A Good Beginning

Good evening, dearest readers. Rolling through number 4... and this one takes us to worlds that fans of music the world over could only dream about prior to this band's rise to prominence...

NUMBER 4:
Sigur Ros - Agaetis Byrjun
At first glance, it would appear that we here at the Ideological Cuddle have broken our unspoken rules about titling our blog posts. Au contraire, mon frere... the title just happens to be the (loose) English translation of the title of this unforgettable gem. While technically released in Iceland in 1999, Agaetis Byrjun didn't hit US shores until the summer of 2000. When it did, it carried with it the promise of a new way of listening to music. The lyrics were in Hopelandish - not a true language, but a fictitious language based loosely on Icelandic. Two things immediately hit you when this album starts - lead singer Jonsi Bergisson's voice and the wall of sound that the band produces. First, Jonsi's voice - simply put, it's an angel's voice. There is no one else (likely on the entire planet) who sings the way he does. The amazing thing is, he sounds EXACTLY the same live in concert (more about that later).
The Wall of Sound - originally used to describe Phil Spector's trademark production technique, I think we can safely use it to describe what the band is doing. "Svefn-g-englar", the first full track on the record, starts with an ambient rumble punctuated with piano/organ plunks. Jonsi's voice comes in, the song progresses with a gentle snare beat, violin coloring, and background voices, but one can't shake the feeling that something is building. At the 6:05 mark it hits - the bridge rises like an airplane taking off. It takes a second to realize how that sound is made - its a guitar played with a viola bow. Amazing through one's headphones, breathtaking live in concert. The beauty of this song also lies in its music video. Acted by a group of Icelandic actors with Downs Syndrome frolicking in a field, dressed as angels, the video brings tears to my eyes each time I watch it. MTV, through its infinite wisdom, banned the video. They called it "offensive". Proving again that MTV is about as asinine and uneducated a conglomerate as one can find. "Offensive"? Really? A group of adults with Downs Syndrome celebrating life and love together. Nice, MTV.
Every track on this record is like a message beamed to the earth from a distant, beautiful planet who only had a collection of classical music and Icelandic hymns to work with. "Staralfur" could be the centerpiece of a 21st Century opera (and gets bonus points for being the theme to the re-emergence of the Jaguar Shark in the penultimate scene of The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou). "Viorar vel til loftarasa", a ten-plus minute epic, starts with 1:25 of ambient noise prior to the entrance of a beautiful piano line backed with bass. At the 3:15 mark, a string ensemble is added to the mix. At this point, the song wouldn't sound out of place at the opening of a nature documentary in an IMAX theater. Jonsi's voice sneaks in at the midway point and the song takes off into the stratosphere. The underrated gem on the album is "Olsen Olsen". Starting off with a repeated guitar line backed with kit drum and Jonsi's voice, the song seems headed in a "typical" Sigur Ros direction until the 4:30 mark when a jubilant piano line is introduced. This is followed less than 30 seconds later by full brass and string sections with chorus rocking out in full orchestral mode. It really must be heard to be believed.
This band is another that must be seen live. Our previously mentioned pal, KB, had the pleasure of seeing Sigur Ros in a church in NYC accompanied by a full brass section, a string quartet, and a Viking Chorus (yes, a Viking Chorus). Mrs. Cuddle and I had the distinct pleasure of seeing the band live in Cleveland at The Odeon Theater on March 23, 2003. They were joined by Amiina, their sister band and string quartet. They started the show with a viewing of their videos (just try to ban that, MTV), then proceeded to fill the room with the most beautiful noise (and Jonsi played his guitar with a bow - and it was magnificent). Two hours later, we were enthralled, exhausted, and couldn't wait to see them again (unfortunately, it hasn't happened yet).
If you haven't spent any time getting acquainted with the beauty of Sigur Ros, there is no bad place to start. I love that the follow up record to Agaetis Byrjun doesn't even have a true title (it's only known by ( ) - a pair of parentheses - and I have a patient who has this tattooed on his arm). Each record is a masterpiece unto itself, but none can match the beauty and grandeur of this one.

Agaetis Byrjun - "Svefn-g-englar"
Agaetis Byrjun - "Olsen Olsen"

New posts coming later this week. Until then, listen to some Sigur Ros, be transported to a new world, and enjoy.