Running on a Glacier

In 2001, I took a trip. It was the first time I had crossed an ocean and set foot on foreign soil. My first adventure was a solo mission to visit my friend in Iceland. My buddy, LJ, had been a foreign exchange student in my high school during my junior year. We instantly became friends and the friendship remains even to this day. I was destined to befriend him; after all, I knew that a key strategy in the game of Risk is to hold Iceland as it is the passage between North America and Europe. It was my fate.

Prior to his departure from Minnesota in 1996, we made an agreement that we would not let five years pass without one or the other visiting each other. As that time came to pass and I was a senior in college, I began researching flights and found an incredible opportunity to fly round trip for only $280 from Minneapolis to Reykjavik. The dates were set and I was ready to go.

In anticipation of my trip, I immersed myself in the music of Iceland to understand what I had in store. What I found was amazing. Artists like Björk and Sigur Rós were in the forefront of the tiny, but powerful music scene from the country that spans a mere 40,000 square miles (103,000 square kilometers, to be more precise) and is home to just over 300,000 people. The music can best be described as textural compositions fused with lush—and oftentimes nightmarish—imagery.

Though I could go on about my visit, the mission of this post is to inspire you to put on your running shoes during these arctic months (I’m in Minnesota, if it’s not arctic where you are, play along). I have hand selected 12 tracks from six artists. With a running time of 50 minutes, it should make for an enjoyable run with a variety of styles to keep your ears entertained as your feet move you forward. 

Running on a Glacier

A track-by-track dissertation on the music that was carved from the rugged landscape of its home country, Iceland.

Track 1: “Ísjaki” by Sigur Rós from the album Kveikur (5:03)

Released in 2013, this is the most recent song of the lot and establishes a steady pace with driving drums beneath ethereal vocals. Often times, the band doesn't sing in their native language of Icelandic, but their own invented dialect, Hopelandic (I'm not sure that is what is happening here, just thought it interesting trivia). I start with this song because its soaring melody inspires me to begin running and it doesn't distract me with lyrics to memorize (though, I often times find myself singing along to it anyway). It’s a perfect pacesetter and sets the workout off on the right foot.

Track 2: “Army of Me” by Björk from the album Post (3:55)

Björk established herself in pop music royalty with this declaration from her 1995 album Post. Placed early in the playlist to inspire you to get to work and not complain. If you don't obey, you've got to answer to the her. We've got a lot of road ahead and its best to let this electronically charged production propel you, further establishing your pace.  I never realized the true power behind this song until I saw Björk live at Coachella. That performance demanded that it be present on a majority of my run mixes…and I've obliged ever since.

Track 3: “Go Do” by Jónsi from the album Go (4:40)

Ok, let’s back it down a bit, Bjork is no longer whipping you into submission wearing her swan dress. We’re back with Jónsi, lead singer of Sigur Rós, on his pop-heavy solo project. This song has such a variety of instrumentation, but the beat never lets up and lends well to timing your foot strikes on the pavement. It’s also one of the rare moments that he sings in English. Simply put: go, do and enjoy the run.

Track 4: “The Ballad of Broken Birdie Record” by múm from the album Yesterday Was Dramatic - Today Is OK (5:26)

If I’m ever going to give you a break during this session, now is the time…and I’m going to ask you to do the same for me on this selection. I love this song, though I’m not convinced it is a perfect choice for a run mix. If you are familiar with the múm catalog, you’ll understand why I had a hard time finding a truly perfect fit. However, they deserved some representation on the list for what they've accomplished. This song starts slow, but layers in the sounds creating a textural soundscape that I can only define as pure joy. Kristín Anna Valtýsdóttir’s vocals remind me of a Japanese Geisha singing over toy instruments. Plus, it’s just so fucking charming how she pronounces “voice” as “woice.” I could go on for hours about this song and how special it is to me (I’m smiling ear to ear just thinking about it). For that reason alone, it made the list and you can revolt all you want. Just keep running.

Track 5: “Mountain Sound” by Of Monsters and Men from the album My Head Is An Animal (3:32)

From here, we segue into the recent chart-toppers Of Monsters and Men with the song “Mountain Sound.” A call and response interchange between dual lead vocalists Nanna Bryndís Hilmarsdóttir and Ragnar Þórhallsson.  It’s a catchy ditty that fits well in the middle of the playlist, hopefully you can reclaim your pace after the confusion your legs may have suffered from during the previous gem (I’m still not apologizing). This is one of the most accessible, contemporary selections on the playlist. Not sure of the longevity of this band yet as they've only been around a couple years and with their “Little Talks” may have overstayed its welcome, but it’s not their fault: it’s their Icelandic charm.

Track 6: “Pluto” by Björk from the album Homogenic (3:20)

Björk is back and demands you pick up your pace. We’re halfway done and not willing to give up yet. Though, since the song was released, the celestial body for which it was named has been downgraded from being classified as a planet; it’s still a powerful little nugget. Industrial noises grate incessantly over equally persistent wailing. It is not for the faint of heart and may in fact induce seizures for those sensitive to strobe lights. Proceed with caution. If you can handle it, you’re likely hitting your peak pace as you can do nothing to escape this nightmare but run.

