sigur rós?

Ok, Ok, I know.

But I happened upon this review and couldn't resist.


Sigur Ros
Agaetis Byrjun
(Fat Cat)

Although this album technically came out last year, it's been relatively hard to find until now, mainly due to it only being available on the small Bad Taste label through Iceland. After releasing the Svefn-G-Englar and Ny Batteri single earlier this year, though, Fat Cat records in the UK rightly signed the band and is giving the band the larger push that could just make the band a bigger name than fellow Icelander Bjork.

I'm not kidding.

If you've already checked out the reviews for the above mentioned singles, you'll know just how much this band moves me. The best part is that this full-length album is better than either of those singles, partially because they're able to realize themselves on a more full scale, and partially because it finds them putting all their different sounds together into a cohesive, 70-minute journey of aural bliss that I've not heard in quite awhile. In fact, unless something else comes out this year that shakes me to my foundations as much as this release does, I have a feeling it will be my favorite album of the year. The group take little bits from bands like Labradford, Radiohead, the Cocteau Twins, and about 10 other bands, yet put everything together in a way that it comes out sounding original and beautiful in it's very own way.

After a short intro track that lasts less than 2 minutes or so, the disc goes right into the already mentioned "Svefn-G-Englar" and lead singer Jonski sounds like he's cooing into your ears from 1000 miles away while sonar blips dot a doppler effect through the light instrumentation. "Staralfur" adds a string backing to the group for the main part of the song while little bridges drop out with pulsing electronic beats and even a stripped down acoustic guitar. Really, there's not a song on the album that misses it's mark, from the squalling feedback mixed with a bit of a jazzy number on "Hjartad Hamast" or the smooth bass progression on the sing-along of "Olsen Olsen." The album winds down with the twinkling sounds of the album titled track "Agaetis Byrjun," before closing out with the cool wash of "Avalon," that makes you feel like you feel like you're sitting on the cold coast of the groups home country while looking up at the vast sky.

With four people in the band and the occassional backing by a string section, the very young group have already set their sites high with what is technically only their second full-length release (their debut, Von can be purchased through the Bad Taste website). It doesn't even matter that I can't understand a word they're saying on this release, because it's truly so beatiful that one can 'feel' what they're saying anyway. That may sound cheesy, but that's just how they make you feel, and once you're listening to it you won't even care. There's already been a lot of dramatic words written about the sounds of this groups music, and there will only continue to be more. Just check it out before your friends all beat you to it.

Rating: 9.5


Cheers,

Mark

Also, Time put Sigur Ros along with Radiohead, U2 and a bunch of bands I haven't heard of in their Best 10 bands in the entire world. There's a link to it from
http://www.followmearound.com
which is a Radiohead site. Just go to news section and scroll down a bit.

I concur, it is "submarine". Can't remember where I read it, but I was surprised when I discovered that it wasn't "summery".

Sorry, didn't realise there was more than one page. I guess my comments look quite out of place at this point in time!!!

One may be forgiven, if one asks. One has asked, so one is forgiven.

Back on topic, where would it be recommended that I purchase Sigur Ros's other album?

I think that "Von" their debut album was released on Bad Taste records, and unfortunately, the EP's Svefn G Englar and Ny Batteri, have been deleted. I've picked up the latter off of eBay, where I was surprised to find just about everything to do with Sigur Ros there. They've also got 2 tracks on the Angels of the universe soundtrack, which is pretty good. If you have a look at the Fat Cat records (the label Agaetis Byrjun was released on) site, they'll have a listing of stuff available through them.

well, i didn't fill the role of the admirable citizen and purchase Ágætis Byrjun but I did download the album a short time after reading this post and I must say after a couple hours of listening, that it is some remarkable stuff.

And may I add, what a beautiful language.

btw.. do you know where I can get some rough translations for these songs? It would be cool to know what the songs are about. I did try going to the www.sigur-ros.co.uk site, but they don't have any translated lyrics up yet. Thanks for the new listening!

