Al-jazeera and ukulele, now there’s an unlikely pairing – however, the Arabic news channel and the instrument made famous by George Formby have created a star in Icelandic singer/songwriter Eliza Newman. This is an EP of quirky pop songs, with her volcano song dedication to the mountain which created the volcanic ash cloud last year, ‘Eyjafjallajokull’ (no I haven’t just let a cat walk across the keyboard, that is the name of the track) making an unlikely star on Al-jazeera last year when it featured and became one of the most popular ever news items on the channel.
“Cancel all your flights, cos an angry exploding mountain is always right / you can panic all you want or get on with your life”.
Sunny-sounding, strangely endearing and scarily catchy, it’s no wonder Newman has been snatched up by Bjork’s Bad Taste label.
