Album: Sigur Rós, Kveikur
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Few bands have become quite so stealthily ubiquitous as the Icelandic post-rockers. Over two decades, their ambient soundscaping has combined the epic and the ethereal so skilfully as to make them the first port of call for TV and film producers looking to hit the button marked "emotional".
Though, by the same token, it's a sound that has seemed to congeal into a formula over the years – stirring, sentimental, and altogether too safe. So good on the trio for toying with a more turbulent idiom on this seventh album. Churning opener "Brennisteinn" is the most pointed deviation, its industrial-gothic vibe coming over a bit Smashing Pumpkins. Meanwhile, "Yfirboro" features a pounding but muffled rave beat that suggests it was recorded in a club toilet, while is that an air of seething menace I detect in frontman Jonsi's typically cherubic falsetto on the title track?
OK, so, in all honesty, it's not that different: those moments aside, there's plenty more that is beautiful, forgettable and primed to aid a little light Sunday-afternoon catharsis. But at this stage in their career, I'm not sure Sigur Rós need much more analysis. Better to stare at the sky wistfully and be done with it.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments