Embers and Meltwater: In an Iceland-shaped box

I spent the past weekend in Madison Wisconsin, I love the city on the lakes, and the summer before last I had a great time taking sailing lessons every time I was up there for pathology training. Gram stains and starboard tack.

This trip however was to hear an Ásgeir concert.

On my Landmannalaugar trip, on the jeep stereo was Ásgeir's new album Dýrð í dauðaþögn (Glory in dead silence), and it's quite popular in Iceland.

He's since released another album In the Silence, of the songs all sung in English and this Madison concert was a mix of both. He's a lot more comfortable singing in Icelandic and it's beautiful to hear it in Icelandic anyway.

I wore my lopapeysa cardigan stroke hoodie! and at least one person knew it for what it was, and she walkt right up to me to say it was beautiful. Of course a beautiful blonde around my age is certainly welcome to say as much, or just talk about the weather even. We talkt about my recent trip, the geology and my weekend on Heimaey, where her husband was from and knew all about the Eldfell disaster, but I really wasn't that interested about hearing it first-hand and was glad she could never get his attention and have him join our conversation...

There were actually quite

a few people at the concert that spoke Icelandic natively. That surprised me.

Ásgeir admits he's always been into Nirvana (Cobain had already left us when Ásgeir was born) and his cover of Heart-Shaped Box was slow and incredibly sad and perfect:

She eyes me like a Pisces when I am weak

I've been locked inside your heart-shaped box for weeks
I've been drawn into your magnet tar-pit trap
I wish I could eat your cancer when you turn black

Hey! Wait!
I've got a new complaint
Forever in debt to your priceless advice
Hey! Wait!
I've got a new complaint
Forever in debt to your priceless advice
Hey! Wait!
I've got a new complaint
Forever in debt to your priceless advice

Meat-eating orchids forgive no one just yet

Cut myself on angel's hair and baby's breath

Broken hymen of your highness I'm left black

Throw down your umbilical noose so I can climb right back

Hey! Wait!

I've got a new complaint