I love albums two and three. Should I check for album one? Do they have a solid catalog? Thanks in advance.

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Falcons, Braves, Bulldogs and Hawks

Geto Boys, Poison Clan, UGK, Eightball & MJG, OutKast, Goodie Mob

http://islasoul.bandcamp.com

First of all, it's a very long album. Second, half the tracks are these weird, dark ambient semi-songs while the rest kind of have a dreamy, guitar based sound. Good for what it is, but nothing like anything they did after.

Some highlights:

'Myrkur': http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GyOsJwLu9GQ
'Von': http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F6LCbJe1dmg
'Hafsol': http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4N0olSo2tR4&feature=related

They re-record 'Von' and 'Hafsol' a few times later on:
'Hafsol': http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8o7mH3jDjf4
'Von' (electric): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jY4F9FwrLjw
'Von' (acoustic): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bA4B7-d691M

The song 'Von' has become one of my favorite songs of theirs, but the album, as a whole, I would say is only of interest if you have to have everything.

~Austin

http://austintayeshus.blogspot.com
http://www.last.fm/user/Austintayeshus
http://twitter.com/Austintayeshus
http://soundcloud.com/austintayeshus

I really haven't listened to much Sigur Ros at all - what I've heard has sounded interesting but it hasn't really grabbed me yet.

Recommend the seminal Sigur Ros album for me and I'll give it a spin. I have a feeling I'll really dig it if I come to the band proper.


-thebigfunk

~ i could still snort you under the table ~

and if you like it, ( )

these are their 2nd and 3rd albums, respectively

Even though ( ) is my personal favorite, Ágætis is the best introductory album.

~Austin

http://austintayeshus.blogspot.com
http://www.last.fm/user/Austintayeshus
http://twitter.com/Austintayeshus
http://soundcloud.com/austintayeshus

Takk... is their fourth album. I think it is a very good album. Takk... was different for them when it came out because it has more conventional song structures and lengths. Plus, starting there gives you the ability to move on to their two best albums Agounposnoidn Byjonpojnniobuygv and ( ). I'm not a fan of starting with someone's best work cause then there's nowhere to go but down.

Inni would be a good intro b/c it's a live album that covers the majority of their discography. If you have the opportunity to watch the dvd/blu-ray that would be even better.

So it's all downhill for me then huh?

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Falcons, Braves, Bulldogs and Hawks

Geto Boys, Poison Clan, UGK, Eightball & MJG, OutKast, Goodie Mob

Takk was probably their last universally liked album. Opinions have just been split on every album since. Like I said, the Hvarf/Heim set, I would consider essential, even for casual fans. But also, as previously covered, a lot of people will disagree with that.

As far as Valtari goes, I think when everyone settles down a bit and sits with it for a while longer, they'll see it as a really strong album and a return to form for them. All the reviews I read seem to be preoccupied with the ambient second half of the album, while ignoring the unarguably strong, song-based first half.

~Austin

http://austintayeshus.blogspot.com
http://www.last.fm/user/Austintayeshus
http://twitter.com/Austintayeshus
http://soundcloud.com/austintayeshus

>Takk was probably their last universally liked album.
>Opinions have just been split on every album since. Like I
>said, the Hvarf/Heim set, I would consider essential, even for
>casual fans. But also, as previously covered, a lot of people
>will disagree with that.

Takk is cool. It seems as though they started going in a more
structured song direction which is hit or miss to me. I guess ( )
was a one shot deal. Can't catch lightning in a bottle twice.

>
>As far as Valtari goes, I think when everyone settles down a
>bit and sits with it for a while longer, they'll see it as a
>really strong album and a return to form for them. All the
>reviews I read seem to be preoccupied with the ambient second
>half of the album, while ignoring the unarguably strong,
>song-based first half.

It's cool. Their more structured songs aren't my cup of tea. I appreciate
the thorough breakdown you gave though fam. Greatly appreciated.

>
>~Austin
>
>http://austintayeshus.blogspot.com
>http://www.last.fm/user/Austintayeshus
>http://twitter.com/Austintayeshus
>http://soundcloud.com/austintayeshus

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Falcons, Braves, Bulldogs and Hawks

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(j/k):

"this time, however, they will be incorporated into a completely new show, which also comes with the potent promise of brand new material, post-dating even this year's ambient-leaning 'valtari' album.

...

there are rumblings from within the band of a 'hard left turn' in terms of what these changes might constitute. suffice to say, for now it's set to be a compelling 'watch this space' scenario."

Seems I'm one of the only people that *really* liked it.

~Austin

http://austintayeshus.blogspot.com
http://www.last.fm/user/Austintayeshus
http://twitter.com/Austintayeshus

~Austin

http://austintayeshus.blogspot.com
http://www.last.fm/user/Austintayeshus
http://twitter.com/Austintayeshus

~Austin

http://austintayeshus.blogspot.com
http://www.last.fm/user/Austintayeshus
http://twitter.com/Austintayeshus

-thebigfunk

~ i could still snort you under the table ~

As Austin said, it doesn't sound like the rest of their stuff. And it's a pretty bland album, so I say don't bother with it.

