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No
title, no tracklisting, no lyrics just "Hopelandic" To say
that Sigur Ros emphasizes their music rather than lyrics is
an understatement. An ultimate removal of any spoken/written
interpretation of the music (even if it's in their native
Icelandic) begs to question whether or not it can retain its
mood and impact. Removing an element that most modern music
so heavily relies on, can either one, dramatically increase
the content and volume of the music, or two, completely dissolve
the impact that it tries to create. Leaving it as merely background,
elevator music.
Thankfully
this release holds up in the former. With the singer's beautiful,
fragile voice providing another wonderful texture into the
already dense integration of string based, percussion, sampling,
and keyboards that occurs throughout the album. Even with
no recognition of the "words" in this or any other album,
you can tell that with this album there's a specific treatment
to the vocals that create a more fluid integration, where
in their other albums, there is a greater disconnection between
the vocals and music which places a greater emphasis on those
vocals.
The
beauty also rests in the overall composition of the album,
rather than in the individual songs. Certain tracks blend
together; creating a seamless composition that provides many
ups and downs, while slowly building in intensity only to
be interrupted and brought back down. This occurs wonderfully
in the break between track four and five. Almost as an intermission,
or break from the journey only to build back up within the
track itself. This happens a countless number of times throughout
the entire album, with the final track providing one big last
hoorah complete with full string back up and amazing, hair
raising notes hit by the singer. These interesting and beautiful
waves of emotion and intensity resemble classically composed
music, like the concertos of Bach or the timeless symphonies
of Beethoven. Not to say that they should be placed within
the ranks but merely as a reflection of a period of time when
there was a greater importance placed on the entire piece
of work.
With
all of these two-three minute all-you-can-give cuts that have
become the standard where centuries ago it was commonplace
to see a twenty minute composition, it's a wonderful departure
to see a band such a Sigur Ros gain such popularity and recognition
within the context of an MTV generation.
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