I've had the album for almost a month now, so it seems like an appropriate time to finally comment on it.
I was a bit apprehensive about it -- upon reading earlier this year that Flood was being brought on board as producer, I assumed the band was aiming for a more accessible sound in an attempt to find a larger audience. And then I read that one of the songs was going to be sung in English! My first thought was, were Sigur Ros - the poster boys of post-rock, *gulp*, selling out?
Well, they succeeded. But they didn't sell out. The album is probably the most accessible in the band's catalog, but no compromises were made in the process. They've still managed to retain everything that makes them great, while adding new textures and colors into the mix. The percussion in "Gobbledigook" sounds like a bunch of people stomping on gym bleachers; "Góðan dagin" and "Illgresi" are two of the most intimate songs that Sigur Ros have written. Heartwrenching. And then there's the stunning "Ara Batur": probably the best thing that the band have done up to this point. Clocking in at just under nine minutes, it's simultaneously the saddest song AND most epic song I've probably ever heard. Bare piano and vocals for the first five/six minutes, and then when the 90-piece boys choir quietly enters, the string crescendo at 7'45" hits you like a punch in the face. Jonsi's falsetto is all over this record, and it sounds better than ever. The instruments are more defined; there's no "Ny Batteri" or "Untitled 8" to be found here. Gone are the waves of sound and noise, and in their place are gentle acoustic guitars, piano, xylophone and brushed snare.
The album is stunning and it was a lesson learned. Sigur Ros are the type of band that, for as long as they're around, will continue to make the type of music that they want to make -- beautifully arranged and melodic post-rock, and will always do what pleases them first, as any band should.
And still, the beauty of Sigur Ros, for me, is how much the songs affect me, despite the fact that all but one of their songs is sung in either Icelandic or gibberish. Like most, I can't understand a word of it, but the most amazing thing is, it doesn't matter.
