Praise For Wallflower.com | Indie Music Blog

I have been waiting to review this band for some time now because no band has been able to evoke my emotions like Sigur Rós. About three years ago my sister was overly enthusiastic about this band, which, like most music she recommended, I put on the back burner because it was a little too Indie for me at the time. On my way to visit her in Baltimore I decided to give the band a listen. So there I was, sitting next to a total stranger on a greyhound bus, fully submerged in a setting that was not particularly comfortable, when I decided to hit play.

I was staring out the window, watching as center city Philidelphia gradually transformed into suburbs which just as gracefully became rural highway. Overwhelmed with emotion, I became lost in both the environment and the music. Everything, regardless of significance or aesthetic appeal, seemed beautiful at that point in time. I was listening to the untitled album by Sigur Rós, otherwise known as "( )". This album title is ironically appropriate because I sometimes find it difficult using words to describe my feelings when listening to this band. Sigur Rós truly takes their listeners across an emotional spectrum with every album. I am not writing this review because Sigur Rós needs publicity, recognition, or a larger following. I am writing this review because Sigur Rós has been an integral part of my life since that bus ride to Baltimore.

Sigur Rós is an Icelandic band with minimalist, melodic, and ambient elements which serve as the foundation to their music. The band consists of Jón Þór “Jónsi” Birgisson (vocals, guitar, bowed guitar), Georg “Goggi” Hólm (bass guitar and glockenspiel), Kjartan “Kjarri” Sveinsson (keyboard, piano, organs, guitar, flute, tin whistle, oboe, banjo), and Orri Páll Dýrason (percussion and keyboard). Although these four guys are the core members of the band, Sigur Rós is known for recording and performing with Amina, an Icelandic female string quartet consisting of two violins, a viola, and a cello. They also have horns on all of their albums. These two elements, along with the simplistic and surreal sounds of the band, enable them to create an orchestral experience of epic proportions.


The band concentrates on creating minimalistic layers that fuse together, rather than a specific member or instrument taking lead. Birgisson, who is known for his falsetto voice, sometimes sings in Hopelandic, a self-constructed language of nonsense syllables which resembles Icelandic. Birgisson plays his guitar with a bow while drenching it with reverb and delay creating a sweeping and fluid sound that's become his signature. The band has a plethora of instruments, giving them an infinite mound of sound possibilities at their disposal. Usually moving from instrument to instrument, each member of the band equally contributes to the big picture. Each song typically starts with a simple beat, light bass work, smooth guitar, and a heavenly vocal melody accentuated by rustic organ or classical piano chords. Each member creates a simple sound that, when compiled, melts together in a wholesome fashion leaving the listener abandoned in a body of emotion. With soundscapes like this and a monstrous live show, the band relentlessly holds your attention as you literally get lost in it all; Sigur Rós is truly in the forefront of post-rock minimalist music whose influence spans the globe.



The Skinny: Emotionally driven music characterized by epic build ups, ambient layers, and classical instrumentation.
Favorite Song: Untitled track 8 aka "The Pop Song" off of the untitled "( )" album.
Appropriate For: Weddings, Funerals, Anything.
For Fans of: Explosions in the Sky, Mono, Bjork