Sigur Rós - if you haven't heard of them, read this thread.

Carzy · 26 Nov 2005 at 17:28

After spending the early hours of the morning between about 3am and 7am reading a book and listening to Sigur Rós in the background, I've come to the conclusion that they are one of the best, if not, the best band in the world. I've had the albums for ages, but this morning it just clicked with me perfectly. I used to think The Mars Volta were better, but after that mammoth listening session (listening to Takk, () and Ágætis Byrjun in succession) I don't think music gets much better than this. So I thought I'd educate all the people who've never heard of Sigur Rós, so that they will go and listen to them!

Firstly, who the hell are Sigur Rós?

Sigur rós were formed by jónsi, georg and the former drummer ágúst in 1994. The band consists of jón þor (jónsi) birgisson (vocals, guitars), kjartan (kjarri) sveinsson (keyboards), orri páll dýrason (drums) and georg (goggi) holm (bass). They create a remarkable sound considering the basic instruments used. Jónsi often uses a cello bow to play his guitar, resulting in an effects-laden, atmospheric, totally unique sound. His voice is probably the most unique thing about Sigur rós. A falsetto somewhere between thom yorke and a choir boy.

They have released three major albums, and have a few other bits and bobs including their first album aswell.

Their three masterpieces are:

Takk

This is probably the most uplifting and "happy" Sigur Rós album, and it truly is fantastic.

Many a critical evaluation of Icelandic quartet Sigur Ros has resorted to stock imagery of molten magma, omnipotent ice fields and burbling hot springs--and reasonably so. There's no disavowing the geophysical heartbeat which invigorates the very soul of this most supernatural of bands. Takk may well be Sigur Ros's most stimulating interpretation of their habitat yet--verdant serenity to pregnant anticipation to brutal paroxysms of volcanic thunder via icicle-like celestes, howling electrical winds of curving guitar feedback and hymns seemingly sung by castrato pixies.

Strange and overwhelmingly beautiful. Some may think of Sigur Ros as a permafrosted Pink Floyd (circa Zabriskie Point) and while it's facile to say as much it's an honour certainly worthy of them. There's a seamless, symphonic poetry to Takk where the exultant "Gong", the euphoric choristry of "Hoppipolla" (like the Beach boys turned into snowmen) and the National Geographic panoramas of "Glososli" blend with intuitive homogeneity. You'll wish you were here.

( )

This is a much darker affair, released in 2002, three years before Takk. It is still equally amazing however.

Anyone expecting Sigur Ros to have abandoned their emotional and majestic approach will think again after hearing the opening bars of their new album, ( ). When Sigur Ros released their second long player Agaetis Byrjun back in 1999, they caught everyone on the hop. Though it was pretty much the first anyone outside of their native Iceland had heard of them, the quartet had been studiously honing their sound for the last five years, developing a spellbinding mix of rock guitars scraped with violin bows, angelic falsetto vocals and dramatic builds of percussion fuelled tension that offered all the ineffable quietude of religious music.

( ) is a slightly rawer, undoubtedly heavier experience than its predecessor, but it still manages to shine a torch into the darkest corner of our souls, describing accurately the aching beauty and the hopeless anguish that makes up the contradictory essence of human existence. Experimental flourishes hark back to their eldritch debut album Von, and Jonsi's vocals-–which have devolved over two albums from Icelandic to his own "Hopelandic" half-language–-finally melt into lyric-less harmonic textures that still float across the band's earthy tapestries as naturally as clouds cross the night sky. Rest assured though that any changes are slight; the melancholy brilliance that made Agaetis Bryjun such a life-changing event is still very much the driving force behind Sigur Ros's music, making this new album every bit as essential as the last.

Ágætis Byrjun

Their first album, released in 1999, this is probably their best in the eyes of the critics, but I'm not too sure myself whether I prefer this one, or ( ).

Reykjavík-based noise quartet Sigur Ros are the biggest band in their native Iceland, which should say much, much more about the collective insanity of that earthquake-ridden, blizzard-beaten crag of an island than anything to do with Sigur Ros' sound. But in their music, Sigur Ros reflect all the breathtaking glory of the Icelandic wastes--a fairy-tale explosion of unhinged elemental majesty that's finally crystalised here, their debut European release. Poised somewhere between the haunting soundscapes of Labradford and the lilting Celtic falsetto of Enya, Agaetis Byrjun is a truly breathtaking listen. Frontman Jon Por Birgisson sings in a language that Sigur Ros dub Hopelandic--an otherworldly mutation of Icelandic, sung in the falsetto cadence of angels; similarly, he plays his guitar with a violin bow, opening the floodgates for brilliant waves of feedback. And while it's the opening "Svefn-G-Englar" that's Sigur Ros' defining moment to date, there's far more that Agaetis Byrjun has to offer; the pomp and flourish of a full orchestra on "Flugufrelsarinn", or the awe-inspiring near-religious mantra of "Ny Batteri".

