Capitalist Pig Tuesdays

Album of the week: Sigur Ros - Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust

"With a buzz in our ear, we play endlessly..."

That is what the album title of the new Sigur Ros album means in Icelandic (not even fictional Icelandic this time, we're talking legit Icelandic) and to be honest, I wish that were a possibility. Sigur Ros, Iceland's favorite sons, are one of the greatest bands on the planet, and this album proves that to be true just as much as previous smashes such as Agaetis Byrjun, Untitled, and Takk... did.

I said once that Agaetis was one of my all time favorites, and I legitimately think that this album rivals it in greatness. Listening to it is like listening to Sigur Ros again for the first time. All the spectacle and grandiosity, but replaced with a tinge of joy instead of sadness. It's a different angle on the same thing, but good god if it isn't beautiful.

This band has always been able to pull off big and beautiful, but this album shows their intent to try out smaller strokes to redefine themselves. I love them however they come, but their desire to explore the possibilities of their sound within this album are both met with welcome ears and an open heart. The sense of epic tragedy always hung over their previous albums, but hearing this album reminds you of that strange and joyful wedding you went to once, or that get together that you could never express but always wanted to. In short, this album is about unexplainable joy and Sigur Ros rediscovering why they love music.

For me? This is rediscovering how incredible this band is, all over again for the first time.