Icelandic rock

ICELAND’S capital defies its small size in most things, not least in culture. The 280,000 residents of Iceland’s geyser-pitted capital enjoy five professional theatre troupes, a national opera and a contemporary dance company. But where Iceland really excels is in alternative rock music. Leading the way is Bjork, a pixie-diva whose quirky voice has made her the most famous Icelander alive—though at a cost: she has become too commercial for Reykjavik’s hipsters. “I respect her,” says one dreadlocked musician, “but I would never listen to her. Way too plastic.”