Sigur Ros - 'With A Buzz In Our Ears We Play Endlessly' (EMI) Released 23/06/08

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In 2005, something strange happened to the previously insular, untouchable world of Sigur Ros. After creating three sublime albums of otherworldly post-rock, they released ‘Takk’ and were suddenly as synonymous with BBC Wildlife documentaries as they were with the patronage of Brad Pitt and nasty little scientologist Tom Cruise.

Their previously cerebral sound sculptures went truly global and, as the old story goes their art suffered somewhat. Despite singing in a wonderful made up language called ‘Vonlenska’ that was seemingly straight from the Elfish tongues of Middle Earth, they were no longer outsiders. They were sound tracking everything from the World Cup to Oxfam adverts and their music was in danger of becoming a secondary association to various events and welcomed by the masses as a slightly edgier Coldplay, God forbid. 

Far from ‘Doing a Moby’, the band wisely retreated from the spotlight to put together the stunning ‘Heima’ DVD, released in 2007 featuring footage from various live shows in Iceland and acoustic reinterpretations of their glacial constructions (surely to call them songs would be an immense disservice). This was a crucial step in defining their next trick, as the first thing that we hear on this new LP is the strummed acoustics of ‘Gobbledigook’, a pastoral anthem to kick things off that recalls The Flaming Lips upon escaping the priest driven ambulance and finding their true pop splendour. Sung in Icelandic, it is an unexpected opening shot, providing a campfire glow and some impressive harmonies. Unshackled from the creeping sense of unease at the heart of their more instrumental moments, we begin to appreciate Jónsi Birgisson's delicate falsetto as a powerful instrument in itself and this single leads perfectly into the chiming music box charm of the second track (please, Editor don’t make me spell them all out- that would take up all of my word count!). Could this be their great pop record?

The problem is that arguably, this is a band that are at their best when conjuring up dark spirits from the ether whilst attacking their guitars with cello bows. The opening few tracks are all well constructed, almost summery ruminations suited to late-afternoon festival appearances (one is even called ‘Festival’). The tone is joyous, the brass and string arrangements provide a great sense of grandeur but  we’re soon crying out for something more atmospheric and unpredictable, hoping that the two personalities of the band aren’t mutually exclusive.

Unfortunately, it proves to be the case for much of ‘With A Buzz in Our Ears We Play Endlessly’. Despite outstanding moments of a hymnal and delicate otherworldy beauty on the aforementioned ‘Festival’ and the closing ‘All Alright’ (sung in English, unbelievably!) alongside the title track, the band seem grounded on Planet Earth. It is frustrating because when they set the controls for celestial overdrive, we know that they can transport us on a truly special journey. As a result, this album could provide the soundtrack to the first commercial Virgin Galactic flights to the Moon but you will soon feel like you have swiftly returned to earth with a resounding thud.