Get Out Tonight: Benni Hemm Hemm at the Croc

What the hell is it about Iceland? How can a cold and tiny isolated nation with only 300,000 people be responsible for so much weird and wonderful music? From Björk to Sigur Rós to Múm (who will be appearing at Neumo's in October, btw), Iceland's got a strong presence on the indie scene. Hmm...there must be something in all them hot springs.

Well, add to that list Reykjavik-based Benni Hemm Hemm, an orchestral pop group led by Benedikt H. Hermansson, who describes his outfit as a "little big band with little big songs." BHH rolls deep, 17 members in all, including a full-fledged horn section. We think this description is a wee pat, but we've heard the band nutshelled as "Sigur Ros meets Sufjan Stevens," simply because the lyrics are in Icelandic and the sound is folky-symphonic. Their latest release, Kayak, is full of catchy simple songs about snow and rain, boats and bridges, for which they are kind enough to offer the English translations. Tonight's their stop in Seattle as part of their first U.S. tour. They claim in their band blog to have been "practising their American like there´s no tomorrow." What's Icelandic for Git R Done?

9pm doors // The Croc // 2200 2nd Ave // $12