With a breakthrough album in Ágætis Byrjun under their belt, Sigur Rós set about their third album, ( ), at their newly converted swimming pool studio in Mosfellsbær. ( ) is quite a departure from their usual sound, with the possible exceptions of tracks 4 & 8, in that it is very minimalist in both sound and production. The signature landscape of sound is still there, but with a rawer, truer quality than that of Ágætis Byrjun. The album is split in two halves by a 30 second pause; the first half comprises the 'light and optimistic' songs whilst the second is the bleaker side, though both halves sound chilly. None of the tracks have titles: Sigur Rós wanted the listeners to create their own titles based on their own interpretations. The following are taken from the unofficial Sigur Rós website, Eighteen Seconds Before Sunrise:
"We really loved the responses to Ágætis Byrjun we received from foreigners. We got all kinds of interpretations from people who didn't understand Icelandic and thought we were saying other things and it turned out these people were interpreting the songs based on their own lives
and atmospheres, which was very precious for us. This is partly the reason why we decided to give people the chance to write their own lyrics in the booklet." (Jónsi)
"The booklet in ( ) is empty so people can write down or draw their interpretations of it. It's a kind of "human experience". Everyone has their own opinions and when people buy the album it's kind of unfinished so people have to finish it themselves. It's not the singer telling stories, it's sort of a soundtrack for each person's life. So they can write lyrics for their own lives." (Jónsi)
And that really sums up Sigur Rós. The music they write is as much music for the people who buy it as it is the music the band wants to make. I have included the working titles for the tracks as they don't have titles. They should provide a better understanding of the songs and of the album as a whole.
1. (Vaka) - the working title for this track is the name of Orri's (drums, keyboards) daughter. It's at first a bleak, sparse track: a synthesizer plays the riff once and is then joined by piano, and later Jónsi and a quaint string arrangement. The texture is built up with muffled samples of Jónsi's voice, creating a 'quilted' effect (for want of a better word).
2. (Fyrsta) - literally, the 'first' (song). Starts with a strange cacophony of moaning voices, which are soon joined by a guitar ostinato oozing sadness and later Jónsi's haunting vocals. The plodding drum beat adds to the melancholy. Evocatively beautiful.
3. (Samskeyti) - meaning 'attachment'. Again, based on a single piano riff, this melody plays around a strange 5-chord progression. The swirling piano hides the rising guitar phrases which crescendo throughout, and eventually the piano itself stretches an octave before sinking back down for a calmer outro.
4. (Njósnavélin) - 'The Spy Machine'. A beautiful yet simple guitar riff based on broken chords is propelled by a drum rhythm distinctly lacking in snare, but heavily draped with cymbals. The vocal melody is moving; the way it is delivered is breathtaking. As this section ends, a darker minor section enters emphasized by heavy bass. The first half of the album comes to a close suddenly; Orri's drums retreat along with the keyboards, leaving Jónsi's raw vocal for just a few seconds before it too fades into nothing.
5. (Álafoss) - Named after the location of their newly converted studio, Álafoss is a slow burner but well worth listening to for its entirety. The tempo is so slow that the rhythm is hard to make out; it propels only voice and saxophone sample for a while, until the piece climaxes with cymbals crashing, organs calling out, and searing guitars.
6. (E-Bow) - So called as Georg uses an E-Bow on his bass, producing a bell-like chime throughout. Orri restricts himself to bass and large toms for the verses, but pulls out all the stops for the explosion at the end, for which he's joined by crunching guitars and a glacial piano tone. The track ends with heavily ditorted feedback.
7. (Dauđalagiđ) - Epic drumming permeates this otherwise relatively quiet track, the 'Death Song'. Acoompanying the drums are just organ and voice for the most part, the climax comes with plenty of cymbals and high-pitched vocals.
8. (Popplagiđ) - The second longest track on the record (11:44) is ironically named the 'Pop Song'. A brilliant clean sliding guitar riff opens with what sounds like E-Bowed guitars and a steady drum beat. Jónsi's vocal enters, serene as ever. But when the first section is over, Orri's drums are left alone and become ever more impatient as an almost heavenly voice sings above it. They eventually erupt into a stunning drum section which is followed all the way by the haunting vocal and screaming guitars. The album ends with a chunk of feedback.
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Fantastic stuff, have to heard Marconi Union or Boards of Canada yet?
Nar 07.02.2006 22:35
Good review although Im not quite sure what this band are supposed to sound like - Ive never heard of them until now, but I guess that is probably what your intention is- to entice consumers.
Anyone expecting Sigur Ros to have abandoned their emotional and majestic approach will ... more
think again after hearing the opening bars of their new album,( ). When Sigur Ros released their second long playerAgaetis Byrjunback in 1999, they caught everyone ...
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Anyone expecting Sigur Ros to have abandoned their emotional and majestic approach will ... more
think again after hearing the opening bars of their new album, ( ). When Sigur Ros released their second long player Agaetis Byrjun back in 1999, they caught everyo...
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