Album Review: Sigur Ros - Kveikur

26 June 2013 | 10:27 am | Carley Hall

Not only is it an interesting standalone piece with a grating industrial opening, its vocal mirages, scatty beat and haunting synth ebbs combine all the elements that make this now three-piece still worthy of our attention.

Continuing their journey into a fantastical world created with no small thanks to now-departed keys player Kjartan Sveinsson seems like a tricky feat for Icelandic warblers Sigur Ros to pull off. Not that there isn't a treasure trove of guided intricacies that Jonsi, Georg and Orri bring to the table. When 2008's With a Buzz in Our Ears We Play Endlessly made its way into the world it heralded a more 'accessible' reach for the four-piece beyond the cool confines of their Scandinavian homeland and dog-earred them for a sound that was distinct and inlaid with lush, textural layers of glocks and synth ambience.

Kveikur has mostly reverted back to their former post-rock sound, bereft of a main man behind the keys. The clearest example is the title track itself. Far removed from the dulcet tones of their more pop-friendly output like Gobbledigook, this is a dark, threatening electronica-ridden saunter around Jonsi's vocal, which pleasingly avoids reaching too high to instead deliver a more crisp and even delivery. It makes a huge difference. So often the band overlades their already saccharine glocks and high-register jams with vocals that are admittedly transporting but eventually lose their lustre. It's a relief found in Blapradur also, where there's a more pensive mood as the guitars and drums clash together with minimal tinkering to either.

Where that definitive Sigur Ros sound is unescapable but at its best is on opener Brennisteinn. Not only is it an interesting standalone piece with a grating industrial opening, its vocal mirages, scatty beat and haunting synth ebbs combine all the elements that make this now three-piece still worthy of our attention.