12. Go / Jónsi

Jón (“Jónsi”) Pór Birgisson, the frontman for Sigur Rós, seems like he is from another planet. Given the sonic palette of his solo debut, it would be a lush, dreamy world of vegetation and color, prone to occassional fits of weeping rain. Like Pandora. Isn't he wearing feathers on the album's cover?

Go is a remarkable symph-pop record--inspiring, even--with beautiful flourishes of flutes, horns, percussions, and strings. Indeed, avant-garde indie-composer Nico Muhly's string arrangments are heavenly, while Samuli Kosminen's poly-rhythmic percussions help the music feel earthworn, elemental. "Go Do," as its title suggests, runs with wide-eyed, unbridled abandon ("We should always know that we can do anything"); "Animal Arithmetic" celebrates life's joyous cacophonies ("We should all be alive!); and "Boy Lillikoi" urges individual illumination ("We all grow old, use your life, the world goes and flutters by"). From other artists, these sentiments would sound trite; for Jónsi, they are empowered with wonder and innocence.

How is Go different from a Sigur Rós record? There seems to be a tighter pop-song focus--perhaps a natural extension from the first-half of 2008's splendid Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust--and the result is warmer, denser, more intimate than the ethereal, sometimes alien wonders of Sigur Rós. Jónsi also sings entirely in English, however, for most songs, it appears to make little difference, as his vocal intonations remain otherwordly.

Jónsi is now burdened with a stunning back catalog, and all of his efforts, solo or otherwise, may be unfairly weighed against his singular output. To be sure, had Go been our first listen to his distinctive world, it would have garnered more attention, and it would have been included in more discussions of the year's best albums. We simply take for granted beautiful things that we have seen or heard before. Regardless, there remains immense listening satisfaction from the record's sense of treasure, its sense of being untainted, unfound.