Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[Caspian]

sigur rós will release their fifth lp "með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust" june 23rd worldwide (june 24th in north america). the album will be available to pre-order on sigurros.com on june 2nd and a live stream of the album will be available on june 9th for those who have pre-ordered.

"með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust" was co-produced with the band by renowned producer flood, and was recorded in new york city (at sear sound studios), london (at assault and battery studios and abbey road), reykjavík (at álafoss, the band's studio, as well as a church in reykjavík), and havana, cuba.

the album title is translated into english as "with a buzz in our ears we play endlessly" with the english spelling of the icelandic album title being "med sud i eyrum vid spilum endalaust"

whereas sigur rós' last release "heima" took the band to their homeland, their newest creation is the first album in the band's career to be made outside of iceland. it is also their first album to feature vocalist jónsi's vocals in english on one track. in addition to the english, one of the album's tracks is sung without lyrics ("hopelandic") and the rest of the tracks are sung in icelandic.

inspired by the unfettered feeling of the acoustic performances filmed during heima, sigur rós decided to adopt a looser approach in the writing and creation of með suð. the material for the album was written, recorded and mixed entirely in 2008 and is being released just one month after its completion. the album glows with the perfect imperfection of live takes, the sounds of fingers playing guitar strings, cracked notes, and a stark, upfront presence not found in previous sigur rós recordings, moving away from reverb-soaked guitar sounds towards something altogether more affecting. the record also contains some of the most joyous music the band has ever recorded.

opener "gobbledigook" sets the tone for með suð í eyrum… with its shifting acoustic guitars, playful vocals, time signature swings and swirling percussion, while "inní mér syngur vitleysingur" ("within me a lunatic sings") sparkles as one of the most anthemic songs sigur rós have ever written. "festival" is epic in its elation and scope, "illgresi" features one of jonsi"s finest vocal melodies over a lone acoustic guitar, and "ára bátur" is the largest musical undertaking in the band's career, as it was recorded live in one take with the london sinfonietta and london oratory boy"s choir, a total of 90 people playing at the same time. the band also utilised the talents of their string-quartet friends amiina, as well as a five-piece brass section on certain tracks.

And the front cover 



 

I was really hoping that they'd just release another ( ). Could possibly be quite lame (the album cover's pretty shite); but Sigur Ros mostly release some very high quality stuff. I'm still pre-ordering it and stuff.

[imapiratearg]

I don't know, it could be quite lame, but it could be really awesome.  Sigur Ros have made a lot of serious music and they seem to be exploring their more playful side.

[Caspian]

I prefer their serious side though. Notice how the best bands ever: Slayer, Motorhead, Bolt Thrower and The Angelic Process- have NEVER changed their sound?

Progression is a bad thing.

[dalconnsuch]

and since they've never changed their sound it gets repetitive quick

i'm excited for the new album actually, yes its a gamble and could turn one way or another but hey! some of the best albums in history worked out that way

[Ishotdanieljohnston]

Man I like the cover art. It's funky and intriguing.

I'm fully pumped, overly familiar with their discography. I need more.

Seeing them in August, and not even the shitty shitty venue can hinder my excitement.

[imapiratearg]

Progression is a bad thing.

It is not!  There are bands whose early stuff is god-awful, but their later works are awesome.  It may be a preference thing, but I find Sonic Youth's really early stuff (pre Sister) near unlistenable, but just about everything after that is absolutely brilliant.  I even incredibly enjoy Murray Street and Rather Ripped.  I'm not condemning the rest of their work, I'm saying this could be really interesting, seeing a great band give themselves more freedom to experiment and tinker with the music they make.

[TheFuriousWombat]

I'm cautiously optimistic about this. I'm absolutely pre-ordering, maybe even the collectors edition based upon price, but I'll settle for just the album if I have to. I don't know what to expect but I guess that new track we'll all be able to stream today might give some idea of what the general sound is going to be. The description sounds really intriguing. Sigur Ros haven't let me down yet so I'm keeping my hopes up. Not too high, though.

EDIT. JUST HEARD THE FIRST SONG
The first song from the album is now free and downloadable from the website. It's weird and absolutely unlike anything the band has ever done. It's more Animal Collective than Sigur Ros. Seriously. Not sure how I feel yet. Odd, jangly, split stereo guitars and a chorus of "la-la-la"s and not a hint of reverb. This is going to be such an odd album if this song is any indication, not because it's particularly unusual music but because it's so weird to hear Sigur Ros making music like this. Any other thoughts? You can stream it here: http://yousai.co.uk/gobbledigook.mp3

[imapiratearg]

I liked it.  It made me think of what The Dodos would sound like if they were from Iceland and used some electronic bloops and bleeps and synthesizers.  It's certainly different from, says, Takk..., but not in any way awful.

[sean]

I'm pleasantly surprised. It's so cheery and upbeat and fun! It totally took me off guard as this is not anything like Sigur Ros, but I find it to still be excellent. Can't wait for the new album!

Edit:

After listening to that track like, 5 or 6 times in a row I really want to hear the new album. Goddamnit.

