Ágætis byrjun - Sigur Rós

Tracklist:

1. Intro (1:36)
2. Svefn-g-englar (10:04)
3. Starálfur (6:46)
4. Flugufrelsarinn (7:48)
5. Ný batterí (8:06)
6. Hjartað hamast (bamm bamm bamm) (7:08)
7. Viðrar vel til loftárása (10:13)
8. Olsen Olsen (8:03)
9. Ágætis byrjun (7:39)
10.Avalon (4:01)

Members

- Jón Þór Birgisson (Jonsi) – vocals, guitar
- Kjartan Sveinsson – keyboard
- Georg Hólm – bass
- Ágúst Ævar Gunnarsson – drums


Sigur Ros is a band from Iceland which plays a peculiar brand of post-rock. Some of their best known work has more in common with chamber pop and indie rock than with the gloomy landscapes and apocalyptic nature of post-rock. They are also experts in creating extremely moving and soulful songs, some of which have brought me very close to tears with their pure nostalgic beauty. Ágaetis Byrjun is the second album by Sigur Ros and it is the first one I had the privilege to listen to and it contains some of the best material the band has ever released, as well as some of their most awe-inspiring compositions.

This album is very difficult to explain: its music has to be felt and experienced. Sigur Ros has created in Ágaetis Byrjun some of the purest, most beautiful songs of our times. The album is also a musical statement; the band uses new techniques for creating atmosphere and experimenting with unusual structures and sounds. The extent to which they push the limits of the guitar to discover new possibilities is fascinating. Jonsi does this mainly by playing it with a cello bow, which is a signature style the band uses in most of their tracks.

The sensation of being in an unknown musical territory starts with the first song and never leaves the listener. Svefn-G-Englar is a long atmospheric piece that goes through many moods, but never leaving its beautiful tranquility. In the background we listen to the beautiful sound of Jonsi’s guitar being played with the cello bow. This has different effects on each track, sometimes providing a noisy sound and a dark tone, and others, like here, creating a harmonic atmosphere, as if listening to the sounds of waterfalls. 

Svefn-G-Englar seamlessly flows, as if it were a river, until it reaches the gorgeous ocean that is Starálfur. Listening to Starálfur for the first time is an experience that I wish I could have over and over again. An absolutely gorgeous song that takes you into an emotional journey in its short length that makes it one, if not my favorite track among this series of challenging and complex compositions. If there is one track that you should listen from this album, even if it is one of the less sophisticated and innovative on it, it is this one.

The tracks that follow are more in the experimental side of the spectrum. Flugufrelsarinn, another personal favorite, the mixture of synth and guitar sounds create a captivating atmosphere that keeps the listener in constant expectation. The extremely emotional chorus meets those expectations with Jonsi giving one of his best vocal performances in the album. Ný Batterí is the darkest song in the album, featuring a repetitive mesmerizing bass line accompanied by atmospheric guitar sounds produced by the cello bow and a brass section. The drums then become prominent and the song builds up until it explodes into an amazing climax that makes it the heaviest song here

The album gives a very pleasant surprise in Hjartad Hamast (Bamm Bamm Bamm), which features an uncanny folk sound and jazzy rhythms uncommon in Sigur Ros’s catalogue, as well as a harmonica, an unconventional instrument for them. Jonsi’s voice is also in a tone that is closer to a whisper than actual singing in the verses, which only adds to the uniqueness of this track among Sigur Ros’s material. It took me a while to appreciate this song as it is so different from anything else from the band, but it actually is one of the most daring and emotional songs here, having a wonderful chorus and a brilliant string section.

Vidrar Vel Til Loftárása is the center piece of the album, not only is it the longest track, but it is also the one that produces the most varied series of emotions here. The general tone is one of melancholy, but I have found myself feeling very confused while listening to it, as I couldn’t really understand the whole spectrum of things I was feeling at the same time. This is one of those songs that will leave you speechless and unable to do anything for some minutes, just to process the masterpiece of a song your ears have just listened to. A song that has to be experienced in all its glory, as words can do very little to explain its effect.

Olsen Olsen is the only song in the album not sung in Icelandic, but in vonlenska, the invented language Sigur Ros uses in some of its tracks. It is a language just made to fit the music, and it works really well in this cheerful track, probably the only one which is centered on just one emotion: happiness. Sometimes I can’t do anything but smile while listening to this song, it produces such pure feelings of bliss and joy. The ending climax makes me want to be part of the background chorus, singing along with the band playing their beautiful melodies; it is a perfect ending for another outstanding and touching composition.

