Music For The End Of The World, Part 6: "Untitled #1 - Vaka" by Sigur Ros

Scoring the end of the world...

If heaven had a house band, it would be Sigur Ros.

https://sigurros.com/

"Glóð" by Sigur Ros

From the new Sigur Ros release "ATTA," this is a song called "Glóð." The band have enlisted ten guest film directors to direct an accompanying video for each track from the album, and this one by Icelandic director and writer Rúnar Rúnarsson speaks to a sense of ancient myths and cultures. And of course the music is haunting and otherworldly...

https://sigurros.com/

"8" by Sigur Ros

From their recent release, here is "8" by Sigur Ros. Sublime.

If heaven had a house band, it would be Sigur Ros.

https://sigurros.com/

"Andrá" by Sigur Ros

The power of Music.
The power of Sigur Ros.

Like the people in this video, I have my own Sigur Ros story:

It was late summer of 2001 and my mom had been diagnosed with end-stage lung cancer and given six months to a year to live -- we found out her diagnosis on 9/11, the day the Towers came down. A few months later, not wanting to be around for his wife’s death, my dad shot himself in the temple. I took care of my mom as best I could, but the grief of my dad’s death and watching her slip away took a toll on me. One afternoon while shopping in a homeware boutique looking at pretty objects to take my mind off things, I became aware of a song playing on the store’s sound system. The sound and texture of the song caught me and I stopped at a table of handmade ceramics. I stood frozen, pretending to look at bowls and plates while listening to a song so gentle, so lulling, so ethereal, so otherworldly, I literally did not know what was happening to me. An organ and music box contrasted with a primal roaring … then a rhythmic pinging sounded like sonar … and then a singer, with the voice of an angel, kept singing what I heard as “It’s you…it’s you…it’s you…” This song did not come from this world, it did not belong in this world. It was huge, cosmic, echoing. It shook me, comforted me, spoke to me about my grief. It said: there is something bigger, there is something else, it’s okay, everything is going to be okay. It was the sound of compassion. I went to the counter to ask what was playing, and found out the song was "Svefn-g-englar" (literally “Sleep Angels” or “Sleep Walkers” in Icelandic) and the band was called Sigur Ros. The feeling of the song stayed with me and I can still feel it 22 years later when I hear it. It is as if it holds the liminal idea of being born and dying at the same time. When I discovered the song’s lyrics translated in English, and learned that the chorus of what I thought was “It’s you” is actually Jónsi, the lead singer singing “Tjú, tjú, tjú,” an Icelandic cooing sound traditionally used to calm a baby to sleep, it all made sense. I have always said if heaven had a houseband, it would be Sigur Ros.

https://sigurros.com/

"Blóðberg" by Sigur Ros

Surprise: a brand new song--first in seven years--from Sigur Ros, "Blóðberg" with the London Contemporary Orchestra and conductor Robert Ames, co-produced with Paul Corley. Video directed by Johan Renck who directed the powerful HBO miniseries "Chernobyl." Renck says, "I feel as nihilistic as one could regarding the future. We are powerless against our own stupidities. Some aspects of this came to merge with my impressions of the themes of 'Blóðberg.' The music becoming a score to my own miserable thoughts, giving them beauty as only music can."

If we can't figure out how to survive, maybe we don't deserve to.

https://sigurros.com/

"A Drop In The Ocean (Paul Corley Remix)" by Frakkur

Some calm transcendence in a troubled world.

"A Drop In The Ocean (Paul Corley Remix)" by Frakkur (a nom de musique our beloved Jónsi from Sigur Ros used to record ambient music several years ago).

https://frakkur.bandcamp.com/
https://jonsi.com/
https://sigurros.com/

"Exhale" by Jónsi

First solo music from Sigur Rós frontman Jónsi in a decade! "Exhale" is from a forthcoming album. Video directed by Jónsi and Giovanni Ribisi.

“It's just the way it is, it isn't your fault, just let it go now”

https://jonsi.com/

Sigur Rós presents "Liminal Sleep"

From one of my favorite bands, the Icelandic geniuses Sigur Rós, here is "Liminal Sleep," a nearly three-hour music composition of dreamy, spacey, floaty ambient music for falling asleep to. This is the fourth part of a multimedia project called "Liminal," which they describe as an "endless mixtape" of ambient music which will be continuously added to over time.

