MEÐ SUÐ Í EYRUM VIÐ SPILUM ENDALAUST

Upon first hearing the album, I was positively dazzled by Gobbledigook's quirky, slightly Animal Collective-esque rhythms and vocals. This was something entirely new for the icy chaps. A decidedly accessible pop song with clever structure. While fans of traditional Sigur Rós might be put off by its lack of overt sentimentalism, I maintain that it is their best work since Ágætis byrjun. Sadly, it's all downhill from there. Inní mér syngur vitleysingur stays within the pop-mold with good results - gone is the element of surprise though, we're back to more familiar soundscapes. What we do have, is a cheerful, well-written SR song, somewhat akin to Hoppípolla from Takk...

After that, it seems their will to experiment vanished, and they happily tread the oh-so-familiar grounds for the rest of the album. Slow, ambient-esque ballads with Jonsi's sleepy vocals, beautifully arranged strings & horns, some tasteful piano-pickings here and there - you know the drill... While there might not be anything particularly terrible about that (Sigur Rós certainly know their craft, the compositions are generally of acceptable quality) I have this weird tingling on my back that something is off here. For the first time in their respectable career, they sound just a 'tiny' bit insincere, in my opinion. The compositions are all a bit too obvious, designed to make you wallow in your misery. They only use chords they know to be effective - you'd be hard-pressed to find anything that doesn't fit into this equation.

Admittedly, when under right circumstances, they can be ridiculously soothing. Yet, most of the time I'm left cold, wondering where the passion went, wondering why Sigur Rós have opted to take the safe path home, reducing Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust to a vaguely pleasant nostalgia trip.

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