6.50 Welcome to the annual (mostly) No Rock And Roll Fun Eurovision Song Contest liveblog. It's like Politics Live With Andrew Sparrow, only without the insight. Or the politics. Or, actually, this year it's with the politics. The idea of holding the Eurovision in Baku - a contest about communication and fabulousness in a nation built for repression and hate - is just wrong. It's too hostile an environment, like dragging the Winter Olympics to Dubai. Although it's surely only a matter of time before they do the Winter Olympics in Dubai. Admittedly, the Song Contest could ...

Sigur Ros' new album Valtari is streaming online...and they've confirmed their Aussie trip. Bassist Georg Hólm says the record features "more electronic stuff than before", while according to singer Jónsi Birgisson: "The last two albums are more upbeat. Too joyous, too festive...It's time for us to take a left turn and do something more experimental". Jonsi has also let slip to triple j that the band will indeed be coming to Australia in November: "That is true...that is confirmed...we're really excited." he said. Source Link:  The Guardian Attached Image(s):  Sigur Ros read ...

Kjartan Sveinsson , keyboardist/guitarist of Sigur Rós (pictured), will not be joining the band on their Valtari world tour. According to the band’s frontman Jónsi in an interview with The Reykjavik Grapevine, Sveinsson remains a member but is taking a break from touring with them and will be temporarily replaced by two new members on the road.

(EMI) Steamroller suspended in slow motion Somewhere between lapping up Sigur Rós frontman Jónsi Birgisson’s triumphant solo efforts and replaying 2008’s Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust on desperate nights, I had begun to believe we’d heard the last from this Icelandic dream quartet. Yes, their sixth studio release was very nearly abandoned, but Valtari – which translates to ‘steamroller’ – is finally tangible. The bulk of the record stems from pre-recorded material; orphaned musical tan ...

still listening to the album while i’m reblogging this. Varúð seems to be the best so far. Update : first listen done. Valtari, expecially as we near the end, is the missing link between a Sigur Rós and a Jónsi & Alex record. i needed just that for the coming days. chewablevitamins : sigur rós  - Varúð The long anticipated new album from Sigur Ros drops a week from today. The band held a global listening party last week, and it’s now streaming on-demand via NPR and The Guardian . It goes without saying that I’m in love at first listen.  Preorder ...

Be among the first to hear the new album from Sigur Rós, Valtari, and tell us what you think in the comments below The title of the sixth studio album from Sigur Rós is Valtari, which in Icelandic means "steamroller", and long-term fans may well be pleased to hear the album marks a new direction for the band. Bassist Georg Hólm has said the record features "more electronic stuff than before", while according to singer Jónsi Birgisson: "The last two albums are more upbeat. Too joyous, too festive! … It's time for us to take a left turn and do ...

Jónsi's touring bass player makes nebulous experiments in sampling that hark back to musique concrete pioneer Pierre Henry.

There's a moment early on in 'Ég Anda' – the opening track on Valtari , the sixth album from Iceland's Sigur Rós – when a series of solemn chants transcend gently whirring strings, and take on the form of multiple sighs of relief being unleashed at once. Its almost as if one can hear the group's devoted fanbase brought to an anticipated hush, and who could blame them? Since their 1999 breakthrough Ágaetis Byrjun first caused a stir on a global level, Sigur Rós have – for better or worse – followed their own unique trajectory, irrespective of passing cultural ephemera; a ...

Photo by Lilja Birgisdottir In an interview with Icelandic newspaper The Reykjavík  Grapevine , Sigur Rós  frontman Jónsi said that band member Kjartan Sveinsson is "tired of touring." Thus, he will not accompany his band mates when they go on their world tour to promote the upcoming album Valtari . Rumors that the band is breaking up or that Sveinsson's left altogether are false, Jónsi and band member Georg "Goggi" Hólm told the Grapevine . Sevinsson just "wants to spend his time doing something else" and says that time spent touring is "not necessarily the most productive." Ólafur Björn Ólafsson of Stórsveit ...

A banda islandesa de post-rock Sigur Rós lançará oficialmente seu sexto álbum de estúdio, Valtari, dia 29 de maio. O cd já vazou na internet e é ótimo, a banda continua com sua sonoridade profunda e diáfana produzidas através da introdução de elementos de música clássica, utilização do arco de violoncelo com a guitarra, além da voz em falsete do vocalista Jónsi. Para quem [...]

It has been confirmed that Iceland’s post-rock outfit Sigur Rós will be touring Australia late in 2012. The tour will loosely coincide with the release of their 6th studio album Valtari, which is to be released 25 May. Check out details here… In a recent interview, frontman Jón Birgisson (also known as Jónsi) announced that after [...]

Jónsi & Alex – Indian Summer (Kyson Bootleg)

This has been said before, I know, but just what is it with Scandinavian music at the moment? In fact, Scandinavian music ever? For a relatively small area of the world, those Scandinavians (most notably the Swedish, but in this case the Danish, too) seem to almost have a monopoly on pop music which is immediately accessible, yet hauntingly or ethereally beautiful. That is, if it's not too busy making your heart beat double time and sing loudly and embarrassingly into whatever else it is you happen to be doing when it comes on. I could list you some ...

While Sigur Rós frontman Jónsi has kept himself busy with his solo work, the band has been sort of quiet since their last album in 2008.  But with the release of Inni last year (a DVD and double CD of the band’s live performances in London) and the announcement that the band would be hard … Continue reading »

Sigur Rós – Ekki múkk from Sigur Rós on Vimeo. Everyone’s favourite Icelandic folk band have dropped ‘Ekki Múkk’, the first cut from their forthcoming record, ‘Valtari’. Featuring shimmering synths and Jónsi’s haunting falsetto, ‘Ekki Múkk’ is almost an epic eight minutes, but never feels a second too long. Perfectly-crafted and deeply emotive, Sigur Rós [...]