After the perfection of ‘Agaetis Byrjun’ and ‘()’, it was only a matter of time before the soundtracking requests came flooding in to Sigur Ros’ ice-capped hamlet.
Sometimes giving carte blanche to an inherently filmic band can go either way…in some cases, the band takes the opportunity to deliver something completely uncompromisingly obtuse, above and beyond the call of protocol, as was the case with Jonny Greenwood’s Bodysong soundtrack.
Fortunately, Sigur Ros have managed to remain somewhat true to their spectral aesthetic, although this latest offering neatly side-steps the orchestral histrionics which has gilded their previous two albums.
This may be their first foray onto a major label, but Babatikidido is still a typically unconventional project.. As the soundtrack to avant-garde choreographer Merce Cunningham’s 50th Gala Performance, this three-track instrumental wonder is appropriately fluid and dramatic. Gone, however, are the bracing layers of guitar, the waves of progressive, slow-burning balladry, the sounds of being sickeningly in love. Instead, the album gently soothes with Powerbook clicks and licks, and entices the listener into a euphoric trance with their ambient, minimalist intricacies. Effectively, Sigur Ros take the funereal futurism as suggested by the likes of Radiohead and bring it previously unimagined levels.
It may be not be quite as ambitious in vision as die-hard fans might like, but Sigur Ros are still very much artful perfectionists, space age dramatists; the untouchables