Sigur Rós - Sigur Rós
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Free Music Notes for Sigur Rós
Free Music Review: Timeless Visionary Masterpiece
Hit: 5 Stars
I am addicted to music - this much anyone who knows me can confirm. I own hundreds of cds and always have my ears and mind in something; listening for a novel combinations of sounds and efforts, or reviewing past successes and preserving their respective talents.
This all being said, I don't know if I will *ever* come across an album this incredible in my lifetime.
For those familiar with ( ), try recommending it to a friend. The raw facts of this album are difficult for most to overcome (e.g. there are only 8 songs, the shortest song is 6:30, there are no real lyrics as everything you hear is spontaneous vocalization, not a single word is printed on the disc or in the disc jacket...). But how would you describe the sound? A short list of fitting adjectives that span numerous points on the disc: dynamic, mesmerizing, passionate, climactic, elegant, bleak, explosive, imaginative, lush, vibrant, heartbreaking, resonant...
Do I have your attention now?
( ) is a masterpiece in its ability to paint a luscious, beautiful soundscape. Many reviews equate it to the diversity and endlessness of a calm winter's night, but even this is limiting. This album is so incredibly deep that you can listen as closely as possible, and still fall in love with the intricacies you will find. Without wasting a second of your time (an amazing feat to have it persist for 70+ minutes), Sigur Rós take you on an aural adventure.
In other reviews, you will read about the equal division of the album into the 'positive' half (tracks 1-4) and the 'negative' half (5-8), reinforced by the 30 seconds of intentional silence in between. You will read about the invention of "Hoplandic" (pronounced hope-landic), the fictitious language created for this album, a derivative of proper Icelandic. You will read about the post facto titles for the songs, the material's debut in Cameron Crowe's "Vanilla Sky", and the creativity behind some of the instrumentation.
In my review, I won't hold your hand and walk you through each track, telling you what you're going to hear, because different listeners focus on different elements. I won't try to be as articulate as I can hope to be in an effort to verbally capture its musical elements, partly because I don't think it can be done. I won't rate each song on a scale from 1-10, because this album is synergistic, in that to isolate a piece compromises and belittles the whole. But, I will tell you what you might find in exchange for one trip to your cd store and a measly $15:
It will fill your soul in ways you find comforting and unsettling. It will break down listening barriers with the use of the human voice as a purely musical instrument. It will extend beyond your comprehension the ability to translate emotion into music without any lyrics. It will generate mental imagery more vivid and resonant than any other music can. To be crudely simple, it will blow your mind, even after the hundredth listen.
Give this album your undivided attention, from start to finish - perhaps in the middle of the night, perhaps amidst a long drive or walk, or even perhaps in your living room with just a candle lit. Turn off your eyes and let your ears take over; let ( ) take you on a true journey at whose conclusion leaves you to open your eyes and struggle to comprehend just how much this one disc is.
Free Music Review: An Ethereal, Ambient, Winter-Symphony
Hit: 5 Stars
Bassist Georg Holm has once said in an interview that Sigur Ros weren't a political band, and didn't necessarily have too much to say, other than the fact that they wanted to communicate emotion (subconscious, unconscious) through their instruments. Perhaps this is why the band chose to leave absolutely no credits or lyrics in the sleeve for ( ) (2002).You don't necessarily need written lyrics (or titles) for this intense experience. Just close your eyes, slip into this 72-minute slice of nirvana, and follow whatever feeling states draw to the surface as you listen. Like the icy-looking cover art, this music is the equivalent of a Winter night, and the thoughts and emotions that are conjured with it: cold, beautiful, dreamy, poignant, nocturnal, encircling, haunting and soothing. While the music is "cold," it isn't cold in an unemotional sense, as the album features nothing but overflowing emotion. The soundcapes are mellow, lush and elegant, while the instrumentation is generally used in ambient fashion, which allow certain atmospheres to be created more effectively. And added to this, the tracks are mostly extended, so the album is probably not recommended for listeners who want quick blasts of aggression, or who want short, catchy pop tunes.
As far as my personal interpretation of the album, or what it conjures through me? I see it as an album divided into two halves (which can also be equivalent to the two parentheses): The first four tracks comprising the "(" half seem like the equivalent of a lonely Winter night, featuring a long snow-capped landscape, and the stars shining at their brightest above. Winter and snow in general remind me of hope, longing, and the necessity (as opposed to luxury) of love, which are what I'm reminded of when listening to the first four tracks. The music in this half is generally the more lush, elegant, dreamy, nocturnal and mellow. Track 3 happens to be my favorite, as an elegant piano chord is repeated constantly, and used for atmospheric proportions, while the basslines ascend in a particular pattern, and lush orchestration tops it off to create an aura of bliss.
