Which Sigur Rós songs do I like?

September 13, 2005 10:24 PM

I'm just back from my first Sigur Rós concert, and though I'd barely heard them before I'm blown away by the intensity of the percussion on the songs that have any - the way it pulls the noodly synth and new-age strings and incomprehensible vocals into driving ambient punk funk. But no-one seems to be able to tell me the names of the songs I heard! So does anyone here know which Sigur Rós songs have big drum crescendoes?
posted by nicwolff to media & arts (9 comments total)

There's already a set list posted here for tonight's show. That may help you pick out which songs you heard. (I'm not a Sigur Rós fan myself, so I can't help you beyond that.)
posted by nebulawindphone at 10:30 PM on September 13, 2005

I haven't really listened to the new album, but of the ( ) and Ágaetis Byrjun songs on that list, Ný batterí and 8 (at the end) are the songs with Big Drums.
posted by abcde at 11:25 PM on September 13, 2005

Looking at that set list, one of the tracks will be Sæglópur, which is track 6 from the new album, Takk. That song is absolutely amazing and builds up as you mention. I'm seeing them in November, and if I got the same set list as that, I'd be ecstatic.
posted by TheDonF at 11:42 PM on September 13, 2005

Sigur Rós was by far one of the best (maybe the best) shows I've ever seen. That looks like a great set, and the biggest crescendos have been covered (the last song, "The Pop Song", being the tour de force...), but on the whole the newest album, Takk, is the most upbeat.

Enjoy.
posted by rfordh at 12:07 AM on September 14, 2005

So does anyone here know which Sigur Rós songs have big drum crescendoes?

For those of us more familiar with the band, this is a very hilarious question.

Most of Sigur Ros' best songs (and about a third of their output) relies on crescendos with accelerating drums, bowed guitar, etc. If you download indiscriminately (particularly from Agaetis Byrjun and Takk) you're bound to find several of these tracks for sampling. And then go out and buy! (The first one if you'd like their best, their most recent if you'd like their most dumbly pop and accessible [in a good way], and ( ) if you want something more grim.)
posted by Marquis at 1:02 AM on September 14, 2005

Good stuff. This also describes lots of other 'post rock' type bands like Godspeed You Black Emporer and Explosions in the Sky.
posted by yeahyeahyeahwhoo at 6:26 AM on September 14, 2005

I think that one's called Untitled.
posted by mendel at 9:47 AM on September 14, 2005

yeah, I was at the same concert last night. Pretty ridiculous set, especially since I only ended up going cause a friend had an extra ticket yesterday afternoon.
posted by slapshot57 at 12:44 PM on September 14, 2005

OK Marquis and thanks all for helpful answers - the thing is that I downloaded all the most widely-held Sigur Rós songs off Gnutella (and then I distributed some child porn and worked on my plan to assassinate Bush) and none of them had that thing I like! But I know it was the song before the last song before the encore - the one where the drummer kept the fast paradiddle on the cymbal going for like ten minutes before breaking out the big stuff - that slew me. So that setlist is a big help.
posted by nicwolff at 1:52 PM on September 14, 2005