The first thing that annoyed me about this band was a quote I saw on Wikipedia:
“I think most people are not used to having no lyrics to focus on. Lyrics are a real comfort to some people. I guess they like to sing along and when they can’t do that with us they can get a bit upset.”
It just makes me think that they are arrogant and that they think that the people who hear their music are stupid enough to go
“urgh, no words…what going on…me no like!”
GET OUT OF YOUR OWN BOTTOMS!
Now I’ve gotten that out of the way, the album is good. Very good in fact. It’s dynamic, it’s exciting, it’s all the things you want from a post-rock album. The lack of words isn’t even an issue in this album and it took me till at least half way through the album to even notice that there was no vocalist, because I was enjoying the music so much.
It reminds me a lot of Tool, in style, with the repetitive bass lines and staccato lead guitar creating a very engaging sound that really sucks you in and keeps you stuck. It just won’t let me go.
It’s like a meat pie, this album. It’s succulent and juicy, and it fills you up, leaving you satisfied at the end. Not completely full to the brim, but enough to sustain you for the rest of the evening.
It’s really quite a decent length, this album, which isn’t bad, because you can have a few goes at it, and it will continue to be interesting and exciting and you will always want to go back for second helpings.
It’s also a very robust album, you can have it on in the background, you can turn it up loud and it can also accompany lovemaking. For any occasion, unleash the Mogwai.
Listen to this album: Anywhere/Anytime.
Rating:82%
Extracts from ‘Batcat’, ‘Local Authority’, ‘Scotland’s Shame’ and ‘Thank You Space Expert’
You know how rock albums will sometimes have a short interlude section to split up sections of the album and cleanse your pallet to get you ready for the next onslaught of music. These sections are usually quite slow, bland and boring, but act as a breather for your ears. Like when you have a sorbet at a restraint between courses. This album is a collection of songs like that.
Usually these interludes last between 30 seconds and a minute, which is the perfect length for something like this. Sigur Ros make them last for between 3:33 and 9:23 which is far to long for something so dull. It’s like they are good at having the initial inspiration for music but then don’t know now to develop that into a song.
Sigur Ros are an Icelandic ambient, post rock outfit, made from four Icelandic people singing in Icelandic. Backed by boring musical notes.
The whining voice of the lead singer is pitiful and weak and while it may make young, loveless females swoon at his soul wrenching wailing, it makes me want to give him a slap.
I don’t speak Icelandian, so cannot understand what Jón is singing about, but frankly, I am not compelled to find out and can assume it’s something along the lines of ‘Oooh, I’m boring and nobody likes me, please someone like me, I’ll try to be less boring.’
If you are an open fan of boring music, then this might be for you, but if you think that boring music is boring then don’t listen to this cause you’ll find it boring.
If you cut each song down to 90 seconds, you would probably get a good album, of nice music but listening for longer than this length of time is, well, boring.
Listen to this album: To numb your mind of all sensation.
Rating: 58%
Extracts from ‘Inni mer syngur vitleysingur’, ‘Festival’, ‘Illgresi’ and ‘Straumnes’
