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Product Description
Amazon.co.uk Review
Anyone expecting Sigur Ros to have abandoned their emotional and majestic approach will think again after hearing the opening bars of their new album, ( ). When Sigur Ros released their second long player Agaetis Byrjun back in 1999, they caught everyone on the hop. Though it was pretty much the first anyone outside of their native Iceland had heard of them, the quartet had been studiously honing their sound for the last five years, developing a spellbinding mix of rock guitars scraped with violin bows, angelic falsetto vocals and dramatic builds of percussion fuelled tension that offered all the ineffable quietude of religious music.
( ) is a slightly rawer, undoubtedly heavier experience than its predecessor, but it still manages to shine a torch into the darkest corner of our souls, describing accurately the aching beauty and the hopeless anguish that makes up the contradictory essence of human existence. Experimental flourishes hark back to their eldritch debut album Von, and Jonsi's vocals-–which have devolved over two albums from Icelandic to his own "Hopelandic" half-language–-finally melt into lyric-less harmonic textures that still float across the band's earthy tapestries as naturally as clouds cross the night sky. Rest assured though that any changes are slight; the melancholy brilliance that made Agaetis Bryjun such a life-changing event is still very much the driving force behind Sigur Ros's music, making this new album every bit as essential as the last. --Paul Sullivan
Album Description
This album contains 8 untitled tracks
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
28 of 29 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
I bought Ágætis Byrjun on the strength of a comment by some notable musician who I forget. I played it to death and loved it. So I bought some others and its () that has stayed in the car player ever since. It has just continued to grow and tastes a little different every time. It is very possibly the best album I have ever heard, contains no fillers and stays comfortably the right side of weird, unlike Von, which does get a bit much at times. After reading the other reviews, I think that to analyse the structure and meaning of it all is quite pointless. Just listen to it and take it for what it's worth. I'm sure that's what they want us to do. NO band in history does a slow build up quite like these guys and the ultimate directionless of most of the tracks is just part of the attraction. The new album, Takk, is good, but this is better. Buy it now and change your life.
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
...is two adjectives that come mind for this record. This was my first exposition to Sigur Rós. And on first listen, I was rather bemused. No really I was, the first time I listened, I am not sure I knew what to think, It didn't really make any sense, to the point where it stayed in dark deep bottoms of my CD cupboard until a few months later. Indeed I thought I had made terrible mistake, buying it, after all what attracted me that strange afternoon in HMV, was the beautiful packaging. And Indeed it is beautifully packaged, a crystal white slip case, with paranthesis cut out, covers the jewel case, which itself has just contains blank book of black and white artwork on what I can only describe is soft parchment. You could say it is represenation of what is to come, once you slip it into your cd player. The sparse emptiness of the packaging is certainly a visual metaphor, for the dark empy heavy drones that precede on the album.
Having put the CD on few months later, I finally began to appreciate these were more than ramdom drones, but evocative emotions that transcended language barriers. The album is divided into two parts seperated by a 30 second silence after track 4. It begins with "untitled 1" or "vaka" as known as its known by its working title, which starts off with a desolate piano intro. A feeling of disconnection and emptiness is what drives the both halves of the album, sparse drum beats float, while Birgissons "hopelandic" falsetto coo's lonely in a gaseous depth strings and other instruements. The second half is rather more aggressive, and definetley more heavy, with the guitars coming through more clearly particularly as the band descend into "untitled 8" (Popplagið"), which has the most unhinged and what I can only describe as the most narcotic drumming climax I have ever heard. Overall this album is definately a slow burner, and is not for the unadventurous, its not an easy album to like and probablly won't win over many new Sigur Rós fans, but it is in my view the most powerful and evocative of those in Sigur Rós' discography so far.
Highlights...
Its hard to really point out highlights in this album, as it is really concise and so well balanced, "untitled 4" and "untitled 8", definitely stand out, but otherwise this album is made to be, and is best heard so, all the way through.
