TAKK...

"Takk..." is the 4th (excluding remix albums and soundtracks) full-length studio album by Icelandic post rock/experimental rock act Sigur Rós. The album was released through Geffen/EMI Records in September 2005. It´s the successor to "( )" from 2002.

Stylistically the music on the album is a continuation of the melancholic and atmospheric post rock style the band also played on "Ágætis Byrjun (1999)" and "( ) (2002)", so listeners familiar with those two releases won´t be surprised by the musical direction here. The music is generally slow building and repetitive, focusing on creating an emotional melancholic atmosphere with layers of sounds and effects. The deep melancholy is further enchanced by the distinct sounding high pitched vocals by Jónsi Birgission. He has an emotional delivery, which in a beautiful way conveys the darker and more melancholic moments in a person´s life without sounding like a bleak depression. Because there is light here too, it´s just featured in small doses and presented in a subtle manner.

While the tracks aren´t overtly complex, the many layers of sounds and effects and the frequent use of unconventional time signatures, make "Takk..." a relatively challenging listen. It´s not inaccessible music and if you want to listen to it as dreamy background music that´s an option too, but opting to give it a deeper and more thourough listen is incredibly rewarding as the album is loaded with sonic details designed to tickle the emotional centers of your brain. "Takk..." features a warm, dynamic, and organic sound production, which is a perfect fit for the material, and it´s overall a very well sounding release. A 4 star (80%) rating is deserved.