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Iceland Airwaves

The Chart Show: Basking in the Afterglow of Iceland

Asgeir performing on The Current, live from the Gotubarinn nightclub in Akureyri, Iceland, as part of the Iceland Airwaves Music Festival.
Asgeir performing on The Current, live from the Gotubarinn nightclub in Akureyri, Iceland, as part of the Iceland Airwaves Music Festival.Nate Ryan | MPR

by Mark Wheat

November 16, 2017

Asgeir, one of the artists that we got a chance to talk to on our trip to Akureyri as part of The Iceland Airwaves Festival is one of the brand new entries this week, and perhaps the #1 artist in Iceland right now. Another one of the people we met was longtime Rolling Stone writer David Fricke. He was in the audience of our broadcast and used a quote from it about the band 200,000 Naglbitar in his review of the festival that was just posted this week.

Bully bully their way back into the #19 spot this week, with another track from Losing. They stopped in to do a session recently and we made a video of their song, "Blame".

Sharon Jones and The Dap Kings, at #16 this week, have their "Soul Of A Woman" released this week. Recorded while Sharon was battling cancer last year, her band mates stepped up to write for her, channeling Curtis Mayfield, Isaac Hayes and James Bond(!?!), according to the Washington Post.

Robert Plant hasn't been higher than this week's #14, but is poised to be inducted to our Hall of Fame for the first time. His new Carry Fire is our Album of the Week, reviewed by a groveling sycophant as Top Ten material.

"Wait In The Car" at thirteen, was originally introduced as a one off single return, the first new song by The Breeders in over 8 years. This week leader Kim Deal (ex-Pixies) revealed on Marc Maron's podcast that there's a 2018 album release set and that the legendary producer Steve Albini played a role.

Alice Merton is back in Germany playing big shows this week. That's where her career started to take off and the root of 'No Roots' which is at #11 this week. She's also getting enough traction over here that she starts another short USA tour next week in Chicago Nov 20th, but unfortunately skips past us to go straight to Kansas City.

Queens of the Stone Age are playing some huge shows in Europe right now too, but their friends Eagles Of Death Metal played Paris this week at a surprise and very significant show at The Bataclan club to mark the 2nd Anniversary of the massacre there.

Courtney Barnett and Kurt Vile hold on to the #4 spot, and they did a Guest DJ set for our friends at NPR this week, where there was the same palpable 'bon homie' between that they exhibited on stage at The Palace recently. Find out how their musical roots intersect.

I'm looking forward to seeing St. Vincent at her sold out show this Saturday at The Palace, and the chance to win tickets propelled 'Los Ageless' to the top. It promises to be aurally and visually stunning, if her TV appearances have been anything to go by.

Submit your Chart Show ballot this week for a chance to win a pair of passes to Grizzly Bear at the Palace Theatre!