SIGUR RÓS - ÁGÆTIS BYRJUN
I remember when I first heard a track by Sigur Rós years ago via a link on Audiogalaxy (anyone else remember them?) The feature was titled ‘Leave Speechless’ and it did - I’d never heard anything like it before. There are only three occasions where I can remember how I felt on hearing something for the first time and this is one of them.
That was 2002 and they’re somewhat better known these days and people are more likely to have some familiarity with them already so I’ll keep any review short. I’ll also try to avoid mentioning ‘glaciers’, ‘volcanoes’ or ‘angels’ as so many reviewers initially did, so unable were they to express themselves descriptively without resorting to the same stock phrases.
Ágætis Byrjun is possessed of an otherworldly quality and the use of lush orchestration and reverb heavy bowed guitars mean that it sounds hugely expansive while singer Jón þor (Jónsi) Birgisson’s falsetto and other touches such as the strummed acoustic guitar on Starálfur provide a more intimate anchor for the listener so they are not simply lost in the vastness of sound.
That was 2002 and they’re somewhat better known these days and people are more likely to have some familiarity with them already so I’ll keep any review short. I’ll also try to avoid mentioning ‘glaciers’, ‘volcanoes’ or ‘angels’ as so many reviewers initially did, so unable were they to express themselves descriptively without resorting to the same stock phrases.
Ágætis Byrjun is possessed of an otherworldly quality and the use of lush orchestration and reverb heavy bowed guitars mean that it sounds hugely expansive while singer Jón þor (Jónsi) Birgisson’s falsetto and other touches such as the strummed acoustic guitar on Starálfur provide a more intimate anchor for the listener so they are not simply lost in the vastness of sound.
SIGUR RÓS - TAKK
Their fourth album Takk may have been the one that has gained them the most exposure here in the UK with songs from it featuring extensively in non-music media, most notably in the trailers for the BBC’s Planet Earth series which led to the reissue here of Hoppípolla. Takk shares its predecessor’s combinations of expansive and intimate but moreso than any of those albums also sounds happier. While glaciers may have been the metaphor of choice for reviews of their earlier work, Takk is an altogether warmer album. Clear your mind, let the music wash over and loose yourself for a while…
Other than that there's nothing more for me to add on this one other than to once more congratulate Reza and Kara on their new arrival, Azadeh. She's a very lucky girl indeed...
Other than that there's nothing more for me to add on this one other than to once more congratulate Reza and Kara on their new arrival, Azadeh. She's a very lucky girl indeed...
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