Track 7: “Gobbledigook” by Sigur Rós from the album Með Suð í Eyrum Við Spilum Endalaust  (3:05)

Ever since its release, this song has been in constant rotation in many of my playlists. How could it not be? Listen to the drums. Just sitting here, I want to start running again! I have no idea what the song is about and that’s fine. I can sing along to each of the nonsensical words. In fact, I recall my first half marathon, happily running to this tune whilst oblivious to the fact that I was singing out loud. My buddy, Chris, taps me on the shoulder asking if I’m singing Sigur Rós. Though I was proud he knew the song, I shamefully admit that I was and all runners around were laughing at me. Fuck ‘em. I still love it and you will too.

Track 8: “Advent in Ives Garden” by Sin Fang Bous from the album Clangour (3:08)

Undoubtedly the most obscure song in the mix, I discovered this guy back in the heyday of eMusic—you know, when you could get 90 tracks a month for only $20. It’s the opening track on his debut album and is still my favorite of his. It’s a pure orgy of sonic textures; like a Jack-in-the-box giving it to a Nintendo. If you can get that image out of your head, it’s sure to give you joy as you round out the second half of the workout. I consider this song the transition into my “guilty pleasure” section of the playlist.

Track 9: “Little Talks” by Of Monsters and Men from the EP Into the Woods (4:28)

Sure, I may have panned this earlier in my entry, but you can’t deny this is a good tune. After all, we’re over 30 minutes into our workout. We need a reprieve and some familiarity: here you go. For the record, I have always held my ear close to the glacier and had this song long before it was abused on mainstream radio, that’s why I am referencing the EP version—for indie cred purposes. Plus, they talk about screams, which harkens to one of my favorite Icelandic music documentaries, “Screaming Masterpieces”. Furthermore, I will likely lose said indie cred for not including the Sugarcubes and KUKL in my list (at least I mentioned them). Honestly I tried, but if I can’t run to it, it didn't make the list and Björk is well represented as she is the lead singer on both those projects. Back to the song. Enjoy it for what it is.

Track 10: “Animal Arithmetic” by Jónsi from the Album Go (3:24)

Jónsi returns with another tune that may make you run right out of your shoes. I’m not sure what energy supplement his drummer uses, but I would love to try it once (assuming it is not a banned substance). This song is pure rhythmic ecstasy and also a staple on my run mixes. I often times black out the fact that the song happened because it puts me into a trance state and before I know it, it’s done. Use it for what it is and run your ass off. After all, we’re almost done with the workout.

Track 11: “Big Time Sensuality (The Fluke Minimix)” by Björk from the EP Big Time Sensuality (4:11)

Speaking of guilty pleasures, this is one of my biggest of all time. Björk is back and not so commandeering this time. A pop-laden techno remix of a track off her debut album, appropriately titled “Debut.” Please be sure to get the Fluke Minimix because its got a better running rhythm and it contains my two of my favorite Björk guttural noises. First being the one I best describe as a goose honk (2:20) and the second is when she brays like a donkey (2:51). Listen to them and enjoy. This song is best enjoyed though by watching the video as she is riding a flatbed throughout New York City in her best pixie look while dancing and exploring her body—and teeth. Though watching videos and running is not advisable, unless on a treadmill.

Track 12: “Hoppípolla” by Sigur Rós from the album Takk… (4:29)
Not just one of my favorite finishing tracks, but one of my favorite songs of all time. This song is my “Chariots of Fire.” It’s so majestic and grandiose that it makes even the most mundane of training runs feel like the Olympics. I always try to time this for the final quarter mile of my distance races so I can soak up the finish line and crowds, all the while providing a fitting sound track to my slow motion finish. To me, this song is simply beautiful and will leave you with the realization that you just accomplished something truly special. Appreciate it and take your victory lap—you've earned it!

Playlist Run-Through

With each playlist I make, I’ll take it for a test run to ensure that it works.

I was surprised at how well this mix worked for my run tonight. Considering the following three things:

1. It was my first run of 2014
2. I was sick in bed yesterday
3. It was 29° outside and the streets and sidewalks were covered in snow and ice

All that considered, I never broke pace a single time; unless I was scaling a snowdrift, which happened twice. I was able to maintain a steady run the entire playlist and when finished had covered just under five miles, which was around a 10 minute per mile pace with a mild cool down. I was shocked  even the múm song kept me running. I take back all the derogatory comments I made. I timed it perfectly so that as I turned onto my street, “Hoppípolla” blasted through my earphones. I could feel the adoration pouring from the windows as my neighbors welcomed me home on this cold, dark night in Minnesota. Or so I imagined.

I hope you have enjoyed this Juggernaut exclusive playlist “Running on a Glacier”. I have such admiration for many of the artists presented on this list and it is special for me to share this passion with anyone willing to accept it. I must take a moment to thank Wikipedia for proper spelling and letters/symbols that were so easily cut-and-paste-able from their site. 

If you have a concept for a playlist, I’d gladly accept requests and will do my best to feature them on my site. As long as they are appropriate. Please send requests to thejuggernautscave@gmail.com.

Thank you for listening.