Icelandic Rock Group Sigur Ros Plays Amazing Concert Experience at 9:30
By Peter Denton
Special to The Hoya Some have been known to faint; others vomit. Many claim to experience spiritual awakenings. No, I am not talking about meeting the Pope, I am talking about a rock concert.
Sigur Ros, a quartet hailing from Iceland, stopped into Washington, D.C.??s 9:30 Club on the eve of war, March 18 and 19. Concertgoers familiar with Sigur Ros never do call the show a concert; to them, it is an experience.
Who is Sigur Ros? The band, which sounds a bit like Radiohead??s experimental album Kid A, consists of Jon Bor ??Jonsi? Birgisson (vocals, guitars), Kjartan Sveinsson (keyboards), Orri Pall Dyrason (drums) and Georg Holm (bass). The band creates a remarkable sound for the instruments it uses. Jonsi often uses a cello bow to strum his guitar, creating an atmospheric, unique sound. The most distinct aspect of the band is Jonsi??s falsetto voice. He sings in both Icelandic, in which their first two albums were recorded, and an invented language called ??hopelandic.? The words have no meaning, it is as if Jonsi??s voice merely acts as another instrument.
Although it received critical attention for their second release, agætis byrjun (the first album, von, is only available in Iceland), Sigur Ros has found more popular success recently (especially amongst college listeners) with their release of the band??s third album, entitled ( ). The title invites it??s listeners to fill in the space with their own individual reflections and lyrics to the album. ??Svenfn-g-englar,? a song off of their second album, was featured in Cameron Crowe??s film Vanilla Sky.
Having been to the 9:30 Club many times, I??ve never before been part of such an intense and serious audience. No words were spoken during the songs, and few among the applause. Each member of the sold-out crowd appreciated the musical complexity, and even those unfamiliar with the songs were able to appreciate its emotional intensity and musical genius.
The evening opened with Sigur Ros?? three music videos. First was ??svefn-g-englar,? which features members of a theatre group full of actors with down syndrome dancing in a green field dressed as angels. The second video was ??viorar vel til loftarasa.? Set in the 1950s, the video follows the story of two young boys with a highly unexpected climax, the boys embracing with a kiss after one scores a goal in soccer. The last video shown was for the song ??untitled 1? (also called ??vaka?). Made by a highly respected Italian director Floria Sigismondi, the video features children playing in a post-apocalyptic playground covered with black snow, where the children must wear protective gasmasks to breathe.
The Album Leaf, a band that is essentially a forum for Jimmy LaValle of Tristeza to experiment with music and atmosphere, followed the films and opened for Sigur Ros. American audiences get the pleasure of hearing Jimmy perform with a full band, since in the UK he performs solo. Two members of Sigur Ros made up his band, Kjartan Sveinsson on keyboards and Orri Pall Dyrason on the drums. They played a great, quick set full of energy and emotion, but the crowd was obviously not there to see them and anticipation for the main attraction was present.
Finally Sigur Ros took the stage. They immediately went into ??untitled 1 (vaka)? and within minutes the crowd was astonished at the emotionally-charged performance. Jonsi??s vocal range is seemingly limitless with the ability to hit the highest of notes. The next song played was one of three new songs. Another new song was played near the end, featuring bassist Georg Holm playing his bass with a drumstick. Rumored to appear on their upcoming EP, all the new material was amazing. After about 90 minutes the band slowly left the stage, leaving Orri alone playing the keyboard. He left and Jonsi returned and played the other new song with only himself and Amina, the all female string quartet that accompanied Sigur Ros during the performance.
The first of two encores, ??Starafur,? was not as well performed as it appears on agaetis byrjun, and at one point Jonsi??s laughter interrupted his singing. They did redeem themselves, however, with the most intense piece of music I??ve ever seen performed, ??Popplagit? (also known as ??untitled 8? on ( )). The band then left the stage with background music continuing to play. The lights stayed off and both Sigur Ros and Amina returned twice to bow to the audiences?? intense cheers.
You know that feeling you get during the encore of your favorite band playing your favorite song, that weird feeling of intense emotion? Imagine that feeling for two hours, and that is a Sigur Ros show. The music does not invite you to sing along with a smile on your face. It makes you think and reflect, creating a feeling of interaction with the music. My jaw physically dropped many times during the performance in amazement of the sounds I was hearing from a human voice.
Moments before the show started I overheard one concertgoer intensely yelling at another female who was talking. He shouted, ??Humans have five senses, use them all. This is not a concert, it is an experience.? She quickly stopped talking.
There was not a word of English spoken by the band all evening. No thank yous, no band introduction. It was almost as if there was a fourth wall separating the band and audience. The only interaction was a series of bows following the show. The band seemed to have a sole purpose, to absolutely amaze each member of the audience. Never before have I attended such a rewarding and astonishing concert. If ever a chance to see Sigur Ros live is presented to you, do not make the mistake of missing it.
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