Purrkur Pillnikk “Orð fyrir dauða” Vinyl Box Set – A True Monument to the Iceland’ 80s Post-Punk Scene

Purrkur Pillnikk (‘Sleepy Chess-Player’) can be considered a seminal new wave/punk rock band from Iceland. Created by Ásgeir R. Bragason, Bragi Ólafsson, Einar Örn Benediktsson and Friðrik Erlingsson, it existed only for 18 months (from March 1981 to August 1982), recording an impressive number of songs, playing live shows in Iceland and a UK tour with with The Fall. After it disbanded, some members went to form anarcho-punk band Kukl, or post-punk/alternative rock The Sugarcubes (both with Björk Guðmundsdóttir). In 1986, they also created Smekkleysa/Bad Taste record label and publishing house in Reykjavik.

The rigid slipcase/box consists of five 180g vinyl records and a 48-page booklet, all CMYK printed & matte varnished. Black 140g records were pressed from lacquer cut masters. While part of the music was remastered, one record contains songs composed before the final concert of  Purrkur Pillnikk in 1982 that the band decided to finally record in 2023, as well as a previously unreleased concert and rehearsal material: