Prepare to be run over by Sigur Ros.
That’s because the title of the group’s sixth studio album will be titled “Valtari”, which allegedly translates to “steamroller” in English. The Icelandic band revealed the title of the upcoming set in a recent interview with Q Magazine, in which they also described the sound of the album as “dreamy” and “introverted”, among other adjectives.
Frontman Jonsi Birgisson, who recently scored the soundtrack for Cameron Crowe’s “We Bought a Zoo” and also released a solo album in 2010, compares it to “an avalanche in slow motion.” Bassist Georg Holm told the magazine there will be more electronic sounds than on prior albums, but not to worry: “We haven’t made a dance record.”
This will be the band’s first album since 2008’s “meo suo i eyrum vio spilum endalaust” (“With a Buzz in Our Ears We Play Endlessly”), which peaked at #15 on the Billboard 200.
As noted in the article, the new set will consist of at least seven tracks (though it’s unclear whether there will be more than the ones listed), and it’s slated for released on May 28 in the U.K. and on May 29 in the U.S.
UPDATED: Listen to Sigur Ros’ exceedingly pleasant first single from the set, “Ekki Múkk.”
Sigur Rós – Ekki múkk from Sigur Rós on Vimeo.
“It’s not like anything else we’ve ever done”, said Holm. “You could say our past records have been uplifting, or depressing, but this I’d compare to looking at an old landscape painting.”
Are you looking forward to new material from the band after such a long hiatus? Sound off in the comments!