Sigur Rós - ( )

This is my review for Sigur Rós' album ( ):

I recommend listening to the album before reading this review, as it gives away what the album sounds like, so this is my spoiler warning.

This album is so extremely unique, that I will go through it track by track:

Untitled 1
Nice, smooth intro to the album. It is like a refreshing glass of cool water after listening to some more intense bands recently (Aerosmith, Tool etc.). A more chilling (in terms of temperature) track (for Sigur Rós), which leads to expecting a more chilling album.
Untitled 2
The light drum beat helps this song, and as the song progresses it keeps the upbeat sound. Nice, gentle rock that is quite relaxing. More towards the end of the song the listener gets the feeling that it will lead up to a climax, either later in the song, or later in the album, and the very soft ending leads the listener to believe that it will be the latter of the two.
Untitled 3
A simple instrumental, with a piano played all the way through. Though I don't mind the vocals, it can be nice to have a good break from them. The piano is played over a chilling noise, most likely a type of guitar, and this track is a prime example of the cold feeling that the album gives.
Untitled 4
The album starts to pick up. A thundering drum beat starts off the song and then the ringing-guitar sequence leads into the vocals. The ringing guitar returns throughout the song, and would serve as the first climax of the album. Jónsi's vocals are at one of their best moments, and everything just goes perfect in this track. The ending silence leaves the listener waiting anxiously for the next track to begin.
Untitled 5
Until now, the album would fit best on a sunny, winter day. Cold, but not dark. As the fifth track rolls along, though, the album takes a much darker turn. The begining of the track, still feeling cold, now has a gray feeling too it as well. After the more upbeat, happy "Untitled 4," "Untitled 5" surprises the listener and brings a depressing feeling with it. Even the climaxes in this track have a much darker and deeper feeling than those in the previous four tracks, and the main climax in this one soars above the other previous ones. This track proves to be the major turning point for the album, as it brings a whole new feeling.
Untitled 6
After the dark "Untitled 5" there is no knowing what could possibly be in store for this track. It continues with the dark and cold feeling, with a steady drumbeat behind the saddest vocals up to this point in the album. The climaxes, much like in "Untitled 5," are of a gloomy and morbid nature, and it is clear that the build up from the first four tracks lead to all of these unexpectedly dark climaxes (the best of which thus far in the album is late in "Untitled 6").
Untitled 7
After what could easily be the peak of the album, the listener is most likely expecting the album to settle down for a close in the last two tracks. The begining of "Untitled 7" even suggests that, but this masterpiece of an album isn't done yet. The vocals are probably the most cheerless and despairing of the whole album, with an almost effortless feel to them. The track is home to several extremely dark track-climaxes (climaxes of the song, not the album(album-climax)), but in the middle of the song, and again towards the end, there is are surprising album-climaxes, just when the listener thought that the album was dying down! The climaxes are still of the sorrowful nature, and have been since the dark tone took over in "Untitled 5."
Untitled 8
The final track opens up with a not-so-dark guitar intro, one that will surprise the listener with the sudden change of tone. The drum beat continues the more joyful feeling. The vocals return to the jovial sound not heard since "Untitled 4," and the climaxes hold a new cheer that was unseen in the album until now. Parts of this track still include the darker chilling effect when the guitar can be heard wailing in the background, but overall, the track, though still chilling and continuing with the cold feeling, is much more joyous. About half-way through the song, there is a sudden change back to the darkness of the previous three tracks, as it is mostly a solid drumbeat with despair in the vocals once again. This shocks the listener, just as they were getting settled in with the happier side of Sigur Rós. This drumming leads into the greatest climax in the album, when the drumming, picks up greatly towards the end of the track, and the guitar keeps the extremely dark feeling with it. The highlight of the album, the peak, the climax. After hearing the great peaks in other tracks, this was not expected. And after the more jovial begining to "Untitled 8," the darkest part of the album was not foreseen by the listener in the very same track.

Now it's all over, and the listener is overwhelmed with feelings. The album hits hard with both joyful feelings and feelings of despair. Sigur Rós 's ( ) is one of the most emotional albums that I've heard.

As with any post-rock album, it is full of downtime and climaxes. This album just happens to make all of it amazing. Though it helps to be a post-rock fan before trying this album, you should give it a try regardless of your previous tastes.

As the art for the album cover suggests, and as I mentioned several times during my review, the album is best for a cold, gloomy day. Summertime listening, though could still be enjoyable, is not what was intended when the album was created. No other album is more appropriate for a cold, dark day. One of a kind.

Now after a little over an hour of the soft and deep Sigur Rós, I think I'll put on Ween's Chocolate and Cheese.