Von - Sigur Ros

Advantages: Sonic bliss from Iceland's best export
Disadvantages: Should eight tracks cover 72 minutes?

...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... Read review

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Advantages: 8 beautifully crafted tracks, emotionally moving
Disadvantages: None at all

...What an intriguing, engrossing, delightful set of songs. As Sigur Ros slip more and more in to the musical mainstream, it often pays to look at the back catalogue to see the true roots of a band. With Sigur Ros, this is less a good idea and more a necessity. Whatever you want to call it (The Brackets album, The Untitled Album, or simply '( )'), this album is utterly sublime. I've often listened to this thinking that no words could describe the music and subsequent moods and emotions it generates, which is not so good when reviewing the album! But I'll give it a go. '( )', as I shall refer to it from now on, is more an experience than just a set of tracks. From what I've heard by them, it is the best album Sigur Ros have produced. Twice the album 'Takk' is anyway. At 8 tracks, it falls short of the usual number of tracks on their... Read review

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Advantages: Stunningly beautiful music - best album of 2005
Disadvantages: none. really.

...The immense Sigur Rós return with thanks to their fans (Takk is Icelandic for thank you!). This band is famed for its unusual sound; mixing Icelandic folk with progressive rock with easy listening, and Takk... is no exception. Yet another collection of life-affirming tunes to uplift, to sadden, to provoke, but most of all to give hope. Beauty, unfortunately, is a rare quality in music today. Sigur Rós are part of that dying breed which manages to capture beauty within intelligent music. That's why this is my album of 2005; that's why it must be heard. 1. Takk...(Thank You...): The title track and opener falls just short of two minutes but gets you in exactly the mood for the album - it's a warm, tranquil progressive piece produced mainly on keyboard, and is just how you'd imagine the Icelandic landscape would sound. 2. Glósóli... Read review

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