[Hat]

I prefer their serious side though. Notice how the best bands ever: Slayer, Motorhead, Bolt Thrower and The Angelic Process- have NEVER changed their sound?

Progression is a bad thing.

Are you still on this "Slayer is somehow a good band" bandwagon, or is this some kind of elaborate joke?

[De_El]

The song gobbledigook also has a vair NSFW video available on the Sigur Ros website. It's pretty dang good.

[Caspian]

I prefer their serious side though. Notice how the best bands ever: Slayer, Motorhead, Bolt Thrower and The Angelic Process- have NEVER changed their sound?

Progression is a bad thing.

Are you still on this "Slayer is somehow a good band" bandwagon, or is this some kind of elaborate joke?

Well, I guess there newer albums aren't too great. How anyone can deny their first four is beyond me, though.

Anyway, this new Sigur Ros is enjoyable (and really different) but I can't help but being a little bit disappointed; it's certainly nowhere near as mindblowingly awesome as their other three albums. I think this is good, but if I didn't know it was sigur ros then I'd probably just brush it off as "eh, it's OK; I don't really like the vocals but it sounds interesting" kind of thing. I'm a little bit disappointed, I guess.

[TheFuriousWombat]

Guys, don't let this one song inform your opinion of the whole album. I mean, one song is described as their most anthemic song yet and another involved an entire orchestra and choir. Songs like those definitely won't be like this opening track. I think we can expect the whole thing so sound pretty different but I really doubt the whole thing will be like this.

[De_El]

As a person who is not overly familiar with the entire Sigur Ros back catalogue, I liked it a lot. I know enough to tell for myself that this is very different from a lot of their previous work.  I get the Animal Collective comparison, especially with the drums on the track.

[Tehz]

This is good news. The new song sounds terrific in my opinion, very different from their older work but you can still tell that it's them. I'm a big fan of their older stuff, but I'm definitely digging the new sound. Then again, it could just be this one song...

[KickThatBathProf]

June 23!

June 23!

June 23!

Yesssssssssssssssssss

[Caspian]

this new song is amazing.

EDITed for rudeness but seriously you are a dumb motherfucker caspian

I honestly couldn't care less if you're rude to me. No need to be civil all the time, speak your mind. 

..And yeah, repeated listens haven't made this tune much better, it's still good, but certainly nothing more.

[suitupletsgo]

is it worse that I've just never liked the band at all? hahaha.

[uhh_me?]

the new song seems really out of left field for them

[RedLion]

Man, I love that song, and the direction that this album seems to be in. I love Sigur Ros' previous albums, but the "trick" employed in them was beginning to get a bit monotonous. I'm pumped for this!

[pinkpiche]

Wow the new song is really, really good.. It had me spooked the first 20 seconds but damn.

[king dan]

Progression is a bad thing.

Nay.

If that was true, the Who would have been a blues band (yes, that's how they started..)

or, for example... if any of you listen to Thrice, note that their early stuff is simple posthardcore not too musically diverse stuff, and they have progressed to much more musically deep and dynamic tunes, their latest work being The Alchemy Index

No need to shit all over either band if you don't like em, that's not my point... I'm talking about progression.


Personally I'm excited for the change heard in the new track, it's great to hear something different than the standard drone-y reverb soaked tune. Yes, what they did before was awesome but I already have a bunch of albums like that. This new one looks like it will not disappoint and certainly not bore me.

[jeph]

God damn dude, I fuckin' hated ( ). Gimme Agaetis or Takk over that shit ANY day.

I hope it has more Mogwai rip-offs like the opening track from Takk. That shit slays.

[Caspian]

hehe, I fuckin' hate Agaetis. It's like Enya with the occaisonal loud guitar. Staralfur? Svefn-G-Englar? Boooooring 

Though I can very much agree that Mogwai rip offs are perfectly acceptable.

[FireAarro]

[Jackie Blue]

Aegatus is the only Sigur Ros album I ever cared about, and honestly I got sick of it a few months after it came out.

They haven't really done anything that I liked better than the last two(?) tracks of that thing they did with Hilmar Orn Hilmarsson, Angels of the Universe.

Never understood the point of listening to ( ), it's not bad by any means but I would say there are enough bands mining the same territory only better.

[orangepeas]

I'm excited, I can't wait!

oh and change is a good thing......sometimes.

[valley_parade]

hehe, I fuckin' hate Agaetis. It's like Enya with the occaisonal loud guitar. Staralfur? Svefn-G-Englar? Boooooring 

This is the point where I seriously never pay attention to anything Caspian posts, ever again.

[GenericName]

From what I'm reading here this seems like a good time for me to get into Sigur Ros. Suggestions on where to start?

[imapiratearg]

hehe, I fuckin' hate Agaetis. It's like Enya with the occaisonal loud guitar. Staralfur? Svefn-G-Englar? Boooooring 

This is the point where I seriously never pay attention to anything Caspian posts, ever again.

Not quite my sentiments but I can't understand how those songs can be disliked in any way, or that album for that matter.  "Olsen Olsen" is like, one of the best songs they've ever written.