The ")" half features soundscapes that remind me of a misty dawn: a somewhat murky sunrise. While the first half seemed generally more nocturnal, there seems to be a diurnal (morning) presence on the second half: night is calm, day is active. Piano was the dominant instrument in the first half, while the second one hears the guitar dominating. This half tends to get more tense, aggressive and somewhat restless in atmosphere, and also features guitar feedback/distortion not heard in the first. Track 7 sees vocalist Jonsi using a pitch in his voice that was not heard at all in the first half.
This album is so dear to my heart for it's ethereal, calming, encircling, evocative and emotional nature. Atmospheric music for escapism, reading, relaxing, lovemaking and possible other pastimes. For best results, listen at nighttime, turn down all of the lights, and light up a few candles. Remember to relax, close your eyes, and let the music take you where it may. Enjoy.
By the way, here are the supposed songtitles that weren't listed in the sleeve:
1. Vaka
2. Fyrsta
3. Samskeyti
4. Njósnavélin
5. Alafoss
6. E-bow
7. Dauđalagiđ
8. Popplagiđ
Free Music Review: Its own category
Hit: 5 Stars
With their 2002 release...let's call it "Parentheses," Sigur Ros has taken a massive step forward as the next Radiohead. I'm sure Sigur Ros would be appalled by that statement, but nonetheless it's exactly where they are headed despite their extreme efforts to be anti-pop. Putting all self-servicing art-for-sake-of-itself nonsense aside, this is perhaps one of the finest records I've ever had the pleasure of hearing. On their previous offerings I felt the "songs" were too ambient and were never really developed as complete ideas. It was hard to find a discernible motif anywhere and you had the impression they were making it up as they went along.
On ( ) they develop their brilliant ideas more fully, and often entire songs are based around a simple repeating piano motif, which they build from a whisper to a scream, and back to a whisper over the course of seven minutes. The production is always bordering on the outer threshold of experimentation; you are sure to hear things you've never heard before. However, they present these unique sounds in a completely accessible way, so although it's new it is also intimately familiar. That, in a statement, is the definition of musical genius.
The highlights on the record are tracks 1, 3, 4, 7 and 8. I guess it would've been easier to say what *isn't* a highlight, but that's just how this record is. To me, the far and away best song is track 4 (I'm not giving song names because each track is "Untitled"), which in seven and a half minutes embodies everything that is spectacular about this record and this band.
Some other interesting tidbits...
- There are no lyrics on this record. Some listeners have mistakenly reported that Jónsi, the lead singer, sings in Icelandic. He is actually singing in a language he calls "Hopelandic" which is nothing more than an academic name for random syllables. Many times songs are written this way, with the singer just letting whatever comes out come out, and then replacing the meaningless syllables with actual words. Jónsi has forgone this last step and instead considers his soaring Thom Yorke-ish falsetto to be more of an instrument than lead vocal.
- Allegedly, the songs on this record were inspired by ancient Viking poetry.
- Jónsi, who is also the lead guitarist, uses a cello bow on his guitar to achieve the ambient, floating overtones.
- There is a thirty-second gap of silence after track 4. This is to separate the album from its "sweet" half into its "heavy" half.
I haven't mentioned being annoyed with the overt self-importance of the record - not including song titles, not including an album title, separating the album into halves, etc. - and I won't go into too much musing about it. I will say this - Sigur Ros isn't exactly helping an anti-pop image by doing this. At first it will be appreciated only by the "alternative" folk, and then the college kids will discover it and it will become pop, thus considered "uncool" by those that originally lauded it although nothing about it has changed. This is the typical pattern of genius.
Sigur Ros should just accept the inevitable. They are far too talented and ingenious to not eventually be recognized as superstars.
Free Music Review: A category of its own
Hit: 5 Stars
With their 2002 release...let's call it "Parentheses," Sigur Ros has taken a massive step forward as the next Radiohead. I'm sure Sigur Ros would be appalled by that statement, but nonetheless it's exactly where they are headed despite their extreme efforts to be anti-pop. Putting all self-servicing art-for-sake-of-itself nonsense aside, this is perhaps one of the finest records I've ever had the pleasure of hearing. On their previous offerings I felt the "songs" were too ambient and were never really developed as complete ideas. It was hard to find a discernible motif anywhere and you had the impression they were making it up as they went along.
