It's kind of an instant whim, but I was listening to this show this morning and in the middle of doing so realized that it was taped 17 years ago to the day, so I couldn't resist.
This extraordinary concert is perhaps the definitive live recording of this completely unique and evocative band. That it remains officially unissued will confound the minds of those who'll still have minds left unblown after they hear it.
This group -- one of several titanic artists (like early German Dadaist Kurt Schwitters and Christian Vander's epic Zeuhl band Magma) to feature a glossopoeia, or a language that signifies nothing specific but is constructed purely for artistic purposes -- is surely one of my modern favorites and this tape is my go-to listen when the mood strikes. I guess it wanted an anniversary airing, so here it is.
And oh how very beautiful it is. Has a band ever made music as gorgeous and dreamlike as this? Their sonic vocabulary, with the real strings alongside the bowed guitar with the bell-like chime toned keys and the marching, zig-zag proggy-bombast drums, rules the universe in the 12-beats-per-minute Downtempo Heavyweight class.
Anyway this two hours of shimmering Icelandic bliss is remastered by the acknowledged ruler of the Sigur Rós fan-o-verse at Victory Rose, Jon Parker, and isn't gonna sound any better unless we build a time machine and go back to get it with a digital mobile truck.
Sigur Rós
Szene Wien
Vienna, Austria
4.13.2001
01 Intro (Fur Alina)
02 Nýja Lagið
03 Fyrsta
04 Samskeyti
05 Von
06 Ný Batterí
07 Dauðalagið
08 E-Bow
09 Olsen Olsen
10 Hafssól
11 Svefn-G-Englar
12 Popplagið
Total time: 1:53:53
disc break goes after Track 06
Jón Þór "Jónsi" Birgisson – vocals, guitar, bowed guitar, keyboards
Georg "Goggi" Hólm – bass guitar, keyboards, vocals
Orri Páll Dýrason – drums, percussion, samples, keyboards
Kjartan "Kjarri" Sveinsson – synthesizers, keyboards, programming, flute, vocals
Amiina - strings
If you've never heard this exquisite ensemble, this is the moment when you cross paths with something you could never have seen coming and it's your lucky Friday the XIIIth.
If you know them, you've either already got this boot or you're already downloading it. Either way, I thought it was a sweet way to begin the weekend so I decided to pop it into the cloud right quick.
I'll be back on Sunday for an anniversary glimpse into the first book of the Old Testament that somehow seems, in 20/20 retrospect, the first act of a New one, but for now do enjoy this awe-inspiring Sigur Rós show.... and remember to keep Hopelandic alive!--J.
