Today's Music that is Great and Also Makes Jason Want to Watch Some Wes Anderson Films is Ágætis byrjun, by Sigur Rós. By now, my fondness for Sigur Rós is no secret, so you'll probably have to run today's entry through some kind of fanboy filter in order to extract any usable opinions or text.
Ágætis byrjun (which I will be copy/pasting for the remainder of this post) is a semi-symphonic, charmed album, to say the least. Oh, there are vocals, though you won't be able to understand them; by the time you get halfway into the album, you won't really care. The instruments here are mostly strings, though more traditional keys and guitar show up on occasion. This is possibly SR's grandest if not most ambitious album, and while the emotions run high, they aren't played up for attention. Like most any SR album, you probably won't hear these songs on the radio unless you happen to listen to a college radio station that doesn't make its staff do regular drug screens.
The end result is a sweeping, magical work, one that sounds the way that the Earth must look from outer space or maybe just how it feels to not get sick on a ferris wheel. I do have to confess that this isn't my favorite SR album; I generally prefer the darker Von or the more whimsical Takk... to Ágætis byrjun. It's still very listenable, though, if the sheer emotion doesn't prove too exhausting.
"Staralfur" is the song most people are familiar with, and for good reason, but there are some other tracks that stand alone as well: "Ny Batteri", "Hjarto Hamast". The closer, "Avalon", is a nice way to wind down and reflect on the listening experience. Really, though, the only track I'm not fond of is the title track, which isn't so much terrible as it is overstayed and emotional.
In short, this is a solid introduction to the band and worth listening to, if you like SR or appreciate strings more than lyrics in your unconventional popular music.
In Other News:
where did the weekend go anyway?
...
Showing posts with label Sigur Ros. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sigur Ros. Show all posts
Monday, May 4, 2009
Friday, August 29, 2008
Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust
Today's Music That Jason Has No Hope of Translating is Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust, by Sigur Ros.
Man I can't believe I got that formatted right. Anyway, this is the fifth (I think) album from Sigur Ros, an Icelandic band known for their dreamy, magical music. I actually bought this album, mostly on the strength of the opening track, "Gobbledigook". Immediately I was curious; whereas most of their past songs were quieter, more atmospheric tracks, "Gobbledigook" was much more rhythmic and involving, with a related sound but a much different philosophy. Was this an experiment? A first step towards becoming a pop band? An initial foray into foreign markets?
It turns out that it was a false alarm, sadly. The rest of the album wasn't all that interesting; it was mostly vocal-driven with a piano and hints of strings here and there. It's not offensive, really, just a fair letdown. This is mostly simple drawn-out ballad stuff here, even if it isn't in English. I'm sure this album will bring Sigur Ros plenty of money, as all of the nice ballads would be perfect in emotional romantic comedy scenes, maybe even for use on some melodramatic television dramas, but they're (dare I say it) formulaic and kind of bland. If your conservative aunt had any idea who Sigur Ros were, this would probably be her favorite album. If it is, let me know. She can have mine. Sigur Ros, I'm not giving up hope on you, but make another ( ) or another Takk..., please.
In Other News:
My keyboard is kind of going off the rails on me.
Thank goodness for weekends.
Man I can't believe I got that formatted right. Anyway, this is the fifth (I think) album from Sigur Ros, an Icelandic band known for their dreamy, magical music. I actually bought this album, mostly on the strength of the opening track, "Gobbledigook". Immediately I was curious; whereas most of their past songs were quieter, more atmospheric tracks, "Gobbledigook" was much more rhythmic and involving, with a related sound but a much different philosophy. Was this an experiment? A first step towards becoming a pop band? An initial foray into foreign markets?
It turns out that it was a false alarm, sadly. The rest of the album wasn't all that interesting; it was mostly vocal-driven with a piano and hints of strings here and there. It's not offensive, really, just a fair letdown. This is mostly simple drawn-out ballad stuff here, even if it isn't in English. I'm sure this album will bring Sigur Ros plenty of money, as all of the nice ballads would be perfect in emotional romantic comedy scenes, maybe even for use on some melodramatic television dramas, but they're (dare I say it) formulaic and kind of bland. If your conservative aunt had any idea who Sigur Ros were, this would probably be her favorite album. If it is, let me know. She can have mine. Sigur Ros, I'm not giving up hope on you, but make another ( ) or another Takk..., please.
In Other News:
My keyboard is kind of going off the rails on me.
Thank goodness for weekends.
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Sorry!
No blog today. And actually, I've been neglecting the blog lately and I know it. I am not sure if this is temporary or more permanent, but there's a reason for it.
It's certainly nothing personal - I've just been listening to more music via Pandora than as individual albums. Pandora is great - the only problem is that the artists it suggests for me are somewhat obscure, hence the music is less easy to acquire through my normal conduits. I really like the random nature of it, though.
