Average Rating: 
Rating:  - Untitled as the Music Speaks For Itself
Following their mind-blowing worldwide juggernaut of a record in Agaetis Byrjun, Iceland's Sigur Ros had really no place to go but down. Their second album gained them worldwide acclaim and this record justly was one of the most anticipated of the whole year. '( ),' their major label debut, against all odds, has possibly matched the brilliance of it's predecessor and has expanded the sound of the band into new, even more interesting territories.'Agaetis Byrjun' was filled with bombastic string arrangements that soared and gave the songs real huge dimensions. This record is amazingly different, in a kind of way I personally thought Sigur Ros wouldn't venture. They've stripped down their sound, but at the same time drawn it into a tight sound that seems just as natural as their previous airy soundscapes. The new compactness relies on the intense percussion of their drummer and then the songs are built off that extremely strong foundation. All the familiar elements of the band are here, but used in new ways. Jonsi's otherworldly androgynous vocals return as does his "hopelandish" (his own self created language) lyrics, that aren't meant to have any literal meaning, but act as another instrument in the sound. When couple with his guitar playing with a bow, it can't be beat. The record comes with no real title, just usually referred to by the apostrophe shaped cut outs on the albums slip cover. The songs, averaging about 9 minutes, are also untitled. Critics will like to rag on these as pretensions, but it couldn't be more untrue. Sigur Ros like to create, as they themselves call it, a fully interactive music. The listener is able to free their mind of any kind of pre-conceived concept and create their own meanings and lyrics. In fact, the album booklet consists only of blank pages, meant to be used by the individual to write in their own lyrical, or even visual, interpretations. A one word title if any would have been most appropriate because the tracks flow so well into each other it's not worth even trying to find where one ends and another begins. The album's contraction is one of the best parts as first half is much warmer and much of it is piano based (tracks 1 &3) and tender feeling (track 4) ; after a short silence separating the halves, the second proves to be menacing with aggressive drum beats (track 6)and even some straightforward guitar work that all climax at the end (track 8). The album at it's most brilliant (tracks 1,4, 6, & 8) is nearly unmatched today and at it's worst (track 5) it's inspirational.
Rating:  - Atmosphere at its greatest....
It's reasonable to assume, and helpful to understand, that Sigur Ros isn't for everyone. Most people need the comfort of a "normal" format to the music they listen to. Many people can't listen to eight minute songs that dwell on a particular thought, even if that thought is elaborately expressed for said amount of time. Many people don't like a man's vocals to sound like a woman's.That being said, I really love this album. One of the best things about ( ) is that it sounds little like Sigur Ros's last album, Agaetis Byrjun. Granted, you still hear plenty of that bowed guitar that this band is so well known for, but you hear it in far subtler ways. Guitarist Jonsi something-or-another does far more traditional guitar work (minus actual chords, most of the time) that creates the structure of the songs, unlike the mass waves of bowed guitar present in the last outing. As I said, this album is nothing like the last. For crying out loud, there are no song titles, or for that matter, any writing of any kind in the album booklet or cd casing. But, I'm ok with that. To me, the fact that I can't understand a word of these lyrics actually lends itself to non-titled songs. What makes ( ) stand on its own is the fact that these men are talented musicians, and the soundscapes that they create will touch you, as long as you're willing to listen. As I said before, not everyone can listen to 8 minute+ songs. But if you truly let yourself go, you're going to see the beauty in these songs. If you let it, you're going to feel something from these songs. I don't know how one couldn't, because they are just that good. Think outside the box, step outside the paradigm that modern music has assigned you. Try this album. Download it if you're too afraid to take a chance (that's how I got to know them better). But, whatever you do, just take a listen. You'll find places in your soul that you never would have expected. Music this surreal can do nothing but.
Rating: - easily sigur ros' best work so far
this album is less approachable than agaetis bryjun, and it seems only maginally less dense and orchestrated, even though every thing i heard about it up to it's release promised more a more live, open feel.the album is divided into a "happy" half and a "sad half, marked by a 30 second silence in the middle. that said, the first track is reasonably somber, as is the third. the last half lives up to it's billing, and it's a little more harsh and frantic than the first half. standout tracks are 3 and 4. track 3 is easily the best. it seems to increase its tempo ever so slightly as the song goes on, to where it's just a little too frenetic, and you're trying to hum along, but dropping the beat once and a while. every sigur ros fan knows njosnavelin, (track 4) and while the album version doesn't have the live performance feeling of the version found in vanilla sky, it's a little more majestic. an impressive rendition. the glory of music is in how it makes you feel. and i'm not stuck on this earth when this disc plays.
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