Sigur Ros: Med Sud I Eyrum Vid Spilum Endalaust

Label: XL

No longer giving their albums such terse and phonetic titles as Takk and Von, Sigur Ros has thrown us a nice little curve with its latest, Med Sud I Eyrum Vid Spilum Endalaust (that’s the last time I type that). The title may sound ponderous, but the music is the loosest and most pop-friendly of the Icelandic outfit’s illustrious career. Once known for painstaking work in the studio, the band decided to work under a different setting this time, not only recording outside their native Iceland but also completing the record from start to finish in the same year, while touring no less. Sometimes you gotta shake things up once a while, and you’ll be glad Sigur Ros did just that, creating an album loaded with fresh hooks (“Gobbledigood”) and moments of spare loveliness (“Illegresi”) while still maintaining the intense, driving sound that made the band such a marvel to begin with. (Ralph)