I've got them all, if you want them. Try going to "18 seconds before sunrise", the kinda unofficial site. I'm sure they've got them there, though.

Cheers,

Mark

Actually, they don't have the lyrics anymore. It says on the site that they took them down because Sigur Ros didn't want anyone to have translated lyrics that they didn't translate themselves. Although I would love to have lyrics that Sigur Ros is translating themselves, I can't wait until they finish that project. It would be awesome if you could send them over, at least the lyrics for the Ágætis Byrjun album.

Thanks Mate,
Daniel

(tsunamius@hotmail.com)

*tickets for nov 19 @ knitting factory in la*


you can buy tickets for the virgin megastore shortlist prize for artistic achievement in music, for which sigur rós have been selected as one of the ten finalists. they will also perform a short set at the awards ceremony.

http://www.pollstar.com/tour/searcha...nt=SIGROS&AN=Y
or;
box office (+3234 630 204).


*svefn-g-englar on soundtrack*


the cameron crowe film, Vanilla Sky (the one with Penelope Cruz) soundtrack will include a host of rock, pop, and electronic songs, and has been pegged for a dec 11 release. the film is set to open dec. 14 in u.s. theaters. it will not be ágætis byrjun as previously stated.

Here is the track list for the soundtrack to "vanilla sky":

radiohead, "everything in its right place"
paul mccartney, "vanilla sky"
peter gabriel, "solsbury hill"
nancy wilson, "i fall apart"
leftfield, "afrika shox"
sigur rós, "svefn-g-englar"
josh rouse, "directions"
bob dylan, "fourth time around"
r.E.M., "sweetness follows"
the monkees, "porpoise song"
chemical brothers, "where so i begin"
todd rundgren, "can we still be friends"
looper, "mondo 77"
red house painters, "have you forgotten"
nancy wilson, "elevator beat"
r.e.m., "all the right friends"
jeff buckley, "last goodbye"

http://clubs.yahoo.com/clubs/sigurros18secondsbefore

You can also get Sigur Ros guitar tabs for just about everything they've done here:

http://homepage.mac.com/hafssol

And they've also won the Shortlist Prize in America.

Genius.

Cheers,

Mark

I just copied this from an email, so it's not my grammar! Ok??

*sigurrós are going to hollywood*

and when they're over there, will perform *this* friday (14 dec) on craig kilborn's 'late late show' on cbs [12.35 est]
the group are going to play the song njosnavelin (aka the nothing song). the cool thing is that the song has not yet been recorded, and commited to tape, and a live version will be in the movie 'vanilla sky', along with svefn-g-englar, ágætis byrjun . the film stars penelope cruz and cameron diaz :smile: mmm.

vanilla sky opens in the us on 14 dec / uk in early february, also its be said that crowe also requested a copy of the group's atmospheric filmed live backdrop so that he could cut footage direct from their show into the final cut of the film. the material was originally shot by goggi. hes a film maker too y'know. so look out for that if it appears...

*best of the 20th century*

it's ágætis byrjun!

it's been chosen the best Icelandic record of the 20th century. 108 experts participated in choosing the best icelandic record of the 20th century. the search for this record was also open online, and the combined results and the result was the truly splendid sigurrós album ágætis byrjun (released in 1999) which was chosen the best one :smile:

*hafssól updates*

new tabs have been added to the guitar tab site, hafssól. along with the new ones, some old ones have been updated. so all in all they have tabs from ágætis byrjun, von, ný batterí ep, svefn-g-englar ep, the rímur tour ep. also unreleased songs such as njósnavélin, e-bow, dauðalagið, lagið í gær, popplagið, jólalagið, samskipti. also lyrics have been added to make really helpful reference points. check it out! http://homepage.mac.com/hafssol/

have a merry christmas everyone! :smile: and just rememer santa claus died for your sins!! i hope christmas never loses its true meaning. ho ho ho.

http://clubs.yahoo.com/clubs/sigurros18secondsbefore

Um...Santa Claus is dead? Oh no! :sad: