Sigur Rós 'Kveikur' - Review

Sigur Rós explore their dark side with new album

Icelandic ambient/alternative band Sigur Rós are exploring aggression on their new album “Kveikur”. Jónsi's vocals remain airy and light, but musically they are much more experimental... and loud. Percussion is more prevalent than ever as they play around with what sounds good to the ear, challenging us out of our comfort zone. For one of the most beautiful bands in the world, they have produced a very unsettling album.

The album begins with the statement piece, “Brennisteinn”, letting listeners know that this isn't your traditional Sigur Rós album. The track opens with a noise that is somewhere between thunder and fingernails on a chalkboard followed by a wall of sound that sounds more like The Prodigy than Sigur Rós . The voice of Jónsi comes in, comforting us as we get acclimated to the new sounds. “Kveikur” is another heavier track, very loud, aggressive and full throughout, ending with a minute of haunting sounds. “Hrafntinna” is a study in insanity with horns and bells bumping into each other and bouncing in our minds.

The album isn't all doom and gloom. “Rafstraumur” is a traditional verse chorus verse pop song as is the beautiful track, “Ísjaki” which would fit in on Jónsi's break out solo album, the pop masterpiece “Go”. “Bláþráður” and “ Var” are Sigur Ros at their most traditional and perhaps their best with ambient sounds beautifully intertwining, until the listener is full of emotion.

“Kveikur” seems to be a transition album. The band is experimenting with new sounds and deciding where Sigur Rós will go with the next phase of their career. It's fun to hear familiar artists experiment with their sound, but ultimately “Kveikur” is a bit too jumbled. Perhaps the next Sigur Rós album will be a masterpiece, fusing the old with the new, but unfortunately they aren't quite there yet.