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TAKK . . .
GEFFEN
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As if singing in Icelandic didn’t make things challenging enough, Sigur Rós — the hottest thing to come out of Reykjavík since, ah, Björk — had to go off and invent their own language, "Hopelandic." Jón "Jónsi" Birgisson sang it in a beguiling Enya-esque falsetto against epic instrumental backdrops that transformed in proper Black Emperor fashion from quietly alluring passages to thundering discordant salvos on the foursome’s first three full-lengths. Birgisson appears to have opted for Icelandic on Takk . . . (out this Tuesday), as if that made any difference, though I swear I heard the line "I’ll be home early, dear" on my first listen to the cinematically sweeping "Hoppípolla," with its dense, orchestral walls of strings, trumpet, and, uh, might that actually be timpani? At four and a half minutes, it’s one of the more easily digestible pieces of ear candy on the largely noise-less Takk . . . , an album that recasts Sigur Rós as a full orchestra with a backbeat — think soothing new-age vistas with harder edges and pounding drums. Which is not to suggest the band have eschewed the experimental — I expect Birgisson still plays his guitar with a bow, and there’s plenty of backward looping and other sonic manipulations to keep things interesting through the ten and a half minutes of "Mílanó." They’ve simply embraced melody and, in the process, created what’s sure to be celebrated as an orch-pop masterpiece in just about any language. Sigur Rós | Opera House, 539 Washington St, Boston | Sept 15 | 617.931.2000
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