Hinterlands: Sigur Ros

I'm going to talk about people, groups, or other arts ventures I think are interesting and recommend them for perusal every so often. I'll concentrate on lesser-known artists, but I don't have the expertise or desire to talk about, say, bands that will be huge in 5 years that are still playing five chords as they gestate in someone's garage. (Unless I have some sort of insider connection to their work, such as that demo of Sheree Plett's I heard via Rebekah, in which case, I'll absolutely do that sort of thing. I think Sheree/husband Jeremy know more than 5 chords, though.) These are groups or people you might have heard about in passing but are not part of the canon of north american pop-culture. If they've attracted your interest, you may know a lot more about them than I do (if so, please enlighten me)!

This particular group barely qualifies as "less well known," since this is a band with a large international/celebrity following and 4 critically acclaimed albums.

Sigur Ros!

Mention must be made of my source: Ryan's sister Erin and her good taste in music. Thanks Erin! It was as Ryan was shopping for Erin's Christmas gift that I got a taste of their work.

Firstly, their sound is remarkable. It is by turns ethereal, heavy, subtle, dramatic, heartfelt. Those adjectives don't actually seem sufficient now that I write them. The band utilizes a classical songwriting arc that expands an introductory theme rather than a verse/chorus structure. Music students, correct my terminology: many of their songs seem built around a simple unfinished cadence sequence that repeats to a point of tension before resolution. It's beautiful.

Secondly, there are some amazing music videos they've done that fully exploit the dramatic potential of the music. Again, put to paper, the sales pitch seems quite bald. Beautiful Icelandic children are led on a journey by a pied piper; they jump off a cliff and float away borne by the air. It sounds very cliche. But! Behold:




This could win an award for 'most beautiful floating children video ever'. It's a simple idea, but it's done with utmost tenderness. The pacing and narrative and composition of each frame are strikingly beautiful.



Old people fight in a graveyard! The symbolism may be a bit more heavy-handed, but it refrains from silliness by virtue of the production quality. Again, it's a simple idea well executed.

I was intrigued to discover that Sigur Ros collaborated with Radiohead for a modern dance piece called "split sides," where the bands performed live.

Very bootleg video is here (I hope it doesn't disappear overnight):



A track from their official website is here

Official website:
http://www.sigur-ros.co.uk/