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Sigur Ros are a band making music that sounds monumental, creating sounds that are truly epic and far reaching, songs that take you places and give you experiences, make you laugh make you cry. This is a band that sing in their own made up language called hopelandish, Jon Por Birgisson possessing the kind of voice to melt glaciers and launch fireworks - it doesn't matter that you don't understand the words he's using, its all in the emotion of his voice and those high pitched climaxes, a stunning combination of Bjork and Thom Yorke.
Whether another song this year can match the startling brilliance of the opening track on Sigur Ros's latest album, TAKK is up for debate and discussion - as things stand so far, its hard to imagine hearing anything more breathtaking, beautiful, powerful and sublime as GLOSOLI. When those guitars come crashing in at the end and the whole thing lifts to another level, its with heartwrenching intensity and seismic impact, epic and colossal in ways bands like U2 or Coldplay can only dream about in their wildest imaginations.
Its been widely reported that TAKK is Sigur Ros's attempt at a pop album, and while HOPPIPOLLA may well suggest a certain conventionality in its piano laden melodies, this is pop music a million miles away from your standard ideas of that genre.
This is pop in a manner similar to Keane playing backwards in an aircraft hanger, hung upside down and surrounded by angels every note being blessed by a higher celestial being. SAEGLOPUR is another song informed by gentle piano work and chiming melodies, though this time benefiting in a bombastic shift halfway through where shimmering guitar lines hang in the air and render you speechless and awe inspired. Bearing certain similarities to recent Radiohead recordings, GONG skips along on flittering drum beats and feather light guitar riffs and is perhaps the closest Sigur Ros have come to writing a conventional pop song, hitting defined and structured choruses with a regularity that almost comes as a shock when heard for the first time.
The atmospheric moodiness of ANDVARI is as heartbreaking and gorgeous as anything they've previously done, lilting orchestral swells bolstering up the emotion and suspense throughout whilst the stark skeletal SUSHLJOTT recalls a dark nursery rhyme being recounted by aliens.
Closing with the subdued majesty of HEYSATON, Sigur Ros manage to wring more celestial brilliance from an album that stuns from start to finish. Not a record to take lightly, TAKK is an emotional and heartwrenching experience at times - a series of songs that take you on journeys and toy with your emotions like playthings. Dark in places, blindingly bright in others TAKK offers you a musical experience that few other bands can even attempt, presenting Sigur Ros as a band as startling and majestic as they are original and awe inspiring. TAKK is an album to savour and cherish.

Formed by original members Jon Por Birgisson and Georg Holm in 1994, Sigur Ros where joined by Orri Pall Dyrason and Kjartan Sveinsson for the recording of their album AGAETIS BYRJUN. Hailing from Iceland, Sigur Ros formed with the idea of exploring the beautiful landscape of their homeland through their music. A unique sounding band, they draw from elements of ambient and experimental music to create their sound, using effects-laden guitars and orchestral soundscapes.
Jon Por Bigisson is an original and unique vocalist, singing in a high pitched falsetto somewhere between Bjork and Thom Yorke and using the bands own made up language called Hopelandish.
Following their debut album VON which was released in Iceland only, Sigur Ros released AGAETIS BYRJUN to a stunned and startled world in 2002. Going on to be critically acclaimed and adored first in the UK and then the USA, the album marked the start of a huge cult following for the band. Songs like SVEFN-N-ENGLAR and NY BATTERI were released as singles and the band were courted by major record labels desperate to sign them up. Signing with MCA Records, the band toured North America and became the coolest name to drop amongst huge Hollywood celebrities like Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt.
The third album () was released in 2002 and continued to garner the band critical praise and word of mouth sales, going on to sell over a million copies worldwide. MTV awards followed for their groundbreaking music videos and the band continued to sell out world tours during the next couple of years. Working with Radiohead to write the music to a Merce Cunningham modern dance piece, the band continued to write and record. Releasing their third album, TAKK in 2005, Sigur Ros made their most accessible record to date gaining them more critical acclaim worldwide.
MIKE BOND_UKMUSICSEARCH 2005

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