“i really can’t remember why we started this record, i no longer know what we were trying to do back then. i do know session after session went pear-shaped, we lost focus and almost gave up…did give up for a while. but then something happened and form started to emerge, and now i can honestly say that it’s the only sigur rós record i have listened to for pleasure in my own house after we’ve finished it.” – georg

This could explain why Valtari is somewhat late. Ever since Sigur Rós’ 1999 album Ágætis Byrjun, there has been a full studio album released every 3 years, the most recent studio album being in 2008. Valtari was first hinted at by Sigur Rós during an interview following the premier of Inni in November 2011. Valtari was originally expected to be released in the second half of 2012 but the band have come in ahead of schedule with a release date of the 29th of May 2012 in the USA and on the 28th of May for the rest of the world.

The track listing for the new Sigur Rós album is as follows:

1. Ég Anda

2. Ekki Múkk

3. Varúð

4. Rembihnútur

5. Dauðalogn

6. Varðeldur

7. Valtari

8. Fjögúr Píanó

Jónsi, the singer of the Icelandic band Sigur Rós has recently written the score for the film ‘We Bought A Zoo’. The soundtrack to the film contains two original songs by Jónsi, Ævin Endar and Gathering Stories which you can listen to now on Jónsi’s site.

We Bought A Zoo stars Matt Damon alongside Scarlett Johansson and is about a family that use their life savings to buy a rundown zoo in the English countryside. The film was directed by Cameron Crowe, the same man behind Almost Famous as well as Vanilla Sky (which also featured the music of Sigur Rós) and is set for release on the 23rd of December 2011.

If you want to hear the rest of the ‘We Bought A Zoo’ soundtrack, be sure to visit rollingstone.com tomorrow where it will be available to stream for free.

Inni, the next instalment to Sigur Rós’ now lengthy discography is finally here. It’s the band’s first truly live album and the second live film after Heima (2007), and is quite simply amazing. Inni, which literally translates from icelandic to english as “inside”, is thought of as the opposite of Heima by the band.

Whereas Heima was all about Sigur Rós themselves in their homeland of Iceland, Inni aimed for a raw approach showing nothing but the band performing and trying to give the viewer the experience of actually being there. They even performed as just a four man band without the accompanying string and brass instruments we grew familiar with on Heima.

The stripped down feel of Inni extends to the monochrome aspect of the footage which quite extraordinarily was first filmed in HD digital, then converted to 16mm film and then re-filmed from a projection through various mediums such as glass.

An incredible amount of work has gone into the post-production of this album which is the main reason I had shivers, technically known as frissons, for half an hour straight while first listening to it. Whether you obtain this album legally through the Sigur Rós website or illegally, make sure it’s at 320kbps. (your ears will thank you for making such a noble decision)

Some bands seem to release live albums as filler between their studio albums but this is anything but. Inni is possibly the best Sigur Rós album yet in terms of sound quality and balance which is so perfect that despite keeping it’s intensity, often doesn’t feel like a live album at all and the audience applause, which is usually annoying in a lot of live recordings, is restricted to just between tracks and isn’t at a deafening volume.

The album features songs from all 5 of Sigur Rós’ studio albums and closes on Lúppulagið which unfortunately is the only song not to appear on any of their previous works. The song selection for Inni seems to show the heavier side of their music and despite including the mandatory Hoppípolla, has a darker and often trance like atmosphere reminiscent of the second half of ( ).

Inni was released worldwide on November the 8th 2011 and in the USA on November 15th.

CD 1    1. Svefn-g-englar  2. Glósóli  3. Ný batterí  4. Fljótavík  5. Við spilum endalaust  6. Hoppípolla  7. Með blóðnasir  8. Inní mér syngur vitleysingur  9. E-Bow

CD 2    1. Sæglópur  2. Festival  3. Hafsól  4. All Alright  5. Popplagið  6. Lúppulagið

‘Go’ is now set to be released on the 5th of April 2010. The North American tour dates have been posted here and the first show is to be in Vancouver; a day after the album is released worldwide.

No dates in other continents have yet been announced but it is still being called a world tour so I expect they will be in the near future.

Boy Lilikoi – Jónsi

From the tags on this mp3, it is revealed that the album is to be called ‘Go’ and is set to be released worldwide on April 5th 2010. Unlike most of his songs, the lyrics this time are in English. I’m not sure whether the rest of this solo album will be in English but it could show Jónsi trying to gain a more foreign listening audience.

Go Do
Animal Arithmetic
Tornado
Boy Lilikoi
Sinking Friendships
Kolnidur
Grow Till Tall
Around Us
Hengilas

‘Go’ Tracklist (announced 07/12/09)

Glósóli, Hoppípolla and Sæglópur are from their 2005 album ‘Takk’.
Untitled #1 (Vaka) is from ‘( )’ released 2002.
Viðrar Vel Til Loftárása and Svefn-G-Englar are from the 1999 album ‘Ágætis Byrjun’.
Gobbledigook is from the 2008 album ‘Með Suð Í Eyrum Við Spilum Endalaust’.

Which one was your favourite?