Staff Reviews

Sigur Rós - Kveikur

Review by Christian Cottingham

Kveikur feels alive where last year’s Valtari seemed frozen: from the opening notes of 'Brennistein', guitars swelling like a warning siren, there’s the sense that this could go anywhere, that this could - whisper it - actually surprise us. And it does, repeatedly: these nine tracks might be Sigur Rós shrinking from the light, but it's all the better for it.»

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Sigur Ros release new studio album, 'Kveikur' (translated as Candlewick) via XL Recordings. 'Kveikur' sees the band reinvigorated, inventive and with intent. Sigur Ros, now a three piece, unleash a darker, more aggressive-sounding work but still with quirky rhythms and ethereal vocals. A rolling, malevolent groove underpins the swirling wonder of 'Isjaki' and there's a Nine Inch Nails-y snarl to the title track. The slow motion choral clatter of 'Hrafntinna'', meanwhile. is Sigur Ros of old but streamlined to fit the new model. They sound as out of place as ever, and all the better for it.
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