Zack: I’m calling bullshit. For Christmas, I made a
bunch of playlists for my brother and gave them to him on a flash drive (along
with some other music). One of them was called “Ethereal Whinings.” One day
after I make that playlist, boom, I’m listening to this. Literally the second
sentence on their Wikipedia page says that they are “known for their ethereal
sound.” One day. That’s how close I was to having rooted that playlist in the
only thing it was missing: Icelandic post-rock. I knew all along that there was
a problem but I didn’t know how oddly specific it was. Wyatt, if you’re
reading, I have failed you. Anyway, this album is banging. It’s so lush and
interesting. I can’t even understand any of the words and I could not manage to
care any less. Everything about it is so vibrant but with a touch of spacey. I
guess I would characterize it sort of as a cross between Air and Flaming Lips,
but I’m not sure if that really does all the orchestration justice. Look, it’s an
incredible album, one you should absolutely check out.
Emily: Unfortunately, by the time I finished this album it was around 1 AM and I was getting sleepy, so I don't feel that I fully experienced this album. I say experienced because that's what Sigur Ros truly does - they create a cohesive sonic/musical experience rather than just a collection of nice-sounding songs. Although subtle in its ambient qualities, Ágætis byrjun is beautifully done. The band combines different instruments with sound effects and distortion to create an enveloping sound that can seamlessly blend into the background one second and demand your attention the next. Never mind that it's all in Icelandic; the music is too pretty and unique for the lyrics to matter much. It's an album that I will definitely add to my homework/relaxing/general listening repetorie - and I'll re-listen at a time when I'm less sleepy.
Favorite Tracks: Ágætis byrjun; Hjartað hamast (Bamm Bamm Bamm); Staralfur
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