Rockin' Our Turntable: Sigur Ros
By Marcus Gilmer in Arts & Entertainment on Jun 17, 2008 7:30PM
We've been smitten with the Icelandic band Sigur Ros ever since we first laid ears on their sophomore effort, 1999's Agætis Byrjun. That album's spacey, icy atmosphere did its cover art justice: it felt like music from another world that perfectly captured the feeling of being on the new millennium's doorstep. Over the course of four proper albums, a collection of singles, EPs, and soundtracks, Sigur Ros has captivated us every step of the way. The band has progressed from the ambient sounds of their first records and have let light shine on the dark corners of the music, especially on their fourth record, Takk, which remains in heavy rotation almost three years after its initial release.
This shift is more evident on their fifth proper LP, Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust (English translation: "with a buzz in our ears we play endlessly"), the band's first album recorded outside of Iceland (parts were recorded in New York City, London, and Havana). Written, recorded, and mixed since the start of 2008, the new album revels in live takes and small imperfections that lend an organic feel to the music. The Sigur Ros "sound" (the bow and guitar combo as well as vocalist Jónsi's falsetto) is still present, but, as with Takk, the once-ambient landscape that provides the music's foundation has been replaced by piano and strings from frequent collaborators and fellow Icelanders Amiina.
Eschewing the traditionally calm openings of past Sigur Ros albums, the tribal "Gobbledigook" kicks off with such gusto, we had to check the liner notes to make sure the album's title wasn't Straight Outta Reykjavík. The rollicking first half of the album continues with the joyous "Inní mér syngur vitleysingur" ("within me a lunatic sings"), all technicolor blasts of melody and horns. Pressed by friends to describe the beautiful "Við spilum endalaust," we could only come up with "what it sounds like when a unicorn makes love to a rainbow." The second half is a quieter affair than the first but its not without its majestic moments, culminating with "Ara bátur," a song that's all the more amazing for featuring more than 90 musicians and being completed in a single live take. Beginning as a simple ballad (or even lullaby) featuring Jónsi accompanied by only a piano, the song slowly swells over the course of its nearly nine minute run, adding bells, haunting choir (the London Oratory Boy's Choir), and symphony (the London Sinfonietta) until it reaches its gorgeous, cinematic climax. From there, the album gently fades, dwindling to a hush by the time it closes with the band's first English-language song "All Alright."
The end product is a mesmerizing entry into a discography that continues to surprise and delight. While some may see the move away from the more ambient sounds of earlier recordings as a play for mainstream acceptance, the newer music isn't without the trademark Sigur Ros sound. While the more recent albums are more accessible, they're the signs of a band growing and progressing beyond its original sound, finding new ways to push their music to a different level. And when the results are this gorgeous and stunning, it's hard to find fault with that decision.
Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust is released on June 24 via XL Recordings and can be preordered in a variety of editions as well as streamed in its entirety here. The band has also recently added some fall 2008 U.S. dates, including a show at The Chicago Theatre on September 24 (ticket info TBA very soon).