Sigur Ros - Meo Suo I Eyrum Vio Spilum Endalaust

by Andrew Dolton

A step away from the ethereal

"Where once there were the reverb induced guitar sounds of bows across strings through effect pedals there is the stripped down more fragile sound more akin to an acoustic performance rather than a plugged in one. "

A smattering knowledge of marketing principles will have you shouting terms like ‘trend setters’ and ‘trend followers’ left, right and centre to anyone who cares to listen. For those of you with less direction led education, in the briefest terms, a trend setter is somebody who sets a trend whilst a follower merely jumps on the bandwagon when it has already started its travels.

Sigur Ros were, and for that matter still are, trend setters. They found their own sound that to their audience, who admittedly might have only seen it on holiday programmes, perfectly encapsulated the sights and sounds of their native Iceland. In equal parts, ethereal, floaty, ambient, epic and primarily beautiful it conjured images of the rugged, cold plains that marked its geography.

Now at album five there is a slight change of pace. A less structured approach brings a more live and off the cuff style of songwriting and subsequently creation. This in part contributed to the quick production with the album being written, recorded and mixed in 2008 and released a mere month after completion. The result is the antithesis of the indulgent, mass produced albums of the times. The obvious imperfections of live takes just sounds right rather than amateurish. You can hear the sounds of fingers playing guitar strings, cracked notes and in your face attitude and style not found before. Where once there were the reverb induced guitar sounds of bows across strings through effect pedals there is the stripped down more fragile sound more akin to an acoustic performance rather than a plugged in one.

The first single ‘Gobbledigook’ is a case in point. A beguiling mix of acoustic guitar, playful vocals, time signature shifts and swirls and then at the end of the song when the DJ announces that its Sigur Ros there is a collective jaw drop in surprise as it is almost unrecognisable as a Sigur Ros track.

There are tracks that are more atypical Sigur Ros. ‘Festival’ is epic in its scope and its passion whilst ‘Ara Batur’ is an undertaking by anyone’s standards. It was recorded in one take with the London Sinfonietta and the London Boys Oratory Choir. A total of ninety people playing at the same time. The usual suspects of their string quartet friends Amiina as well as the inclusion of a five piece brass section just adds to the sound of an eclectic, expansive, engaging and overall engrossing album from a band still full of ideas even when they stray far away from the blueprint.
Pete said on July 2nd 2008 [report abuse]

Oh now I understand the difference between trend setter and trend follower.

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