Album Review: Sigur Rós - Kveikur

Sigur Rós
Kveikur
Rating: Woof Daddy

Sigur Rós' seventh studio album Kveikur finds the band at a crossroads. Their sound, so distinctive after all these years, had reached somewhat of a rut. After lead singer Jónsi's more jubilant solo record, I was expecting a change in direction (or perhaps even a disbandment), however, last year's album Valtari found the band right back where the started from with more proto-new agey post-rock. While I found myself enjoying Valtari with more detailed listens, I was still disappointed that the band wasn't really charting new territory. When pianist Kjartan Sveinsson left the band, I really thought that would be the end of Sigur Rós as he was such an intricate part of the band's sound and direction. What could have been seen as a hindrance to most bands seems to have been just what they needed, sparking much needed life into what had become too familiar and stale.

From the opening industrial crunch of "Brennnisteinn" the old Sigur Rós that you've known is shattered, utilizing a more forceful rhythm section that propels the track forward, as the intense swirl of guitars and effects threatens to overtake the track.



And this more strident Sigur Rós finds its way into almost every track. From the screaming guitars of title track "Kveikur;"



slow building "Bláþráður" which climaxes in a fury of guitars, pounding drums, and orgiastic strings; and the hypnotic pull of "Isjaki" which finds the track propelled by intricate drum work,



there is a new found beefiness to the arrangements that make the tracks less ephemeral than in the past. Not to say Sigur Rós has completely distanced themselves from their prior sound. With Jónsi's distinctive voice they will always sound like Sigur Rós regardless of what direction they take. And there are more hushed moments here that draw from the past, but there is an added sense of urgency and purpose that had been lacking lately. Even on quieter songs here like "Yfirbord" so much is going on in the background that it pulls your focus from being lost inside the song into being one with it. "Rafstraumur" begins deceptively like an early, more timid track, but changes course soon into a more upbeat, joyous mix of rushing drums, angelic chorus vocals, twinkling pianos, and rising strings. While even the closing instrumental track "Var" starts out on a particularly somber, ambient note of piano chords and aching strings, has a subtle, anxious tone throughout it that keeps you on edge, never letting it become just aural wallpaper.

Kveikur is not a reinvention of the band, but more a shaking off the cobwebs and finding new inspiration in what made them so intriguing and special to begin with. Instead of the songs retreating into themselves, they live, breath, and occupy space with an intensity that I thought Sigur Rós had somewhat lost. While I hadn't necessarily given up on the band, the constant desire from them to something even slightly different and not getting what I needed was beginning to wear thin. With Kveijkur, the Sigur Rós spark is back, and hopefully will continue to grow.

Rating Scale:

Chilfos: masterpiece; coolest thing I've heard in ages.

Woof Daddy: excellent; just a hair away from being a masterpiece.

Grrrr: very good; will definitely be considered for my top releases of the year.

Yeah Daddy Make Me Want It: good; definitely invites further listens and piques one's interest for more material.

Meh: not horrible, but certainly not great; could have either been polished, trimmed, or re-thought.

Jeez Lady: what the hell happened? Just plain bad. They should hang their heads in shame and be forced to listen to Lady Gaga ad nauseam as penance.

Tragicistani: so bad, armed villagers with pitchforks and torches should run the artist out of the country for inflicting this abomination on the human race.