Here's a link to reviews of the three albums by various websites.
http://sigur-ros.co.uk/media/releases.php

Here's the Pitchfork Media review of Ágætis Byrjun
http://pitchforkmedia.com/record-reviews/s/sigur-ros/agaetis-byrjun.shtml

Other than that, all I have to say is that if you like good music, you will not be disappointed by Sigur Rós. It's some of the most epic and beautiful music I've ever heard, which sends a shiver down my spine.

Get it now.

retribution · 26 Nov 2005 at 17:36

I saw them live 2 weeks ago, and darn they are marvellous. Best gig I've ever been to. Seen the new video yet Carzy?
Where did that great recommendations thread of yours go, a lot of work was put into that.

Rob

Carzy · 26 Nov 2005 at 17:42

retribution said:
I saw them live 2 weeks ago, and darn they are marvellous. Best gig I've ever been to. Seen the new video yet Carzy?
Where did that great recommendations thread of yours go, a lot of work was put into that.

Rob

Will have been lost as threads are only stored for about two months I think. I was thinking of doing another one, or at least a thread listing some good new albums with a short review, but after the utterly rubbish response I got from this forum (except for a few people who will know who they are) I don't feel as if it's worth my time if people aren't going to appreciate it :/

And no I haven't seen the new video yet, I saw the one for Glosoli last night and thought that was stunning. I'll watch it now

Edit:

Great video.

They play with the themes of childhood (and show the vivid imagination and wonder that early childhood brings about), innocence, age versus youth, and the idea that the simplest things can bring the greatest joy, without a materialistic need involved. I absolutely adore their videos, the one for Glosoli almost brought me to tears.

Augmented · 26 Nov 2005 at 19:08

Excellent idea for a thread Carzy :cool:

.

You mentioned, but didn't expand on the two earlier full-length releases which, for the sake of completion, are Von and Von Brigði. Von being the rather meandering and challenging debut, and Von Brigði ("Recycle Bin) being an interesting remix album featuring a number of fairly well-known contributors (Múm and Gus Gus, for example). I believe they're pretty easy to get hold of now as they've had a reprint run, but you used to have to get them mail-order from their Icelandic label Smekkleysa. May still be the case, but they're also available at/through Amazon now.

Von

Von is by far the darkest and most experimental of all the albums; it's grainy, more edgy than anything they've done since and unforgiving in expression (just listen to the closing moments of Hún Jörð - there's a lot of screaming in the album). None of the softness and warmth of the later releases, and frankly it has none of the cohesiveness. It's not easy to listen to and I believe the band freely admit that fact. On the basis that it begins with a foreboding 10-minute experimental soundscape, I wouldn't recommend it as a good start (there's a joke there, I'm sure) for someone new to their sound. I should note that the CD comes in an incredibly cool translucent-purple case, so if you don't like how it sounds then at least you can go make some 3D glasses out of the case, or something, and benefit that way.

Von Brigdi

Von Brigði ("Recycle Bin) is a worthwhile acquisition, depending on your opinion of remix albums in general. Probably not surprisingly it's an album consisting mostly of leftfield electronica, IDM and the like. All tracks are sourced from Von and do take on quite a metamophosis; they literally are recycled into something completely different - the 18 second long track 18 sekúndur fyrir sólarupprás is recycled by Curver into 180 seconds of crunchy 8-bit ambient electro. In particular, Múm's remix of Syndir Guðs is quite excellent, but for the most part it's nothing to get massively excited over. Nonetheless, it's quite different enough from Von and Ágætis Byrjun as to be considered a noteworthy stage in their discography.

For Sigur Rós fans they're obviously essential listening, but for casual fans the three releases already mentioned are definitely the ones to aim for.

As you're probably aware by now, I also hold the same feeling that they are one of the most fantastic bands there is alive or dead; got Ágætis Byrjun in December of 2000 and I've not looked back. I reviewed (), albeit quite shoddily, on this very forum nearly two years ago now - see the music archive sticky. Email the forum mods to get good threads added to the woefully underused archive so it's not lost! I've always believed it was a bad move for them to hide the archive forums away - they should be put back as subforums at the top of the thread listing where people might get something from them. Anyway, back to the topic at hand.

One of only a few bands that I've never 'gone off' and continue to keep me excited and passionate about their output.

So, yes, if you've not tried Sigur Rós, then you're missing out. You don't need to be a fan of any particular genre, because it features elements of all kinds. Ambient, folk, rock, pop, classical, electronic and more - it's all there ready to be experienced.

Carzy · 26 Nov 2005 at 19:45

Augmented said:
...great post...

