Sigur Rós’ epic orchestral work finally sees the light of day.

It doesn’t feel like Jónsi’s sure of himself or his own artistic vision right now.

“We are simply gonna change music forever, and the way people think about music.”

This could have been the best possible setlist Sigur Rós has compiled for longtime fans.

(Photo: David Harris) For a band that’s nearly 20 years old, Sigur Rós’s music never resorts to uninspired repetition. No matter the venue, their visceral music elicits an emotional reaction unlike anything else. This was the band’s first time playing in Alabama, and despite the early scare of empty seats, there was a very decent turnout all things considered. You …

[xrr rating=4.0/5]The folks behind Sigur Rós describe Kveikur as “more aggressive” than their earlier work and there are new sonic elements of industrial grinding and swells of chaotic noise, but they haven’t forgotten their ethereal roots. While the noisy touches may be compensation for the departure of multi-instrumentalist Kjartan Sveinsson, they add an insistent tension that expands the group’s emotional …

Dear Sasquatch, We’ve had some good times together, but I think we’ve grown apart and I need to see other festivals. It’s not you, it’s me. Well, it’s kind of you. You’re the one who likes Mumford & Sons, charges $12 for crappy beer and thinks Mexican hoodies are cool. I want to come to a festival mostly to hear …

(Photo: Samantha Whitehorne. Front Page Photo: Peter Hutchins) A Sigur Rós concert in 2012 is a very different affair than one from 10 years ago. Although the band’s sound has remained more or less constant, the mysterious aspect that once clung close to the group like an Icelandic ice floe has been whittled away via song licensing to soundtracks and …

[xrr rating=3.25/5]If I could choose one band to listen to on my deathbed, that band would be Sigur Rós. Capable of elegy that’s so post-rock it’s almost otherworldly, Sigur Rós’ meditative soundscapes are the closest thing I know to an out of body experience. Since their 1999 breakthrough and masterpiece Ágætis byrjun, this Icelandic foursome has earned every superlative thrown …

[xrr rating=4.25/5] “Sometimes we feel like we’re putting people to sleep while we’re playing,” Georg Hólm once proclaimed in an interview. The Sigur Rós bassist’s candid honesty reflects the genuine humbleness of the Icelandic orchestral rock gurus we came to know in 2007’s documentary Heima. Perhaps last year’s misfired recording sessions subconsciously echoed this sentiment, leading to scrapped material – …