Sigur Rós - Sigur Rós
|
List Price: Our Price: $8.66 You Save: $5.32 (38%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $2.89 (click here) Category: Music CD See more new music releases 
|
|---|
Canadian Music Store
Free Music Notes for Sigur Rós
Free Music Review: Immersion in the realm of pure euphoric emotion
Hit: 5 Stars
As a newly converted post - rock devotee, I was scrounging the internet for the best the genre has to offer. I came across this, and I am glad I did.
When this album came, I was blown away by the packaging - everything about the album is tranlucent - the booklet, the CD cover, the back - even the gentle ( ) mark is only inscribed on the cd with a clear gloss. No liner notes whatsoever. Truly honest music.
I popped it in, turned off the lights, and WOW. From the first mellow chord, the music will sink into you. None of the music is imposing. It is all open to interperetation. It takes you through the hills and valleys of your emotions. It is the search for, the love, and the wrath of God. Not at all what I expected, but so much better.
I will admit, the vocals are taking a little while to get used to. They are apparently just jibberish - not icelandic, not english, but rather randomly compiled sounds and syllables. But as I get more used to it, the more I realize how emotional and beutiful it is. On their website, they have dubbed it "Hopelandic". Although it isn't now, it will probably end up being one of my favorite parts of the album.
As an inspiring Psychologist, I was blown away by the theraputic nature of this album. I've made sense of more emotional conflicts by listening to this album than I have when I tried to combat it with hours of logic.
Just like the packaging suggests, you can see through this album. It doesn't force any message on you or try to convert you to any religion. It doesn't have limits. It's just like a beautiful car you can take anywhere. Each listen is a different experience. It all depends on what you put behind it.
Get this album now.
Free Music Review: a uniquely distinct experience of a record
Hit: 5 Stars
It's not exactly an easy task to describe Icelandic band Sigur Ros' latest record. For one, it doesn't have a title, other than "( )." "( )" also has no linear notes whatsoever, giving us no song names, or any references to the musicians, engineers and psychiatrists who appear on it. What's more, the lyrics, which are written half in English and half in Icelandic, are sung mostly in an echo-drenched falsetto that makes Jeremy Enigk sound like Paul McCartney. Then again, no one ever understood Michael Stipe or Kurt Cobain. And the Beatles did the same sort of disappearing act on the White Album. And while we're at it, Bjork's from Iceland as well. And every review of this band ever written will mention that.
What's left is an odd and uniquely distinct experience of a record. Imagine the condensed images of a Stanley Kubrick film put to music that's mostly whispered and played at half-speed. Picture My Bloody Valentine or Sonic Youth daydreaming away on thousands of crates of cough syrup.
Pianos give way to walls of guitars, strings, and drums that occasionally lift the pulse above a trickle. Occasionally. But Sigur Ros don't work in speed or pop hooks. They work in pure aural texture. They move sideways, and they swell, not into catchy choruses, but into orchestral static and ghostly buzzing. This isn't a record for fans of mainstream pop music. In fact, it may not be a record for listening to at all, but rather it's something to play during science fiction movie credits, or in the background of an opium den.
Oddly enough, this isn't exactly a bad thing. Sigur Ros may just be the first band in a long time to sound so different, so confounding, and so beautiful.
Free Music Review: Two parts bliss, all genius.
Hit: 5 Stars
I have to say, first off, that if you're looking through random cd's, looking to spend some extra cash on something new, do so now. Don't even hesitate or think twice.
Simply put, Sigur Ros' ( ) is perfection. It is my favorite album, and probably will be for a long time. I must admit though, when I first got it and opened it on the way home from the store, layed back in my seat to listen, i wasn't stunned at all. The songs seemed to linger on forever, and not get to any solid point. But I noticed one thing, the lingering, was actually just beautiful. Over time, i'd throw it in the cd player and listen for a little while, and It started to grow on me, I started to see what everyone was talking about. Then one night, i put it in the cd player, listened to the whole thing, and then suddenly, and quite literally, it clicked. It was absolute genius. I understood what they were doing completely, and it overtook me.
The album, whether intentionally or not, is separated into two sections. I'd like to think it was intentionally, and that the two parenthesis represent the two halves of the cd. The first half are tracks 1-4. This half seems to soundtrack a frosty winter night in the woods. Full moon, brisk wind. Snow falling very slowly. The second half, tracks 5-8 (obviously) seem to soundtrack the morning after the first section. The sun coming up to bathe the land in glorious light.
The last track ends with the same sound that the first track begins with. It ends in a sweeping epic that contrasts the beauty and subtle elegance that the album begins with.
Just buy the album, you know it sounds great. Go ahead.
Free Music Review: Moody and Elegant
Hit: 5 Stars
This is one of the most difficult yet rewarding albums any music lover could ever find. It is darker than Agaetis Byrjun, but arguably more beautiful at the same time. One big bit of advice: listen to it straight through, no interruptions, the first few times you listen to this album. And I say the first few times because you really need to listen to it numerous times to fully appreciate it and love it.Quite honestly, if you don't want to sit down for over an hour to listen to an album without stopping for one second, without doing anything else but just listen, don't bother with this. It literally hurts me to say that because I believe this is one of the most gorgeous albums I have ever come across. If you prefer a song-by-song experience and still want to hear Sigur Ros, go with the before-mentioned Agaetis Byrjun.
The lead singer has a most interesting voice. I once heard it described as a mix of a young choirboy and Thom Yorke (lead singer of Radiohead), and I think that sums it up nicely. Take that as a compliment, too. At no point does it sound threatening, and instead works in a soothing manner, while at other times it sounds so depressed and vulnerable that tears are almost impossible to stop.
( ) plays out in a repetitive nature; you'll notice the same theme reappearing in basically every song. In true Sigur Ros fashion, the songs typically start slow and quiet, and build up to a momentous and epic finish. In that sense, each song acts as a rewarding experience. The album functions in much the same way. Strangely, this album can quite easily be compared to making love. And I think that comparison is the best way to describe ( ).
Free Music Review: Prepare to be wildly unproductive
Hit: 5 Stars
First off, let me say that this is a fantastic album of beautiful sounds and textures. This album was my introduction into the so called "Post-Rock" genre, and I have finally found music that is not a degenerate copy of once-great rock and roll. I would recomend this album for people who find themselves tired of conventional rock music, people who simply enjoy beautiful music, people with an open mind, or all of the above. This album (and much of the genre) is a refreshing reminder that there is still original, talent-laden music to be explored. The music itself is emotional and powerful, and the lyrics are really only exist to compliment the mood (seeing as they are either Icelandic or not even real words.) It is kind of like listening to a wonderful movie soundtrack, without the movie to influence thoughts. The problem is that if you so desire to listen to this album while reading or studying, prepare to get nothing done. Unlike most ambient music that merely pacifies your brain while you focus on other things, ( ) takes hold of your thoughts, and before you know it, hours have passed, you have accomplished nothing, and you have no idea what has happened. The music pulls you along through a unrestricted, colorful, and dream-like state. Your other senses fail to work, as music so captivating and beautiful swells over your nervous system. You find yourself staring at walls, unblinking, for who knows how long. So if you have the time to spiral through a spiritual, logic-defying journey of the mind, pick up this album, find a good wall to look at, and truly experience the power that music can have over the human conciousness.