I did purchase the new Sigur Ros album this week, and while I'm only five songs in on my first listen, I really like it. This album seems to be more uptempo and actively involves the listener more than their past work; I don't know that this is good or bad but it is a little different. Hopefully a more detailed review will be forthcoming.
In other news:
I had a pretty great weekend. Everything came together very nicely. I don't know that any of it means anything, in the long run (probably not, given my inherent ability to make poor decisions) but it was certainly nice.
It's certainly nothing personal - I've just been listening to more music via Pandora than as individual albums. Pandora is great - the only problem is that the artists it suggests for me are somewhat obscure, hence the music is less easy to acquire through my normal conduits. I really like the random nature of it, though.
I did purchase the new Sigur Ros album this week, and while I'm only five songs in on my first listen, I really like it. This album seems to be more uptempo and actively involves the listener more than their past work; I don't know that this is good or bad but it is a little different. Hopefully a more detailed review will be forthcoming.
In other news:
I had a pretty great weekend. Everything came together very nicely. I don't know that any of it means anything, in the long run (probably not, given my inherent ability to make poor decisions) but it was certainly nice.
Friday, December 21, 2007
( ) [Sigur Ros]
Today's Album That Is Good But Has A Pain In The Ass Name is ( ) by Sigur Ros. Now I could probably give you some background information on Sigur Ros, but let's just talk about the music.
This album is probably their least accessible and most minimalist, but it's still very interesting. The vocals are sparse and generally incomprehensible to this landlocked overgrown farm boy, but the sparsely populated soundscape (is that even a word?) is glorious for what it is. This music is full of hushed piano, occasional strings, and maybe a drum. Compared to the other Sigur Ros albums, ( ) is not nearly as uplifting; it's the kind of music that would score someone's descent into a coma. Still, I like this album, even if I couldn't ever call it my favorite music. It never seems forced, like so much modern music that has all kinds of ideas about how plastic and constrained love should be. This album is the opposite of emo, something that manages to be genuine and succeeds without having to tell you that it does.
In other news:
Merry Freakin' Christmas.
This album is probably their least accessible and most minimalist, but it's still very interesting. The vocals are sparse and generally incomprehensible to this landlocked overgrown farm boy, but the sparsely populated soundscape (is that even a word?) is glorious for what it is. This music is full of hushed piano, occasional strings, and maybe a drum. Compared to the other Sigur Ros albums, ( ) is not nearly as uplifting; it's the kind of music that would score someone's descent into a coma. Still, I like this album, even if I couldn't ever call it my favorite music. It never seems forced, like so much modern music that has all kinds of ideas about how plastic and constrained love should be. This album is the opposite of emo, something that manages to be genuine and succeeds without having to tell you that it does.
In other news:
Merry Freakin' Christmas.
Monday, October 29, 2007
Takk...
Today's Music From Jason's Dreams is Takk... by Sigur Ros. I think this is their fourth album, but I'm not going to give you a history lesson on Sigur Ros today. Some other day, perhaps; let us talk about the music today.
This album is probably more accessible than their previous work, at least as accessible as Agaetis Byrjun. (Suprisingly, Blogspot doesn't think 'Agaetis Byrjun' is misspelled.) I think the best word for this album is 'ethereal'. It absolutely sounds like something from a dream: strings, piercing soprano vocals, sparse but effective use of driving piano, maybe even drums, everything in its right place. I don't understand a word of it, and neither will you, to be honest, but that won't stop you from enjoying the music. It isn't cheery and playful like, say, your Architecture in Helsinki albums, or even as bittersweet as some Yo La Tengo tracks. It's very much post-rock, not for people who like singer-songwriters, but more for people who like minimalist music and atmosphere. Still, the songs have enough movement and interplay between the various elements to keep most people interested. If you aren't familiar with Sigur Ros, this is probably a good place to start; I wouldn't say this album 'rocks' but it's certainly worth listening to.
In other news:
Some ordinary stuff happened this weekend. I'm still in something of a foul mood but better today.
This album is probably more accessible than their previous work, at least as accessible as Agaetis Byrjun. (Suprisingly, Blogspot doesn't think 'Agaetis Byrjun' is misspelled.) I think the best word for this album is 'ethereal'. It absolutely sounds like something from a dream: strings, piercing soprano vocals, sparse but effective use of driving piano, maybe even drums, everything in its right place. I don't understand a word of it, and neither will you, to be honest, but that won't stop you from enjoying the music. It isn't cheery and playful like, say, your Architecture in Helsinki albums, or even as bittersweet as some Yo La Tengo tracks. It's very much post-rock, not for people who like singer-songwriters, but more for people who like minimalist music and atmosphere. Still, the songs have enough movement and interplay between the various elements to keep most people interested. If you aren't familiar with Sigur Ros, this is probably a good place to start; I wouldn't say this album 'rocks' but it's certainly worth listening to.
In other news:
Some ordinary stuff happened this weekend. I'm still in something of a foul mood but better today.
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