Sigur Ros

I would say that I discovered the Icelandic band, Sigur Ros about a year and a half ago while cruising iTunes looking for new music to add to my collection. One of their songs, Glosoli was on iTunes on someones iMix. I listened to it and loved it immediately. The song was ethereal and dreamlike in its feel. I felt transported by their music and over time found more of their music on iTunes and downloaded their 4th album, Takk.

Takk is Icelandic for "Thanks". Given the huge following the band had acquired to that point, the name of the album was certainly appropriate. The whole album seemed to take me out of my current reality. The sound was like nothing I've ever heard before. The contrast between the light and airy falsetto voice of Jonsi Birgisson (the lead vocalist) and his guitar which he plays with a cello bow.....and the chimes and horns and string section that all come together to create this incredible sound is so moving to the core. Listening to their music has spontaneously brought tears to my eyes on many occasions and I can only chalk it up to the purity with which they play.

There is an honesty to their music. They haven't sold out to some huge recording label. They make their music according to their terms and with what inspires them. Their music is art! If you ever get the opportunity to see them perform live, you will understand exactly what I mean. They played at NYC MoMA last June and Current TV documented it. Here's the link:
http://current.com/items/89173668/sigur_r_s_moma.htm

Not only is their music artistic, but the videos that accompany their music are so artfully done that to both hear their music and see the images, one almost can't help but be swept away by the overall affect. It is truly beautiful, overwhelming and poetic. Below are some of my favorites from Sigur Ros posted on You Tube.

Glosoli (Glowing Soul)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lwQmDvuORY0

Saeglopur (The Seafarer)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7yjurf5d6X0

Gobbledigook
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eJuDE8heHRI

All the videos, to me, depict a fearlessness in childhood innocence. The song Gobbledigook is a portrayal and interpretation of mother nature and her mischievous "helpers". Given that Jonsi and the band sings in Icelandic, I had to go searching for the lyrics and their translations. Here's the rough translation for Gobbledigook found on Lyricwiki.com.

http://lyricwiki.org/Sigur_R%C3%B3s:Gobbledigook

You can find translations for most of their other songs at http://www.lyricwiki.com/ as well.

Gobbledigook is the first track off their newest album, Med sud i eyrum vid spilum endalaust (With a buzz in our ears, we play endlessly). This album is quite different from Takk. It has more tracks that have an upbeat feel to them, whereas, Takk feels as though it was inspired by the dark, somber, contemplative winters in Iceland. Med sud has more of a feel like it was written and inspired by the hope and promise of spring and the magic that seems to bring life back to the earth after the cold dark winter. It's definitely worth a look and listen.

Well, that's all for now. My fixation with Sigur Ros hasn't abated just yet, so I'm sure I will post some more tidbits for you soon enough.

Until next time......

Thanks for reading!

Kristen