Summer in Iceland. The glaciers are receding, the fields are blooming, the ships are returning, and the good folks are springing from their homes. And Iceland’s greatest band is celebrating with an expansive album of immense musical joy.Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust carries listeners adrift the island’s warm, contemplative currents, a powerful testimony of music as physical landscape. The first half of the record is a stunning departure from Sigur Ros’ catalog—celebratory horns, pounding drums, and acoustic guitars pulse with an earthworn gravity. “Gobbledigook” runs through verdant, undiscovered places. “Inní mér syngur vitleysingur” inspires an open-hearted parade. “Festival,” the album’s centerpiece, grows from ponderous falsetto beauty into a swell of drums, horns, and strings that is nothing short of heavenly.
On the record’s second half, Sigur Ros explores more meditative meadows. With singer Jónsi Birgisson’s high-pitched and haunting register interplaying with acoustic guitars, the band, as always, allows the listener to breathe and take in all of the open musical spaces. “Með suð í eyrum,” “Ára bátur,” and “Fljótavík” tug at your inner world with rich piano lines and strings, as Birgisson tries to make sense of things with his otherworldly voice.
Even great bands rarely make such inventive music several albums into their respective careers; and they almost never change their texture and tone while keeping their identity intact. But Sigur Ros is not most bands. A splendid, spiritual album.
No comments:
Post a Comment