Ágaetis Byrjun is maybe the simplest track in the album, even more so than Starálfur, it is a simple piano driven song, which features an acoustic guitars and jazzy drums. The title track serves as a more laid back composition in contrast to the rest of the album; it gives the listener a sense of closure and homeliness. Jonsi uses his signature falsetto tone throughout this song, always reaching the right note, making it a treat from the vocal standpoint, with the whole band creating the perfect accompaniment for it. It is a fitting epilogue to an outstanding piece of art.

Sigur Ros’s sophomore album is their most consistent one, showcasing their darkest moments as well as some of their most hopeful and innocent melodies. It is a unique experience, with sounds that are sometimes unidentifiable for the listener. I could only describe it as an otherworldly journey, a magical trip through galaxies of sounds unknown. With this album Sigur Ros started being recognized by critics, and their music slowly became more and more popular. The notoriety they have achieved throughout the years is a very rare feat for a band of this nature. The current popularity of the band shows they were right when choosing the title for this album: it was indeed A Good Beginning.
 

Ëmëhntëhtt-Ré - Magma

Tracklist:

1.Ëmëhntëhtt-Ré I  (6:53)
2.Ëmëhntëhtt-Ré II  (22:25)
3.Ëmëhntëhtt-Ré III  (13:06)
4.Ëmëhntëhtt-Ré IV  (3:54)
5.Funëhrarïum Kahnt  (4:19)
6.Sêhë  (0:27)

Members:

 - Christian Vander – drums, vocals, piano, Fender Rhodes, keyboard, percussion
- Stella Vander – vocals, percussion
- Isabelle Feuillebois – vocals
- Hervé Aknin – vocals
- Benoît Alziary – vibraphone
- James MacGaw – guitar
- Bruno Ruder – Fender Rhodes
                                                                                        - Philippe Bussonnet – bass, piccolo bass

Magma is a unique band in the music world, so much that they are literally in a genre all of their own. They play a kind of music that has influence from classical music, jazz, opera, progressive rock, avant-garde, and fusion. It’s a complex and extremely uncanny mixture of rhythms and melodies that one may think cannot go well together, but they surprisingly have all been put together to wonderful results in Magma’s compositions. The name that has been given to this combination of sounds is Zehul, which is Kobaian for “Celestial”.

Now to explain what Kobaian is in all its complexity it would take a lot of pages, so I will just say that it is the language in which Magma compositions are sung. Each Magma composition tells one chapter of the story of Kobaians, people from Earth that went to another planet called Kobaia to colonize it after planet Earth became an unbearable place to inhabit. The band has created a whole mythology around their compositions with this story, which is very symbolic and draws a lot from science fiction. The language is supposed to be what Kobaians speak after some generations have lived outside planet Earth and this unified language has been established in the colony, which has lost all contact with planet Earth and so, needs to create its own society.

Ëmëhntëhtt-Ré is the album they released in 2009 part of a trilogy of compositions that tell the story of Köhntarkösz, an archeologist that finds the tomb of an ancient Egyptian pharaoh and becomes a sort of prophet. He starts having visions of Ëmëhntëhtt-Ré’s life and work, and so begins his quest to spread his philosophy and continue the pharaoh’s path to reach a higher spiritual level. It works as a sort of prequel to the whole Kobaian saga, as his followers end up being the ones who leave planet Earth for a better future on Kobaia. In this installment of the trilogy we are introduced to the story of Ëmëhntëhtt-Ré, as it is seen in the visions of Köhntarkösz. 

Aside from all the mythology surrounding this album, what we have here is some wonderfully executed music. This was the first Magma album I ever listened to, and it was a magical experience to listen to something as unique and mystic as this. Christian Vander, the mastermind behind Magma, is in top form here, being responsible not only of the outstanding drumming, but also of composing this wonderful piece of music. All members of this Magma incarnation give their best in this album, bringing to the table the best of them to fulfill Vander’s perfectionist vision. The result is one of the best albums of the past decade, at least in my book. 

