Hjaltalín appear to be on the rise. In fact they seem to have had upwards momentum ever since I first came across them. Most commonly described (and well described) as chamber pop, they're certainly not running away from the tag, playing with orchestras of varying sizes over the last 18 months and refining their sound on their excellent second album, "Terminal". Personally, I can't get enough of the motown/spector sounding, "Feels Like Sugar". Last year at Iceland Airwaves they played one show in a church with a chamber orchestra and one with a disco legend. Shows outside of Iceland has been on the increase too, and the good reviews keep rolling in. Sounds like you'll need to bag a spot early to see this band. Let's get some more info from violinist Viktor,

Hi Viktor, where are you right now and what are you doing?

We are now preparing for the next concerts which we find very interesting to deal with. First of all it is Iceland Airwaves where we plan to play some new songs. We´ve been practicing more together than we´re used to, trying to search for a new sound which we then plan to really dig into and expose. Then we´re dealing with the act of putting together a chamber orchestra in Akureyri where we will perform in the beginning of November. Also in the beginning of November we have this concert with a Swedish duet called Wildbirds and Peacedrums, where we will be performing with an Icelandic Choir in Fríkirkjan in Reykjavík (The Free Church). That´s very interesting for us because it´s a whole new thing for us and a very fascinating set-up. Finally we are about to finish a new album,  a live album from the concert with The Iceland Symphony Orchestra which will be released in the beginning of november.

Who is in the band?

There are seven of us in the band; Axel Haraldsson plays drums, Guðmundur Óskar Guðmundsson plays bass, Hjörtur Ingvi Jóhannson on the keyboards, Högni Egilsson is on vocals and guitar, Rebekka Bryndís Björnsdóttir plays bassoon, Sigríður Thorlacius adds vocals and I play the violin.

How was playing with the Icelandic symphony orchestra? Any plans to do it again?

It really felt amazing to play with the orchestra. Somehow it opened a new world of sounds for us because the orchestra was so big. So if you´ll buy our new live album you can hear, and especially in the new songs, that we try to think bigger sound wise. We are not sure whether or not we will do it again in Iceland, we definitely want to, but we are also trying to make this happen with other orchestras outside of Iceland. We've been talking to loads of people and if we're lucky we might be able to do some more orchestral shows in 2011.

There will be 5 or more other bands playing at the same time as you at Airwaves – so why should people choose your show?

Well, the group has now never been closer in a way. Recently we´ve been sharing a lot some music that we love, which makes us more think as one person, we've been analyzing a lot better what it is in music that we love, and brings us together. So what you´ll witness is not only musical experience but also in a way a very weird kind of connection put together with 7 very different people who aim for the same touch, a connection that stunningly works very well. Maybe a more rockier version of the band, especially compared to our shows at Airwaves last year, where we played one show with a chamber orchestra and one show with disco legend Paul Oscar.

Have you seen the festival line-up? What other bands are you excited to see?

Everything Everything is cool, but unfortunately they play almost the same time as we. I really like the new album from Efterklang, so it will be interesting to see their show. I'm also looking forward listening to Retro Stefson's new songs. And then I've heard Dan Deacon's and Jaakko & Jay's live sets are amazing.

And finally, how about a few local tips for the festival first-timers?

Best hot dogs in the world can be found at a very small hot dog stand downtown Reykjavík, called Bæjarins beztu, find it and have "one with everything". Trust me it, is delicious. People should also try to buy beer in the state liquor store instead of just at the bar, it's a very revealing experience. And finally, take a one hour nap every day during Airwaves, it will strengthen your memory (a scientific fact) and most importantly, seriously improve your party stamina.

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Hjaltalín are playing in Nasa on Friday at 11:20pm and in Kaffibarrin on Saturday at 7:30pm.