Please indulge me this strange obsession I have with Scandinavian musical artists. I say this in the wake of my last blog being on the Sounds from Sweden. Other Scandi-flavors I enjoy also include Mew, Tiger Baby, and Millencolin. However, I just wanted to say something regarding my favorite band from Iceland: Sigur Ros (Icelandic for "victory rose").
I've been listening to Sigur Ros for years. I was not an instant convert. Their music is the literal translation of "an aquired taste". For one, all the songs are in Icelandic. The language is totally foreign to my ears. It's not as familiar a sound as french, spanish, or german. Then there is the eerie falseto that their lead singer Jonsi Birgisson often uses. Something you really need to hear to understand what I'm talking about.
After getting past my musical taste comfort zone, I realized that the music that they create literally takes you somewhere. If music could paint a picture, they would probably resemble a Bierstadt. For example, their song "Hoppipola" feels like clean summer rain on the shore of a mountain lake. I'm sure if I could understand what they were saying, I would feel differently. Oh well.
A good introduction to their work is a concert that Current TV filmed last year at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City, linked here.
Sigur Ros has really helped to me to appreciate artistry in music. Who knows, maybe in a couple of years you'll be a fan too.
2 comments:
Larry,
I do check your blog occasionally, even though it's taken me months to comment on this one. Obviously I don't need to say anything about how good sigur ros is, but have you seen their movie yet? It's called Heima and looks amazing. I just put it on hold on the library (which has like 15 copies, so someone else must like sigur ros too.
Sam
Sigur Ros has helped me get through our transition to AZ. I can't help but picture the Icelandic landscape when listening to them. Have you tried Jonsi & Alex. Of course its Jonsi's side project. A bit more ambient than Sigur Ros, but nevertheless good.
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