Musical journey (Part three - the conclusion)

(Read part two first)
Who could this new band be that has captured Karl's imagination so much that it took 3 rambling blog posts to get to the point. It's quite possible many of you have never heard of this band as they are certainly not what one would refer to as mainstream music. But you already knew that. They're from Iceland and they are called Sigur Ros (pronounced see oor roce). If you watch CSI, you've heard them on an episode or two as well as on various soundtracks, including Vanilla Sky. The most recognizable piece is Svefn-g-Englar, from the sophomore album Ágætis Byrjun (1999). The title translates to ' an all right start', in what I would deem one of the biggest understatements I've heard in a long time. Their music is indescribable although it has been labelled 'shoegazer' or 'minimalist' post-rock. I don't feel this accurately describes them at all. They sing in Hopelandic, a variation of their native language. They encourage their listeners to imagine what the lyrics mean and even make up their own lyrics for the songs they play. It doesn't really matter that you can't understand the words, the falsetto vocalizations of "Jonsi" Birgisson are an instrument all by itself. He is also the lead guitarist and is known for playing some songs with a cello bow, creating one of the most haunting and emotional sounds ever heard from a guitar since.......... ummm, David Gilmour. Fortunately, it's not just their music that is ground-breaking, but their music videos as well. The video for Svefn-g-Englar is artistic in its own right, using a group of downs syndrome actors (the perlan theatre group) to act out a play on an Icelandic field with a result that leaves you breathless. Their next album, ( ) (yes, that's the title - fans refer to it as 'parenthesis') contains 8 untitled songs. The boys sure know how to put the burden of interpretation on their fans, but they don't seem to mind. It's a bizarre method of establishing a bond with an audience - a formula I'm sure the record industry would scoff at. Their latest release, Takk... is accompanied by yet another amazing music video for the track Glosoli. I hope this band continues to push the boundaries of musical experimentation. I believe they have the potential to become the Pink Floyd of this quarter century.