/ indie/ folk septet. Joining Sigfússon (whose unassisted musings are now released via his Sin Fang Bous moniker which just made the American Rolling Stone call him the "Icelandic Beck") are Guðbjörg Hlín Gudmundsdóttir, Ingibjörg Birgisdóttir, Halldór Ragnarsson, Örn Ingi Ágústsson, Kjartan Bragi Bjarnason and Sóley Stefánsdóttir - all working in a wide range of solo-, band- (Kimono, Skakkamanage) and visual arts-projects in their own right. For their second full length LP, We Built A Fire, all members of the band had equal input in the writing process, thereby creating Seabear's first real collective album. Release date is set on February 26th 2010.

While Sigfússon's unmistakable voice remains the centerpiece on We Built A Fire, the new joint approach is reflected in songs like "I build you a fire" where the whole band joins in on vocals. While retaining their signature simplistic and addictive naive indie folk ("Wooden Teeth", "Lion Face Boy"), the band have branched out stylistically to include elements of straight up indie rock ("Softship"), intense balladry ("Cold Summer") and even some country twang ("Leafmask").

There is something instantly familiar about Seabear's songs that resonates with fans and critics alike. Despite scant promotion and airplay behind their debut album release, 2007's The Ghost That Carried Us Away, their songs and animated videos were a social media hit generating millions of plays. It's a very Icelandic DIY setup - their music is recorded by the band in their basement studio with its apple carton covered walls. All artwork and videos are hand made by Sindri's partner and band mate Ingibjörg Birgisdóttir...www.icelandmusic.is

Borko - Celebrating Life

1. Continental Love
2. Spoon stabber
3. Shoobaba
4. Sushi Stakeout
5. Dingdong Kingdom
6. Summer Logic
7. Doo Doo Doo
8. Hondo & Borko

Maintaining Morr Music's strong relationship with Iceland's musical exports is this new album by Borko, an artist who first made waves amongst fans of melodic electronic music with 2001's Trees & Limbo. Pretty much ever since, Bjorn Kristiansson has been piecing together this album (the oldest song on here is a full six years old), re-establishing those early connections to homespun warmth whilst adding an expansive range of organic instruments as well as the odd vocal element here and there. A cursory flick through the album and you'll find yourself listening to the record you expected Mùm to come out with last year, littered as it is with expansive post-rock elements and homely electroacoustics all sewn together in a fashion reminiscent of 'Finally We Are No One'. This is especially true of the effervescent opening piece 'Continental Love', which builds to a frenzied, ecstatic wail, propped up by boisterous guitars, boxy old drumkits and all manner of lo-fi wheezing. A little more organised, 'Spoonstabber' fires up with an offbeat, funereal horn accompaniment before 'Shoobaba' resounds with a slow and stately melodic integrity, a bit like Air's 'Run' from Talkie Walkie. One of the least electronic cuts on the album, 'Summer Logic' proves to be one of the highlights: it's a five-minute instrumental based around fanfare-like brass figures and simple harmonica melodies, making Borko sound far bigger than a mere one-man-band. 'Celebrating Life' has certainly clocked-up a longer-than-average period of gestation, but it seems like time very well spent indeed. Gorgeous stuff - Essential Purchase...www.boomkat.com

Sigur Rós – We Play Endlessly

1. Hoppípolla 
2. Inní mér syngur vitleysingur  
3. Saeglópur  
4. Gobbledigook 
5. Í Gær 
6. Fljótavík  
7. Hafsól 
8. Heysátan  
9. Ti Ki 

Sigur Rós album 'We Play Endlessly' will be given away free with The Independent on Saturday on 31 January.

Offered in association with Q magazine, 'We Play Endlessly' features nine tracks taken from three of their critically acclaimed albums, including the hugely popular Hoppípolla and Sæglópur.

And if you're a student, don't forget to get yourstudent discount this weekend as well!...http://www.independent.co.uk

FM Belfast - How To Make Friends

1. Frequency
2. Underwear
3. I Can Feel Love
4. Tropical
5. Pump
6. Par Avion
7. VHS
8. Lotus
9. Optical
10. Synthia
11. President