MEÐ SUÐ Í EYRUM VIÐ SPILUM ENDALAUST

My first experience hearing these guys was with Með Suð í Eyrum Við Spilum Endalaust, so perhaps had I already been a fan prior to this release, and become used to what they had been doing up until this point, this album may not have been as dazzling to me. However, not knowing at all what to expect, I played this album for the first time and immediately fell in love with Sigur Ros. This is truly gorgeous music!

Right fro, the start, this album made my heart soar with the song ''Gobbledigook'', and it only continued from there. Sounds of violins, various wind instruments and light, musical keyboards all enveloping some of the most deceptively-simple acoustic guitar work I've heard in ages carry throughout this entire work, and the vocals are soft, delicate and caressing. Just wonderful. I think the track entitled ''Festival'' in particular hit me dead in the heart. The bare a cappella vocals form the first half, then the plethora of instruments take on the role of the second half, weaving in and out of each other with accuracy and grace, giving way for the lovely melody. That song is actually the longest track on the record, but it goes by so quickly for me.

All of the content on Með Suð í Eyrum Við Spilum Endalaust is placid, soft and melancholy, but with a strong sense of hopefulness that ends up being quite uplifting to hear. Now, I'm sure it could be argued that not enough is going on here musically, and I myself have complained in the past when I feel like bands are intentionally stretching out their albums' runtime with filler, but in the case of Sigure Ros and this album, I feel like it's all fitting. It's meant to be simple, this album, and it is always a treat for me to return to. Layers play the most prominent role here rather than technical skill, and it makes for a calm, easy listen that still manages to hold a lot of punch behind the initial first impression.

I think if you go into this record without any previous expectations of what you want it to be, and instead accept it for what it is, you'll really enjoy it. Not every album you own has to be overly-complex in order for it to be enjoyable. Sometimes it's just fun to sit back, relax and be tucked in tightly by the comforting embrace of an easy-going record. SIgur Ros has done that with this album, but also added plenty of originality to make it a fresher listening adventure than most.

A very high 3.5 stars from me, this album gets.

Happy listening.