Sigur Rós
Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust
(XL)
Sigur Rós knows how to make you cry, even if you can't understand a bloody word. The Icelandic band's latest, which translates to With a Buzz in Our Ears We Play Endlessly, begins warmly with the thumping, acoustic "Gobbledigook" and lovely vocal harmonies on "Inní mér syngur vitleysingur," which will make you want to learn the language if only to sing along. Epic track five "Festival," starts off with church-like solemnity, then gains speed as if the funeral is over and spirits are jetting off to heaven. By the time track seven, "Ara bátur" ("Row Boat"), arrives with a 90-voice boys' choir, your own spirit is joining the naked runners on the album cover.
---Sue Carter Flinn