Cheers for that, I thought about writing about those albums but:

1. I couldn't be bothered

2. I haven't actually heard Von Brigdi, and I'm not a major fan of Von in all honesty, it just meanders aimlessly a little too much for my liking, and when I could either listen to Von, or listen to one of their main three albums, I'll always pick the latter.

I remember reading your ( ) review, while the Archives were still sub-forums. I agree with your point about not having them down the bottom of the forum though, because until you mentioned them, I hadn't looked since they stopped becoming sub-forums.

Skeptic · 26 Nov 2005 at 20:08

Carzy said:
Cheers for that, I thought about writing about those albums but:

1. I couldn't be bothered
2. I haven't actually heard Von Brigdi, and I'm not a major fan of Von in all honesty, it just meanders aimlessly a little too much for my liking, and when I could either listen to Von, or listen to one of their main three albums, I'll always pick the latter.

I remember reading your ( ) review, while the Archives were still sub-forums. I agree with your point about not having them down the bottom of the forum though, because until you mentioned them, I hadn't looked since they stopped becoming sub-forums.

Meanders a little too much? Von is the musical equivilant to J.R.R Tolkien, forever going round before getting to the point. I only own Takk and haven't given it much chance. Might dig it out again for a proper listen, as it seems i'm missing out!

Sic · 27 Nov 2005 at 12:19

Von is awesome Carzy...how dare you?! if anything ( ) is their weaker album for me!

Carzy · 27 Nov 2005 at 13:10

Sic said:
Von is awesome Carzy...how dare you?! if anything ( ) is their weaker album for me!

Some of the stuff on Von is just ambience, and if I wanted ambience I'd listen to
Fennesz or someone

Zero5 · 27 Nov 2005 at 13:15

I really regret not going to see them live in Birmingham the other week. I saw them the night before on Jools Holland and it was too late to get any tickets

I first heard about them from the soundtrack to Vanilla Sky. Not the best film in the word but the use of The Nothing Song in the end sequence it just amazing. On of my favorite bits in any film.

William · 29 Nov 2005 at 19:24

I had heard of them before but I went and got Ágætis Byrjun today and all I say is yet again.

Thankyou very, very much Carzy!

retribution · 3 Dec 2005 at 16:54

There's an awesome live concert recording on the site now here. Watch it!!!

Rob.

robmiller · 3 Dec 2005 at 17:16

I think Ágætis Byrjun is better than (), and I'm usually right about these things

Sic · 3 Dec 2005 at 21:22

Carzy said:
Some of the stuff on Von is just ambience, and if I wanted ambience I'd listen to
Fennesz or someone

and i'd listen to Godspeed

Sherbs · 4 Dec 2005 at 11:09

retribution said:
There's an awesome live concert recording on the site now here. Watch it!!!

Rob.

Hmm excellent! Cheers for the link.

Do they have a live DVD out?

retribution · 4 Dec 2005 at 12:31

Nope, but that one looks like it was shot for a dvd really...so maybe they will release it in the future?

We can only hope.

Rob.

Matblack · 5 Dec 2005 at 13:39

Just picked up Takk and I must say its nice to see some different packaging for a change

Looking forward to firing up the Rega Planet and the stereo amp when I get home.

MB

Carzy · 5 Dec 2005 at 13:40

Matblack said:
Just picked up Takk and I must say its nice to see some different packaging for a change Looking forward to firing up the Rega Planet and the stereo amp when I get home.

MB

Let us know what you think

Matblack · 5 Dec 2005 at 18:43

I'm really rather liking this

According to the reviews its the wrong songs which I think are the best, maybe a few more listens and I'll get why they've been raved about. I think maybe I'm likeing the more accessable stuff like Gong, Andvari and Se lest, hopefully this will lead me in to the whole album after a few more listens and yes there will be more listens.

I have one issue and thats that every now and again the production is so weird it makes me think my hifi is broken

, there are crunchy sounds like someone trapesing through snow which particualrly worried me and made me think my speakers were knackered LOL.

Its a proper soundscape of an album though with peaks and troughs, with some tracks I've found them a little 'big' asking maybe too much of my ears, a true 'wall of sound' but they are counterpointed well with the beautiful playout on Andvari for example.

Nice, I like it, most things I play after this will feel bland tonight and I will never ever try and listen to it in the car, this is demanding of dedicated listening time on a decent stereo.

Its actually stoped me from getting up and setting up the projector which I have been with out for two weeks! Which is a testamony to how much I am enjoying it.

Takk

MB

Spud21 · 5 Dec 2005 at 18:48

Shall have to have a look into them, as they sound very interesting.

Matblack · 5 Dec 2005 at 19:30

If anyone happened to record Jools Holland on the 11/11 then they were on there. I noticed it on a website and then realised I have it on DVD-R

MB