“We like the fact that sleep remains defiantly mysterious; something we all do - all need to do - but can’t ever get fully inside. This playlist is a modest attempt to mirror the journey of a sleep cycle, with its curves, steady states and natural transitions."
— Jónsi, Paul Corley & Alex Somers

Here are the first three parts...

https://sigurros.com/

Sigur Rós Live from the Walt Disney Concert Hall, with the Los Angeles Philharmonic Association

Streamed live on Apr 15, 2017 by Pitchfork, here is the complete concert footage of Sigur Rós with the Los Angeles Philharmonic live from the Walt Disney Concert Hall.
Amazing.

https://sigur-ros.co.uk/
http://www.laphil.com/

Sigur Ros LIVE!

Last night, April 17, 2013, I finally got to see my beloved Sigur Ros in person! When they have rolled through Northern California in the past, the timing has never been right for me to see them, but the stars aligned this time, and their appearance at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium in San Francisco was, for me, a highly emotional spectacle. Seen from absolutely perfect seats, I must add...I couldn't have asked for a better vantage point.

They opened the show behind a scrim, on which was projected what looked like dark moving clouds...and a backlit Jónsi was seen intently bent over his guitar sawing away with his cello bow. But the scrim dropped during the next number to reveal a massive, panoramic projector screen which was alternately raised above the band and lowered to stage level, depending on the mood and lighting effects for each song. The film and graphics projected on the screen for each song included shots and clips from that song's accompanying video, if one was created. So, for "Sæglópur," for instance, we were presented with images of the young boy swimming underwater from the official video, seen here. In each instance though, the video was not shown in its entirety, but used as a way to evoke, and was mixed with sparks, clouds, rippling water, swirling galaxies, shooting stars, smoke, glittering dust motes, or other textural elements. Some songs that did not have an accompanying video were surprisingly even more beautiful: once, on a jagged, rocky landscape, tiny figures of people appeared, holding flashing beacons, but halfway through the song, the beacons rose up, floating over us in a moment of gentle emotional release, suggesting the possible release of the soul.

Strategically placed small golden lights on rods were scattered across the stage which, when illuminated, resembled twinkling fireflies or a sea of pulsing, glowing orbs. Special lights--sometimes emitting blinding flashes--aimed out at the audience added to the crescendos, and silhouetted the band along with the string and horn sections.

I must confess to a goose bump moment when I heard Jónsi start to sing the first song of the evening... I had to remind myself that I was actually hearing, in person, that voice that has the quality of a universal angel of compassion. His voice and phrasing are a brilliant counterpart to the often expansive, grand, shaking and shattering sound Sigur Ros can produce... a cosmic, transcendent sound that invokes at once creation and destruction. It was a marvel to experience these crescendos first hand, to hear them go on for five minutes or more, and just when one thinks the song is going to end, the crescendo gets ratcheted up so the crescendo gets a crescendo. Simply awe-inspiring.

They played all my favorite songs, like "Glósóli" and track one from their "( )" release. They even performed "Brennisteinn" as well as "Kveikur" (in English: "Quaker") from their forthcoming release of the same name. But most importantly, I got to hear the heart-stopping "Svefn-g-englar" or "Sleepwalkers" in English. This song was the first Sigur Ros composition I ever heard, more than a decade ago and it occupies a very special place in my heart. And for the gentle, lulling "Tjú" refrain (in Icelandic, the word "Tjú" is a comforting sound one makes to a baby), I was fascinated to watch Jónsi perform a little sonic trick: he raised his guitar and sang into it so the electric feed picked it up and brought it to the speakers sounding muffled and far away. Watch him do this in the video below (enlarge to full screen)... and notice the pulsing, glowing lights...

I bought a great tour tee of very soft grey jersey on which is printed, in highly reflective silver metallic, the name/logo of the band.

It was a lovely evening. Thanks to my friends Judy and Bianca for coming along, and thanks to my man for the tickets, an early birthday present!

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

"Ekki Múkk"

Oh, be still my heart...a NEW Sigur Ros, titled "Valtari," will be released on May 28th, 2012.

"Ekki Múkk." This is the first glimpse of what is to come: a languid slice of heaven. Sigur Ros have never been a band in a hurry. To enjoy them, one must move at their pace, and accept... one must surrender to something other. To me, their music has always sounded like the feeling of compassion made audible.

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

Just watched...

...a documentary about Icelandic pop music, "Screaming Masterpiece."


I have had a slowly evolving fascination with Iceland for many years now. I adore the band Sigur Rós, I quite like Múm, I have heard reports from friends who have been to Iceland that the people place a high value on art, and the landscape is full of otherworldly beauty. Any culture that can straight-facedly profess a belief in elves wins my vote. So I was curious to see the 2005 documentary “Screaming Masterpiece.” The titles say it is a survey of 1,000 years of Icelandic pop music which I gather is an example of the famous Icelandic sense of humor. Pop music is a relatively new phenomenon, but the greater meaning of the film’s intent is alluded to several times: indigenous and folk music of Iceland still greatly influences the pop music that is being created today. It is a fascinating supposition and one that I can hear for myself and believe. There is certainly a dark, sweeping grandeur and a plaintive peasant sound that seems to come from the collective psyche of the island. It manifests beautifully in my above mentioned favorite groups, Sigur Rós and Múm. But in an effort to show a variety and to present the idea that ancient music influences all current Icelandic music, we must suffer through examples of Icelandic death metal and rap (what a shame that such USA dross has infected even the far reaches of the globe to Iceland).

