Sigur Ros - Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust
You always know when summer is around the corner. Sitting watching ‘Big Brother’, you’ll suddenly be confronted with a bunch of half naked people in frighteningly bright swim wear trying to flog you this summer’s ‘soundtrack of the summer’. These musical ‘must-haves’ will, no doubt comprise mainly of remixed shite that was remixed differently the year before on the previous volume of whatever they’re trying to sell you. No doubt, we’ll all go out and buy it, dabble in a bit of binge drinking, some random acts of violence and then forget about such a woeful collection of music until the sun comes out again in 2009.
But what of the ‘thinking man’s’ summer? Does he not also require a soundtrack of summer awesomeness? Not content to pile into some sweaty club in Newquay, he wants to sit in fields, be surrounded by nature and get in touch with one’s inner thoughts. I spent one such summer in 2005. I was a student devoid of responsibility, magic mushrooms were legal and ‘Takk’ was the soundtrack of a summer I really can’t remember.
I’ve always had ‘issues’ with ‘Sigur Ros’. For a band that’s so obviously different from any of their peers, they are just so absurdly boring. Their music is, undeniably beautiful. The fact that I have no idea what they’re on about, should add to the mystery and beauty, but really it just adds to the frustration. Time and time again, ‘Sigur Ros’ deliver a soundtrack, a piece of music to work around, rather than something which really and truly sucks you in. Like anything in life, once the beauty wanes, you crave to find something else.
As much as I wanted to listen to ‘Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust’, I was also loathe to write about it for reasons given above. As expected, it is undeniably beautiful.
Imagine my surprise then, when listening to track one ‘Gobbledigook’ to find that ‘Sigur Ros had broken from their usual euphoric string melodies and replaced them with challenging drum beats and guitar riffs. As the album progressed, it was becoming apparent to me that this was a very different ‘Sigur Ros’ album. An album less focused on harmony and beauty, and more focused on engaging the listener.
This theme continues for the first quarter of the album with ‘Við spilum endalaust’ being a particular favourite of mine. However, it isn’t long before they return to their self indulgent ways. Offering up pieces of music that decorate the silence rather than grabbing and commanding it. My attention begins to wane and everything turns in to much of a muchness really.
The songs are all undoubtedly well put together and beautifully melodic. But ether’s no real substance to it. You really want to be engrossed by what’s going on around you, but that isn’t the case. If you are a ‘Sigur Ros’ fan, this album will be everything you’ve come to expect from them, and probably more. It’s beautiful and soothing. For me though, the frustration with the band remains. They’ll continue to make music I’ll listen to, but it will be inevitably instantly forgettable