I think their third album ,( ), is their best. Everything else I've heard by them, excluding Von, is also good to great. That includes the soundtrack to Angels of the Universe and Jonsi's stuff outside the group.

Yes, they have an extrenely strong catalogue.

Since I already answered in regards to Von, and since you already know Ágætis Byrjun and Svigaplatan (which is the proper title for the parentheses album — the album and all of the songs actaully did have titles, the band just didn't want any text on the album other than their name), I'll answer going onward.

(I never checked out the Recycle Bin or Angels of the Universe things, mostly because of the scarcity of the actual albums)

Takk is like a poppier version of Svigaplatan. 'Hoppipola' was the single and it's a pretty good indicator of the whole album. A few darker moments like 'Gong', but mostly, it's just a really streamlined version of Svigaplatan. A lot of fans consider it their best.

The Hvarf/Heim set is really good in my ears (I linked a couple songs previously). One disc is acoustic and one is electric. They're all new recordings of old, previously unfinished songs. The versions of the two Svigaplatan songs on the acoustic disc are definitive, if you ask me. I feel this one gets a little underrated in the bigger picture, but I love it.

The Heima film is really good. I don't own it, but would like to.

Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust is good, but really uneven. The first half takes the poppy stance that was expanded upon on Takk and takes it to its logical progression. All of the songs are about four minutes long, have big bright choruses and are just generally really upbeat and catchy. The second half of the album is very slow and a bit plodding, honestly. There are some really cheesy flourishes in the arrangements that are just over the top and kind of overdone. That said, 'Gobbledigook' is probably my favorite song the band has recorded. Good, but uneven.

Inni is an excellent live album. It's just the four core band members playing the material by themselves for the first time in a live setting in several years, so it has a very stripped down, urgent quality to it. The band's entire career is covered and the performances are pretty intense (especially on the Svigaplatan material). The accompanying film is a great, if unneccessary, addition.

And then the new album is another turn, as the first half is basically a return to the sound of the Takk album, while the second half is a venture into full on ambient music. Personally, I love it, but it's gotten a pretty lukewarm reception from what I can tell.

~Austin

http://austintayeshus.blogspot.com
http://www.last.fm/user/Austintayeshus
http://twitter.com/Austintayeshus
http://soundcloud.com/austintayeshus

~~~~~~

...I visited my fam in Chicago–and by extension, the vinyl I've yet to relocate–I was surprised to find the ( ) album. I'd totally forgotten I bought it... I probably only listened to it once back when it dropped, but since getting into more ambient sounds lately, I'm really interested in checking it out.

That's my favorite LP of theirs. I've been listening to the last few albums but can't really get into them.

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Falcons, Braves, Bulldogs and Hawks

Geto Boys, Poison Clan, UGK, Eightball & MJG, OutKast, Goodie Mob

"Your current frequencies of understanding outweigh that which has been given for you to understand." Saul Williams

didn't like the past few albums but this one is right up my alley sound-wise. thanks for the recommendations again.

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Falcons, Braves, Bulldogs and Hawks

Geto Boys, Poison Clan, UGK, Eightball & MJG, OutKast, Goodie Mob

Oh. My.

Fucking.

GAWD.

'choons:
"jacques snicket." http://bit.ly/14iU9Xs
"pushed by wind." http://bit.ly/164IZGB
"It is, I think, an indisputable fact that Americans are, as Americans, the most self-conscious people in the world."
—Henry James
austintayeshus.blogspot.com

i bought the cd but i'm tempted to buy the vinyl too.

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Falcons, Braves, Bulldogs and Hawks

Geto Boys, Poison Clan, UGK, Eightball & MJG, OutKast, Goodie Mob

There's two more ambient-ish tracks on side one and a useless remix of 'Brennisteinn' on side two (I don't know - maybe it's not useless. I was not impressed, in any case).

The ten inch comes with the deluxe edition of the vinyl. It's a nice addition, but the proper nine-song album is really just right on its own.

'choons:
"jacques snicket." http://bit.ly/14iU9Xs
"pushed by wind." http://bit.ly/164IZGB
"It is, I think, an indisputable fact that Americans are, as Americans, the most self-conscious people in the world."
—Henry James
austintayeshus.blogspot.com

Haven't really been a fan of theirs, gonna have to go back and listen to their old shit now.

I own four of their seven albums. Ágætis byrjun, ( ), Takk... and the latest one. Couldn't really get into Valtari or Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust. Still need to give Von a thorough listen.

******************************************
Falcons, Braves, Bulldogs and Hawks

Geto Boys, Poison Clan, UGK, Eightball & MJG, OutKast, Goodie Mob