On ( ) they develop their brilliant ideas more fully, and often entire songs are based around a simple repeating piano motif, which they build from a whisper to a scream, and back to a whisper over the course of seven minutes. The production is always bordering on the outer threshold of experimentation; you are sure to hear things you've never heard before. However, they present these unique sounds in a completely accessible way, so although it's new it is also intimately familiar. That, in a statement, is the definition of musical genius.
The highlights on the record are tracks 1, 3, 4, 7 and 8. I guess it would've been easier to say what *isn't* a highlight, but that's just how this record is. To me, the far and away best song is track 4 (I'm not giving song names because each track is "Untitled"), which in seven and a half minutes embodies everything that is spectacular about this record and this band.
Some other interesting tidbits...
- There are no lyrics on this record. Some listeners have mistakenly reported that Jónsi, the lead singer, sings in Icelandic. He is actually singing in a language he calls "Hopelandic" which is nothing more than an academic name for random syllables. Many times songs are written this way, with the singer just letting whatever comes out come out, and then replacing the meaningless syllables with actual words. Jónsi has forgone this last step and instead considers his soaring Thom Yorke-ish falsetto to be more of an instrument than lead vocal.
- Allegedly, the songs on this record were inspired by ancient Viking poetry.
- Jónsi, who is also the lead guitarist, uses a cello bow on his guitar to achieve the ambient, floating overtones.
- There is a thirty-second gap of silence after track 4. This is to separate the album from its "sweet" half into its "heavy" half.
I haven't mentioned being annoyed with the overt self-importance of the record - not including song titles, not including an album title, separating the album into halves, etc. - and I won't go into too much musing about it. I will say this - Sigur Ros isn't exactly helping an anti-pop image by doing this. At first it will be appreciated only by the "alternative" folk, and then the college kids will discover it and it will become pop, thus considered "uncool" by those that originally lauded it although nothing about it has changed. This is the typical pattern of genius.
Sigur Ros should just accept the inevitable. They are far too talented and ingenious to not eventually be recognized as superstars.
Free Music Review: Genius Not Pretentious
Hit: 5 Stars
Sigur Ros are a blend of sounds the like of which you will not find elsewhere. With a dedicated fan-base as diverse as Radiohead (who cited them as an influence on Kid A) and Cameron Crowe (who included three songs in his movie Vanilla Sky), this could be the album that finally earns them the widespread recognition that they deserve. Their second album Agaetis Byrjun was a monumental epic that created a new sound. This third album consists of studio versions of songs that have been honed over the last two years during live performances. Their previous albums have been in Icelandic; this latest one is in Hopelandic, a made-up quasi-gibberish that allows lead singer Jon thor Birgisson (Jonsi) to project his voice (half-way between choir-boy and Thom Yorke) almost as an instrument. Incidentally, the lack of lyrics allows each listener to conclude what each song means to him personally, and your interpretations can be posted on the web alongside other fans'. The tracks are also untitled, though many of them carry unofficial monikers. With any other band this would be an act of extreme pretence, but as a Sigur Ros fan it is hard to conclude that it could have been done any other way. Even the album itself is untitled, simply named ( ), which can be interpreted as symbolising the two distinct halves that complete the whole, or it could be on a similar theme to the interpretive lyrics, in that you should fill in your own album title. Track 1, sometimes referred to as Vaka, is the one they most commonly kick off their concerts with, and it is an appropriately slow track that utilised a calm piano riff. Track 2, Fyrsta, is again a beautifully-constructed track that is more mournful, almost lethargic. Track 3, Samskeyti, for lack of other words can be described as unbelievably pretty, and uplifting as it combines once again a simple piano riff with strings, in what is an instrumental piece. Track 4, Njósnavélin, is perhaps the most famous song off the new album: it was used in the climactic scene of Vanilla Sky, and was performed on Kilbourn. The first studio version combines all the best aspects of the various forms it has appeared on stage, and adds an accompaniment that at once achieves perfection. Track 4 is followed by a silenec that allows the mood of the album to totally shift. When it restarts with álafoss, it is much more downbeat in tone, but no less masterfully-constructed for it. The songs effortlessly segue into one another as E-Bow and The Death Song go by, as it gears towards the climactic Track 8: Popplagiđ. Unlike anything else they have ever composed, 'The Pop Song' rocks out with an intensity unlike anything else I have heard. The various elements just come together in perfect unison to achieve a perfect blend of emotion and intensity that leave you reeling as the CD comes to a close. Appropriately, Sigur Ros are in the habit of ending their sets with this track. The final lyrics of Agaetis Byrjun made reference to how this was a Good Beginning (the literal translation of the album title), but that they will do better this time. On this evidence, they keep getting better...