Olsen Olsen

Olsen Olsen is a song by Sigur Ros off their A'gaetis Byrjun album. I had been skeptical of this album and Von only because other listeners described the albums as dark and moody. I'm still digesting A'gaetis Byrjun, but so far I really like it! My new favorite song is Olsen Olsen. It starts out with a kind of dark tone to it, but as soon as Jonsi starts singing, the mood lifts. His voice sounds like I'm hearing it in my dreams.....all soft, distant and echoed. When he crescendos at what I assume is the chorus, the feeling overtakes me and tears just spontaneously well up in my eyes. The sound is so beautiful. Then come the flute, piano and brass interludes that ultimately build into this very joyful and free spirited collaboration that lifts the heart out of any possible sadness. God, I love these guys!

I actually just sent a letter off to the band just expressing my appreciation for their fine work and in the letter I told them that I almost couldn't go back to listening to American music because their unique music makes American music sound cliche and almost ugly. I know that sounds harsh, because obviously there are still some decent American bands out there, but today's pop culture and the way the big record labels dictate song artists creativity have soured me to much of the American music industry. I do still have some bands I can listen to.....Dave Matthews being one of them.

By and large though, I am religiously reaching for Sigur Ros when I want to hear music. I sneak off to get a little listen on my iPod every now and then when I don't want to inundate my husband with the same tunes over and over again. I find I am more creative when I listen to them and I'm also more calm and happy as well. It's no wonder they were asked to play for the Dalai Lama about a week ago. Wow! What an honor! The feeling in the arena where the performance was held must have been pure love and bliss.

I say this because; even though it may sound retarded, I truly believe that Sigur Ros' music could bring about world peace if everyone listened to them. Bring the Dalai Lama into the mix and it's practically a done deal. Does any of this sound like a kooky movie from the 80's? Remember "Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure"? Remember how they were destined to create music that would bring world peace? Ahem.....enter Sigur Ros. The modern day and infinitely cooler band with a musical aesthetic that any true music lover can appreciate. Ahhhhhhh! I just can't get enough of them!

Until next time....

Thanks for reading!

Kristen

Sigur Ros......again!

Over Mother's Day weekend, Sigur Ros posted a link to Pitchfork.tv so fans could view the bonus videos included with the deluxe edition for their most recent album, Med sud i eryum vid spilum endalaust. I have watched the bonus videos twice now since then and invariably end up crying my eyes out by the end of it!

The first video depicts Sigur Ros the band on tour for their new album and doing a music video for one of my favorite songs, Gobbledigook. It's kind of nice to get a feel for what these guys are like when they aren't performing. They seem like regular, down to earth people who just love to have a good time and cheer each other on. It's really very endearing!

The second video is the making of the song, Ara batur at Abbey Road in London. For this song they used an orchestra and The Westminster Boys Choir. The end result is nothing short of breathtaking and would easily bring anyone to tears.....it's THAT beautiful!


The more I see....the more I hear........the more I love.

Until next time....

Thanks for reading!

Kristen

Icelandic Bands.....Period!!!

Is it a problem when I can hear a bands music in my head when I'm not playing them on the stereo or my iPod? Or if I need to sneak away to listen to my iPod just to get a fix of their music? Is this a problem?

My obsession with Sigur Ros continues! To make matters worse, the lead vocalist for Sigur Ros has his boyfriend, Alex Somers in the band, Parachutes......which also happens to be an Icelandic band with an equally magical sound as Sigur Ros.....actully more airy. Still though, what is it with these Icelandic bands????

I think I need to see for myself. I'm angling to have my next vacation be to Iceland to get a feel for what inspires this amazing music.

Attached is a link to a You tube video for a Parachutes song that has me in its grips. Just click the title of this post to take you there.

That's all for now!

Thanks for reading!

Kristen

Heima

Okay, so a week or so ago, I did a search on my DVR for any upcoming programs on Sigur Ros and found their documentary film they did for their Takk tour. I scheduled the recording and have been so excited to see this film that I've read so much about. It was run on the Sundance Channel.


After a morning of selling my wares at an elementary school tag sale, I was happy to come home and find the program recorded, so I settled in with some lunch and watched in awe as these amazing musicians went through the motions of creating, bonding and sharing.


The movie is called Heima, which in Icelandic means "at home". The movie is filmed soley in Iceland after the band has returned home from touring the world to promote their Takk album. As I've mentioned in my previous post, Takk means 'thanks' in Icelandic and the film portrays the band playing unannounced, free concerts all over Iceland as their way of giving back to their community for showing their support. It's such a touching gesture and one that makes me love this band even more. They simply seem so unaffected by their fame and popularity, unlike other bands who become famous and suddenly they are too good to speak to a common person. The members of Sigur Ros don't seem to be that way. They are very appreciative of their good fortune and take the opportunity to show their fans just how much they appreciate their support. The cinematography is stunning! You get a true feel for the Icelandic landscape and for the people. I've decided that I will add Iceland to my bucket list as one of those places that I must experience before I die.



What moves me so much is clearly seeing the emotion with which the lead singer delivers his songs. He sings from his heart and he plays from his heart......the whole band plays from their heart and I can't seem to get enough of that. It's such a pure inspiration to me to feel such passion through music. I can literally feel the passion in their music and I suppose that's why I remain fixated on them.



Until next time......

Takk fyrir lestur!
(thanks for reading!)

Kristen

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