INNI

In truth, the reason why I never really investigated Sigur Rós after 1999s Ágætis byrjun was because it made me feel kind of dumb. How do I pronounce this title? What language is this? Please don't misunderstand, I'm not lazy, I just wasn't as addicted to the internet as I am now. Of course now (thanks to google) I know it isn't really pronounced by a fool like me and the language is the Icelandic equivalent of Magma's Zeuhl. Of course in 1999 I had no idea what Zeuhl or Magma was either and let's add that the late 90s was overloaded by groups flying the flag for this epic kind of Post-Rock, overloaded to the point of annoyance. The benefit of time and a little distance means I feel I can now accurately write about Sigur Rós, and more specifically their new album INNI - a collection of live recordings tht are as epic in length as the music itself. Yes it's pretty (though it has a little more meat than the albums) and when the fuzztones rip they sure do hurt in a glorious way. And yes, Jónsi Birgisson sings in that funny language in a high pitched voice like Geddy Lee fronting a group that only play intros by The Cure. There is power here, heightened dramatics, it's not bad, it's just Sigur Rós. It's what you probabaly expect. If you've never checked them out as this would be a fine introduction for fans of shoegazer dream-pop of Highlander-like proportions. If you are already a fan I've literally no idea why you would read all this... aside from the Geddy Lee reference.