Sigur Rós – ( )

Was für eine verrückte Idee, eine CD "( )" zu nennen, den Titeln keine Namen zu geben und noch dazu in einer Phantasiesprache zu singen. Auf so etwas können auch nur Isländer kommen. Wahrscheinlich liegt es an den wenigen Sonnentagen da oben. Da verzieht man sich halt in den Wald und denkt sich so etwas aus. Das Booklet gibt ebenfalls keine weiteren Informationen, außer einem Rorschach-Klecks und Bildern von wildwachsenden Gräsern: Krank das Ganze. Die Musik an sich ist genauso mysteriös gehalten, stimmtechnisch erinnert sie an Thom Yorke von Radiohead. Welche Instrumente benutzt worden sind kann man auch nur erahnen, vielleicht ist sogar ein Streichquintett involviert. Man kann aber sagen, dass sogar die Drums und das Piano sehr verhalten gespielt wird, fast so als wenn die Musiker Angst hätten ihren Instrumenten weh zu tun. Der vierte Song könnte auch in einer Höhle aufgenommen worden sein, wobei immer wieder ein einzelnes Wort wiederholt wird. Der fünfte Song ist ein reines Instrumentalstück. Trotz der fast dreizehn Minuten wirkt der siebte Song nicht langatmig. Auch die Übergänge sind sehr homogen gehalten, da man den Wechsel zwischen dem zweiten und dritten Song kaum bemerkt, vor dem fünften Song aber ist eine ca. dreißigsekündige Stille eingearbeitet. Der letzte Song ist der dynamischste von allen, da hier die Drums sehr in den Vordergrund treten. Insgesamt erinnert mich die ganze Platte an die Schriften von J.R.R. Tolkien, vielleicht sogar speziell an "Das Silmarillion", da dieses genauso mystisch daherkommt. Diese Platte besitzt den berühmten Spezialfaktor um in meiner CD-Sammlung bleiben zu dürfen.

When i bought my CD of ( ) back in 2002 it came with a small packet of 3/4" badges (buttons) of various descriptions and a ( ) postcard

This is the album that I can’t listen through without closing my eyes. It’s so melancholic, beautiful, dark and promising at the same time. None of the tracks have names, not that it matters, because I don’t speak a word of Hopelandic. The words are merely suggestions, and the lyrics makes no sense. Instead, the listener is meant to interpret the words as whatever he feels through the album. The phrase "You xylo. You xylo no fi lo. You so." is repeated over and over again throughout the album, meaning different things in every aspect. They seem to have an eternity of time on their hands with every track. This is what makes this album so special to me. My favourite track off the album is #6- E-bow.

Just got my replacement copies from the band. They sound amazing!

http://www.sonicrecords.pl/zapowiedzi Rumor has it, this is being reissued... anyone hear more about this?

> great work, specially track# 3 - samskeyti - YOU can smell the icelandic spring ...

its a great album. harder to get in to than their other releases, especially when compared to the later ones like takk. the basic mood is more brooding and dark, at times almost menacing.. but the good kind of menacing. very smart in building up tension throughout the songs, the standout piece is most definitely untitled 8, bringing it all together - an overwhelming journey, both sonically and emotionally. peace

This release was always a hard one for old fans of Sigur Rós. They toured this material extensively before it was recorded, and whilst that no doubt resulted in some very tight sessions in the studio, it left little to surprise those who had heard them all to death already.

That aside, this is a great album, if a little patchy. For me the highlights are the opener (forgive me for using the set list names) 'Vaka' and the closer 'Popplagið' - arguably Sigur Rós's finest moments. The former is a largely ambient piece ending in a majestic rush of strings and keyboard effects, whilst the latter morphs from upbeat to a truly crushing finale with some of the finest drumming I've heard. The rest of the album is not as solid as Ágætis Byrjun, in part due to the unrelenting dark atmosphere, which I don't believe they pull off. That said, it does result in a more cohesive album, with a period of silence at the midway point helping to give the impression of a two part piece (not needed for you vinyl kids!).

I accidentally stumbled onto this band whilst doing my usual browsing for new music etc & found their website with downloads & I was hooked!
After initial hearing of 'Svefn-g-englar' I was literally 'moved' in a way I've never been before!
Their deep emotive ambient/dream rock sound is reminiscent of My Bloody Valentine fused with Radiohead(who they have backed up with on tour) but more emotive. The vocalist pulls you into each track & hypnotises you, as well as the band's abilty with the whining guitars & strings that strike the chord. I feel they capture the 'human condition' perfectly & that I feel is the greatest compliment I can give to them! Lush!

The CD cover has four slightly different versions of the artwork, one for each target market (Europe, USA, Japan, Australia). Apparently Iceland, the band's home country, is the only place in the world where all four versions are available.