Friday 5 February 2010

Jónsi's getting louder

With most of Sigur Rós busy with babies and sleeping, there won't be any new album this year. Jónsi has decided to take this time to release songs that he has 'collected over the years'. His upcoming solo album looks to be the polar opposite to the quiet ambience of last year's Jónsi & Alex album. This is energetic and 'ecstatic' music, pounding and joyous. Interestingly, he originally intended the project to be an acoustic album but was convinced to go 'out of his comfort zone' and write something louder. After hearing an acoustic version of the song 'Go Do' on a radio podcast, and then hearing the album version, I'm slightly concerned that these songs have been needlessly converted into 'big' versions. The acoustic version is nice, the album track a little bit too 'dancey'. I shouldn't worry though. The other track I've heard, 'Boy Lilikoi', is great. Full of all the vibrancy that you'd expect.

And now he's singing in English (not for long hopefully) it's easy to get an insight into what the album is actually about. I'll quote a reviewer who's actually heard the whole thing - 'If there's a theme to be found in the lyrics of Go, it must be that life is fleeting and is here to be enjoyed...It is soulful, fun, naïve and sad in its own fantastical world; if only life really were this good. This is a record that will make you believe it could be.' (musicOMH). I can't argue with that. No complaints at all. The album is released in April. I expect, because these Icelandic people never let me down, that it'll be wonderful.

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