As a documentary, it does very little editorializing, staying out of the way and just letting the music and many of the musicians speak for themselves. The only quibble I have is the puzzling exclusion of another of my favorite Icelandic groups, the awesome Gus Gus.

Recommend? If you are a fan of any of the mentioned groups from Iceland, or are interested in alternative pop music, yes. At only 87 minutes, it won’t take too much of your life…

The Septemberists

Now that I am paying closer attention to Thom Browne, I came across this amazing, evocative video collaboration between Thom Browne and controversial artist Anthony Goicolea whose work I have known and liked for quite a while. It features a heart wrenching song by one of my favorite bands, Sigur Ros, along with clothing from Browne's S-S '07 collection.

http://www.thombrowne.com/
http://www.anthonygoicolea.com/

Currently listening to...

...the enchanting, dream-like "All The Big Trees" by Jónsi and Alex, while I drift off to sleep...

http://jonsiandalex.com/

jónsi go

The first time I heard the Icelandic band Sigur Ros was in January of 2002. I was browsing in a store when a song began to play. It was a haunting, slow, otherworldly sound; a spacey lullaby. The singer’s voice was soft, high, and sounded neither male nor female. I was paralyzed by this sound that seemed to be coming from somewhere beyond this dimension. It actually shook me up pretty good—I was overcome with emotion. Once I calmed down, I asked a store employee what we were listening to and was told the name of the band and the title of the disc, “Agaetis Byrjun” (“A Pretty Good Beginning”). I went directly to the CD store and got a copy.

The song I heard is “Svefn-g-englar” which, in Icelandic, means “Sleepwalkers.” The literal translation of the title is quite touching: in Icelandic, the idiom for one who sleepwalks is a “sleep angel.” In the chorus of the song, lead singer Jón Þór (that's "Thor" for those who do not speak Icelandic) Birgisson repeats a word, “tju” (“tyoo"). When I was searching for a translation from the Icelandic, there was no equivalent for the word “tju,” so I searched on-line and discovered that the word is not really a word, but a sound that Icelanders make to comfort babies.
Wow.

That was my introduction to the music of Sigur Ros ("Victory Rose" in Icelandic). I now own their catalogue and firmly believe that if The Universal Consciousness had a house band, it would be Sigur Ros; their music is calming, moving at a dirge-like pace, full of plaintive cries, low rumblings and echoes implying emptiness and infinite space, and Birgisson’s angelic vocals tremble with genuine emotion throughout. I have read many accounts of people who report the same experience I had: being overcome with emotion, and/or an outpouring of tears upon first exposure. Their music is an expanding experience, enigmatic, overwhelming, and transcendent. This makes me think of the archetype of Kuan-Yin, the Chinese mother of the cosmos, who does not cycle off to Nirvana, but instead, stays behind in this realm to comfort those suffering and in pain—or in Buddhism, Bodhisattvas, who do the same thing. I am connected to a universal well of endless tears and love in the music of Sigur Ros. It is the sound of ultimate cosmic empathy, sympathy, agape, and a deep compassion beyond this world.

Another aspect of their sound is that of pure joy or a “peak experience” as they say in psychology. Some of the uptempo songs vibrate with ecstasy and profound delight. It is precisely this sound that Jón Birgisson, now dubbed Jónsi, brings to his glorious first solo release, “Go.” For example, in a frenzied, thrilling swirl of energy, full of rapture and exhilaration, he sings in a song called "Animal Arithmetic":
"Wake up, comb my hair
Making food disappear
Riding bikes, making out
Elephants run you down,
You and I run away, blushing cheeks
Howling wolves, colorful fireworks,
Everytime, everyone, everything’s full of life
Everyday, everywhere, people are so alive"

All the songs are lovely, soaring and joyful. Below is a video for the first track, the highly energetic “Go Do,” in which he sings:
"Go sing, too loud
Make your voice break - Sing it out
Go scream, do shout
Make an earthquake..."

http://jonsi.com/

Currently listening to...

...the sparkling, divine, throbbing "Glosoli" by heaven's houseband themselves, Sigur Ros.

The music is, of course, transcendant and yearning, but the video too is magical...pure poetry... absolute perfection.

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