Only the Icelandic glaciers could give birth to Sigur Rós. Known for frontman Jónsi Birgisson’s ghostly soprano (he sounds like Thom Yorke being throttled) and the four-man outfit’s habit of lying down on the stage during live performances, in Iceland, they’re essentially Coldplay. For North Americans, however, they’re the apex of airy art-star melancholy.
Sigur Ros’ fifth album, Med Sud I Eyrum Vid Spilum Endalaust (“With a Buzz in Our Ears We Play Endlessly”) conjures visions of spewing geysers and Nordic fauna (and puffins, maybe) dappled with California sunshine. Deeming it the band’s most accessible effort doesn’t do it any favours — while the songs are considerably shortened and guitar-heavy (most at the four-minute mark!), the same histrionic bombast impales even the simplest tracks, bursting at the seams with glockenspiel, ricocheting brass and eerie echoes of harmony. While their English-language debut “All Alright” sounds as haunting — and plodding — as their songs ever have, the first single “Gobbledigook” is a fantastically keyed-up pop track with guitar strums and percussion that flutter effervescently. It’s a new direction that will serve them well, should they ever play standing up.