Only Sigur Rós could do this.

Today I heard the most beautiful song I’ve ever heard in my life, and it was about a row boat.  Sigur Ros delivers in their new album, Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust (English: “With a Buzz in Our Ears We Play Endlessly”), with a style that is definately Sigur Ros but not quite what I expected.

I doubted this album, it seems hard to get over the last two albums “( )” and “Takk…” so to think there’s anyway of outdoing the beauty of those albums let alone matching them seemed rather unlikely.  The beauty that has always made Sigur Rós the masterpiece that they are is their deep sadness, and seeing as the new album was planned to be “joyous” it seemed out of place for them and I thought maybe the mainstream push was getting to them.  Fortionately I was wrong.

The new album is amazing, the pinacle of what music should be.  I have only been listening to it for the past 4 days (and for any Sigur Rós fan, you know that’s not enough to wrap your head around what’s going on) but already I am just taken by the beauty of this album.  In a word: pure.  The album was released 1 month after it was recorded, so it’s pretty close to a live recording and it sounds so emotionally real.  Take one song that I have been listening to a lot: Ára Bátur or, in English, “Row Boat.”  This song perfectly captures the deep sadness that is Sigur Rós, but in the same moment pushes a hope into it.  Sigur Rós has done this with a few of their songs with beautiful results, but never like this.  The ending is to die for.  You have this deep horn piece sadly straining through broken cords (classic Sigur Rós) and at the same time a stressed strings and boys choir, and of course Jónsi is singing Hopelandic   A perfect ending, not just for Sigur Rós, but for any artist.  Sigur Rós proves its enegmatic ethereal perfection once again.

Here’s a rough English Transation (originally in Icelandic)

Ára Bátur (Row Boat)

You tried everything
Yes, a thousand times
Experienced enough
Been through enough
But you it was who let everything
Into my heart
and you it was who once again
Awoke my spirit

I parted, you parted

You stir up
Emotions
In a blender
Everything in disarray
But it was you who was always
There for me
It was you who never judged
My true friend

I parted, you parted
(hopelandic)

You sail on rivers
With an old oar
Leaking badly
You swim to shore
Pushed the waves away
But to no avail
You float on the sea
Sleep on the surface
Light through the fog

(hopelandic)