[TheFuriousWombat]

From what I'm reading here this seems like a good time for me to get into Sigur Ros. Suggestions on where to start?

This is a tough one. Not () and definitely not Von. I'd say it's probably a good idea to listen to Takk... first to see if you can get into the singer's voice and such. I know people have had problems with that. If you like it, give Agaetis Byrjun a listen. I personally think that album is really excellent. I also love () and I'm actually a little surprised at all the negative opinions of it. Still, it's a bad place to start since it's not all that accessible and can come across as boring I guess. It's also not really indicative of the how AB or Takk... sounds.

[Johnny C]

the best bands ever: Slayer, Motorhead, Bolt Thrower and The Angelic Process

I literally don't know how to respond to this.

[imapiratearg]

I would certainly agree that Takk... is an excellent starting point when trying to get into Sigur Ros.  "Glosoli" is such an awesome song.

[KickThatBathProf]

My vote goes to Ágætis byrjun

[Tehz]

God damn dude, I fuckin' hated ( ). Gimme Agaetis or Takk over that shit ANY day.

Yes, dude.YES.

( ) bored the hell out of me. Takk... is their finest work by far, at least in my opinion.

[valley_parade]

I'm pleasantly surprised. It's so cheery and upbeat and fun! It totally took me off guard as this is not anything like Sigur Ros, but I find it to still be excellent.

ITT: Clobs apparently hasn't heard "Myrkur".

Speaking of, how come no one ever mentions Von? It's a pretty decent album.

[imagist42]

I can't talk about Von because I have yet to hear it.

But I'm just curious, am I the only one who likes both () and Takk more than Agaetis? Everyone else seems to polarize Takk/Agaetis on one side and () on the other...

[RedLion]

Yeah, I actually really enjoy (). It's different from the others, obviously, but I find it just as enjoyable, particularly if I just close my eyes and allow myself to fully absorb the music.

[valley_parade]

I can't talk about Von because I have yet to hear it.

I just put it in the mediafire thread, if anyone's interested.

[sean]

ITT: Clobs apparently hasn't heard "Myrkur".

Is that on Von? I haven't listened to Von either. I really haven't listened to as much Sigur Ros as I should.

[KickThatBathProf]

Yes. Yes it is.

[IronOxide]

Von is a great album but it isn't really in the same vein as the other albums. I would definitely not call it a starting point if you want to get into the band, (that, by the way, is Ágætis Byrjun) but it shows that they can make some pretty scary stuff with a whole lot of drama.

I agree that ( ) is boring. It's not bad by any means, but it's not nearly as fully orchestrated than any of the others.

Also, the Hvarf/Heim (or however the hell you spell it) is about as good as any 'best of' compilation can be.

[TheFuriousWombat]

Hvarf/Heim is great. I managed to see a number of the songs from Heim performed acoustically at the premier of Heima and I gotta say it adds a whole new dimension to the band that's well worth checking out if you haven't already. I'm not a huge fan of  Von but I do really love (). Not sure if I prefer it to AB but you'd be hard pressed to name a better SR song than "Untitled 8" (other than Hafsol, maybe).

[TheFuriousWombat]

You can pre-order now from www.sigurros.com. No vinyl is available yet but the CD and the deluxe edition are. Here's the info on the deluxe:

"this exquisitely presented deluxe edition is a unique document of the creation of sigur rós' fifth album in film, photography and music. given unprecedented access to the final stages of the making and release of the group's new album, photographer eva vermandel and film-maker nicholas abrahams create an intimate and revealing portrait of the icelandic quartet at work on their most immediate record to date. housed in a large-format, fine weave cloth-bound hardback book, the deluxe edition comprises nearly 200 pages of fine art photographic images, as well as a impressionistic film portrait of sigur rós, as they record, mix and master með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust. locations include new york, london, mexico, reykjavík and beyond, and take in the filming of the "gobbledigook" video, tour rehearsals, the early shows on the tour, as well as exclusive band interviews relating to the record. each edition is individually numbered and includes a unique strip of 16mm film taken from the video "gobbledigook" as well as the dvd and album."

[Grievous Angel]

I have always thought that this band is very boring. That () album sounds like whales listened to Yankee Hotel Foxtrot and thought they could do it just as well.

[KickThatBathProf]

Is that the only one you've listened to?  Because the popular consensus around this thread is that it's not their best.

[Grievous Angel]

I've heard some of their other records, yes. But most of them were kind of boring after a while, although none were quite as instantly boring as (). That was not good.

[imagist42]

See, this sentiment I do not understand, because the run of tracks 1-3 on () is one of my favorite progressions in all of their discography. And I do not understand how Takk... could possibly be conceived of as boring.

[E. Spaceman]

It seemed, like most of the stuff they've put out, really, like someone grabbed all the bits that can make post-rock real boring and made a whole album out of them.

[TheFuriousWombat]

http://widget.nabbr.com/sigur_ros.html The whole album is streaming! Guess what: it's awesome.