The first three minutes work as an introduction, first with spoken words and then some classic Magma chanting surrounded by a very dense atmosphere created by the drums, the bass and the piano. Following this we have Stella Vander’s beautiful vocals in the forefront accompanied by the piano and the choir sporadically singing with her. This section attracted my attention from the start; it is gorgeous what all this voices do together and the chemistry that the piano, drums and vocals achieve. Christian Vander is, as always, masterful in playing minimalist drum passages in this section. They are a great companion to the sheer beauty that we are witnessing.

As the first section of Ëmëhntëhtt-Ré ends, the Stella gives the main vocal duties to Christian. This transition always puts a joyful smile on my face; it is so amazing how naturally the composition flows from a more contemplative mood to this almost celebratory section. Section II of Ëmëhntëhtt-Ré has many moods, as it is more than 20 minutes long, but this first part is a favorite of mine. The bass is the star here flowing very nicely and playing the melody the vocals sing. All the elements the musicians display such passion and talent in section II, they all play as tightly as they can showcasing some of the most amazing musicianship I’ve had listened to in the process. 

As said before, this first part of section II has a celebratory sound, which is mostly displayed by the beautiful and complex vocals, but also by the playful bass and guitar playing and the constant piano line which surprisingly is what gives rhythm to the song even more than the relentless almost schizophrenic drums. It ends in a blast of musical genius when the piano gets loose and shifts from playing the main repetitive melody it had been playing and plays a very beautiful melody to finish the first fourteen minutes of section II. 

The last eight minutes are more somber and take the jazz elements from the first half to a more aggressive and urgent place. The darker tone is accomplished by the outstanding bass and the male vocals, which keep the listener on edge by building a tension that seems to be endless. The guitar and the drums create a delightful sense of madness and paranoia that is palpable throughout this whole section. It feels like a trip into the mind of a very insane person, and it is a real treat to listen.

As section II unravels, the choir introduces the third section with one of its most outstanding performances, a blast of vocal genius that leads to a very quiet and minimalist section with the drums, bass and piano displaying their talent for minimalism. The vocals then re-enter, with Stella in the forefront again, accompanied by the jazzy drums that displays its talents on minimalism and avant-garde in this part of section III. The song starts taking shape as the bass starts playing a repetitive riff that gives pace to the song. There is a ritualistic feel throughout section III that is reminiscent to section I but with the jazzy and relentless complexity of the ending part of section II.

By the middle of this section we have been witness to some of the most virtuosic display of avant-garde, not just by the usual incredible drums, but also by the bass when it gets loose from its main riff to give a master class on bass playing. The rhythm section is in top form throughout the thirteen minutes that compose this track, but this is not the only treat we get on it. The mysterious piano playing and the almost menacing vocals are of the highest quality and the guitar in the final part of the section also contributes to the overall feeling of apprehension this section portrays. In the end the chants come back as the song becomes faster and playful again as section III comes to a magnificent conclusion.

Section IV opens with the beautiful vocals of Stella Vander preparing us for what promises to be a gorgeous conclusion. The chants that follow are evocative of the ritualistic celebratory moments we have heard throughout the album. The piano is the main attraction here, with beautiful melodies that carry the section along with Stella’s vocals. The section surprisingly also has its dark and its jazzy moments, but the general feel is calmed and melodic instead of the dissonance from before. The song ends in an enigmatic tone that leaves the listener baffled to what he has just listened to. In me, it created a need to go back to listen to this composition again and again until I could grasp all of its complexity and beauty.

Ëmëhntëhtt-Ré is not the only composition we have here, even though it is the most important one. Funëhrarïum Kanht works as a sort of funerary march with its dark and depressive tone. The vocals here are almost like Gregorian chants, and have a mournful feel. There is a very hard hitting piano accompanying the chants that make the feeling of dread the song has even more despairing. Finally Sëhë is a short piece of spoken word that is surrounded by an obscure atmosphere that makes it very cryptic, leaving the listener puzzled by what it means.

As this was my first experience with Magma, which is one of my favorite bands, this record is very dear to me. This is a band that begs to be listened and acknowledged as the musical geniuses they are. This album is one more addition to the series of masterpieces of Magma’s outstanding catalogue, and shows this incarnation at its best. This legendary ensemble has achieved here a level of maturity that establishes its status as one of the best in musical history, and confirms once again that Christian Vander is one of the most talented and creative composers of all time.