Amazon.com: Are Iceland’s Sigur Rós the saviors of 21st-century rock or true heirs to the silk-robed-and-platform-booted, pompous progressive rock of the '70s? On their third album (first for a major label), they are a little bit of both. The group continues to mix the most interesting aspects of U2 (the anthem), Low (the maximalist slow-mo thing), Radiohead (the utter lack of irony in the quest to make meaningful art for stadium crowds), and My Bloody Valentine (guitar as texture), while not sounding like anyone else on this planet. The average song length on the eight untitled tracks is eight minutes, with cascades of moaning, bowed guitars colliding with low-end keyboards while the lovely, alien-registered vocals of singer Jónsi float on top. Dynamics are employed spectacularly, but half of the album is spooky soundtrack music that never really goes anywhere. However, the actual songs on Two Sausages Kissing (or whatever you want to call it)--the third, sixth, eighth, and especially fourth tracks--are mind-blowers, spectacularly worth the price of admission. If they just stopped trying to reinvent the wheel all the time, Sigur Rós could really be a band for the ages. --Mike McGonigal
Customer Reviews
Average Rating:
Rating: - Theropy
I was first introduced to this group by the brilliant final scene in the movie, "Vanilla Sky," where the main character makes the decision to "jump" back into the real imperfect world from his taintedly-perfectly-fake-dreamworld he had been living in, and track 4 (my favorite) plays as it shows seemingly-misc flashbacks from humanity's past as he bails downwards off of a skyscraper heading like a missle for the concrete below, hell every time I see that scene I break down in tears. But that's what this album is, tear-therapy, if you want to examine the emotions within you beneath the surface and ... Read More
Rating: - Set the controls for the heart of ... Iceland?
The material on this CD is some of thier sparser, slower-tempo, morose, moody, darker material compared to, say, Takk. As such, this CD requires a few more listens to get under your skin. Some of the tracks, such as four, and eight, have a prog- space-rock vibe going, languishing at a slow burn, evocative of early-seventies Pink Floyd or OK Computer/Kid A -era Radiohead.
This CD does lack the warmth and emotion, again, found on Takk, but if you prefer atmosphere and mystery, then this album has lots of it.
Rating: - Beyond Music
I can't write enough on how truly beautiful their music is. Every minute is a masterpiece. Untitled 4 is hauntingly gorgeous and even though none of the songs have lyrics, you feel like their music is speaking directly to you. Their music is an experience with every listen--it blows me away everyday.
Rating: - Music for mosquitos
I became interested in Sigur Ros () after finding a YouTube video segment of a live performance of Track 7. I wish that I had not spent money on this album.
The first few tracks really set the tone for the album. Music for mosquitos, with Asian influences. As is noted by other reviewers, the lead singer repeats a nonsense word/phrase over and over, throughout the album. The music is conventional and droning. The first tracks contain something that is very reminiscent of a mosquito buzzing my ear while I try to sleep. This has more in common with jazz than rock, more like what a ... Read More
Rating: - Ros at their 100% minimalist best
This is one of my most favorite albums of all time.To those who are saying that it's not innovative,well it is and it isn't;what truly IS innovative these days? most everything's been done by now from steve roach to gg allin.it's hard to do.the sad thing is that this album seems to have gotten so much publicity from all the wrong places--this isn't the type of music anyone can just dive into because gweneth paltro or whoever else in hollywood or otherwise likes it.this is music that requires the listener to take the time to sit down and experience it from an asthetic viewpoint:it's not fast-food pop ... Read More
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