Having put the CD on few months later, I finally began to appreciate these were more than ramdom drones, but evocative emotions that transcended language barriers. The album is divided into two parts seperated by a 30 second silence after track 4. It begins with "untitled 1" or "vaka" as known as its known by its working title, which starts off with a desolate piano intro. A feeling of disconnection and emptiness is what drives the both halves of the album, sparse drum beats float, while Birgissons "hopelandic" falsetto coo's lonely in a gaseous depth strings and other instruements. The second half is rather more aggressive, and definetley more heavy, with the guitars coming through more clearly particularly as the band descend into "untitled 8" (Popplagið"), which has the most unhinged and what I can only describe as the most narcotic drumming climax I have ever heard. Overall this album is definately a slow burner, and is not for the unadventurous, its not an easy album to like and probablly won't win over many new Sigur Rós fans, but it is in my view the most powerful and evocative of those in Sigur Rós' discography so far.
Highlights...
Its hard to really point out highlights in this album, as it is really concise and so well balanced, "untitled 4" and "untitled 8", definitely stand out, but otherwise this album is made to be, and is best heard so, all the way through.
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
First of all, don't be scared that it will be depressing. It's dark, emotional and immensely powerful, is what it is. This isn't an album to share headphones for at the bus stop, or put on shuffle on your MP3 player with any other tracks. Possibly the only way to do it is listen to the whole thing, in order, in bed in the middle of the night when no one else can hear you. Or maybe on a plane. Or sitting up a tree in a forest after a long bike ride, where birdsong can add to it. They say you're meant to write your own lyrics on the ethereal pages of the booklet (be careful taking this out - it's fragile), and maybe I will one day, but at the moment I'd rather just do so in my head. Everyone on Earth should listen to this album at least once, and then they might just relax even for an hour and a bit. Track 8 is possibly the most beautiful thing I've ever heard. The only problem I can find is that of how to recommend it to your friends - I mean, how do you say it?
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Untitled
The first time I heard a song by Sigur Ros, I was instantly determined to get one of their albums. The song Njosnavelin or Untitled 4 as it is listed in the album, briefly featured... Read more
Published 1 month ago by Mr. J. F. Clarke
( ) a masterpiece
Sigur ros made 2 albums before () and the first release was not really that well known but there second attempt Ágætis byrjun was a rather big hit then 2 years later the... Read more
Published 5 months ago by A. Holyoake
Beautiful and Ethereal
I first listened to this album in 2005, I was in awe of the sound and never heard anything quite like it. The whole album is a journey and best listened to all the way through. Read more
Published 7 months ago by Helenmarie2011
One of my favourite albums of all time
This album is not perhaps the most accessible for the Sigur Ros albums, I would recommend newbies first check out 'Agaetus Byrjun', 'Meo Suo I Eyrum Vid Spilum Endalaust' or... Read more
Published 14 months ago by Amoyan
More beautiful music from Sigur Ros
The tracks on this CD build to a beautiful crescendo at the end - very uplifting! I have several other Sigur Ros CD's but this one is a bit different and worth adding to my... Read more
Published 16 months ago by Sharon P
BLAND, DEPRESSING, EMPTY RUBBISH
This album is truly awful. As a massive fan of post rock type bands such as Mogwai, Godspeed, Mono, Explosions, Caspian, etc, i thought i would like this band and fully expected to... Read more
Published 21 months ago by D. Copeland
NOT THERE BEST BUT STILL WORTH BUYING
I brought this after I had brought Takk and I can definitely say its not there best, but after afew months of playing as background music while I am doing other things it has... Read more
Published on 25 Mar 2010 by Stephen
Gorgeous
Tracks 1 through 4 are absolutely fantastic, including some production tricks and great synthetic sounds. Read more
Published on 11 Jun 2009 by francis
Music of the magic pixies
Quite unlike anything else you will hear outside Scandanavia. Sigur Ros somehow grab hold of your soul and take it for a tour of those places you didn't know existed but always... Read more
Published on 4 Mar 2009 by Peter Counter
Like a beautiful trance
It's hard to really put the experience of listening to this album into words. It is just a relentlessly gorgeous soundscape, even by Sigur Ros' own high standards. Read more
Published on 18 July 2008 by Nick Smith
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