Blank verse

When Sigur Rós first came round our way in 1999 for a Music Centre show alongside Godspeed You Black Emperor, few would have thought that the Icelandics would go on to conquer the world with their stupendous Agaetis Byrjun album. It sold significantly in Australia, Japan, the States and all over Europe and saw them tour far and wide on the personal invitation of Radiohead’s Thom Yorke. Finally, this winter we are treated to its even more accomplished successor simply entitled ( ). The album is untitled bar those two brackets and has no track listing or song titles whatsoever.

“When we released our first album, it was all in Icelandic,” Georg Holm begins by way of an explanation. “We’d talk to people and they’d tell us all these stories about how they interpreted the songs and what they meant to them. Sometimes, they would understand specifically what they were about although they didn’t understand the language at all. We started writing new songs so we wrote the lyrics in a babble language. When we started recording them, we thought maybe we should write some lyrics, but then we thought that there was no point because people understand the music without needing words. All we are doing is taking it one-step further - no lyrics, no titles. People can fill in the blanks themselves so they can help finish the album.”

Having been such regular visitors to these shores, Georg and his bandmates really appreciate the breakthroughs their Irish concerts have led to and identify very strongly with Irish people.

“The most memorable concert for me was the second last time we were in Dublin,” he recalls of their Temple Theatre engagement in 2001. “I loved it so much. I kept going back to it my head constantly for weeks and weeks on end. Dublin has been one of the best places for us to play. We love coming here. I guess it’s because Irish people are quite similar to Icelandic people. Scientists have been researching the gene pool in Iceland and they found out that we are 64% Irish. We always thought we were 90% Norwegian but apparently not. That’s why I think we share a similar sense of humour.”

And there is no doubt we also share a rather severe climate. Mind you, our winters aren’t anything near the extremity of Iceland’s.

“When we did our first record I think the climate had a big effect on that record,” Georg remembers. “ When we were recording it was the middle of winter, so the word that best described our prominent feeling was hope, so the album was called Hope. Sometimes it was so dark that a simple thing like lighting one candle can give you the light and hope that you need.”

Given these long, dark winters do the Icelandics drink much?

“They do, but not as much as the Irish though!” he laughs. “I don’t think we know how to drink. We don’t drink during the week so it’s all Friday evening. I think part of the reason is that beer and wines were illegal in Iceland for years. Only strong alcohol and spirits were permitted up until 1986. The reason was that the government thought that if beer and wine were on sale people would drink more because it’s so light - which is just bull! There are still weird things going on in Iceland. You can only buy alcohol from one shop, which is the government run shop. Therefore, it’s taxed very heavily. One beer is around five or five and half Euro.”

Georg reveals that the next Sigur Rós project will be an all Icelandic venture to soundtrack a documentary about the mad people who hang around Reykjavik bus station. They’re no stranger to soundtracks as the fourth untitled track on ( ) was used at the end of Vanilla Sky. In addition to making music, Georg has many other creative ambitions.

“I always loved reading and always wanted to write but I could never write more than half a page and then throw it way,” he muses. “It’s very hard but I wish I could. My father is quite good at it so I hope I have his genes! He is a journalist but he also writes poetry and translated a Leonard Cohen novel into Icelandic, which took him years. I went to film school as well, so I’ve always wanted to do something in that area but I’m lazy!”

On listening to ( ) repeatedly, I have to disagree. Georg and friends must be the most talented and prodigious bunch of lazy people in the world.