Sigur Rós released their 7th studio album, Kveikur, in 2013. In the ensuing years, the band members had a few odds and ends, such as producing a version of The Simpsons theme song, appearing in Game of Thrones, re-releasing their internationally acclaimed sophomore album Ágætis byrjun with additional previously-unreleased material, a couple of songs for Black Mirror, their drummer leaving the band due to sexual assault allegations, tax evasion charges being given and then dismissed, and even lead singer Jónsi’s first museum exhibition in the US, at the National Nordic Museum in Seattle.

After that roller coaster of a decade, the band reconvened, and if the music they subsequently recorded is any indication, were ready to settle down a bit. ÁTTA, which is “eight” in Icelandic, is the Icelandic band’s eighth album in their nearly 30-year history. Like their previous albums, it is ethereal, lush, and deeply moving. Without a drummer, and consequently no real percussion in the album, ÁTTA may lack the bombast of past albums. But lacking in bombast by no means means “sparse.” The album was recorded at Abbey Road Studios in London, along with the London Contemporary Orchestra.

To match the rich orchestration of the recorded work, the band went on a global tour with a 41-piece orchestra called the “Wordless Music Orchestra”. A 30-city tour around the globe with 3 band members, 41 orchestra members, and countless roadies makes for a mind-bogglingly large effort. My wife and I got to see the fruits of their labor when they came to Seattle, and it was every bit as magical as you might imagine.

Along with the music for ÁTTA, the band engaged 10 filmmakers to create a short film for each song. They did a similar exercise for Valtari (#7 in 2012) If the emotional weight of the songs isn’t hitting you where it hurts, watching the visuals while listening certainly will. The short films that make up the ÁTTA Film Experiment are all vastly different and interesting – these were my favorites:

“Blóðberg” is arresting in its simplicity – a drone flight over a barren landscape that goes from endless sand and dead trees to bodies laid across the landscape for as far as the eye can see
“Klettur,” my favorite track on the album, is equally terrifying, with seemingly disparate sections featuring roller derby, kids in the woods being stalked by a shadowy figure, and blood coming out of the eyes of dolls
“Gold,” is unique in the way it shows what appears to be a man pining for and dreaming about a relationship lost
“Andrá,” shown above, is the best video in the Experiment – featuring real Sigur Rós fans with deeply moving stories being brought into the studio to hear the song for the first time and sharing their feelings

There’s not much else I can say about a band you’ve either heard of and love, or never heard of and will likely not enjoy. Sigur Rós, while creating ostensibly background music do an amazing job of forcing you to sit up and listen with your entire being. ÁTTA is no different.

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If You Leave by Daughter

On the bubble of the Top 10, here’s English trio Daughter to darken and depress your day. Igor Haefeli plays soundscapes and rolling hills of notes on his guitar. Drummer Remi Aguilella builds the excitement with well-timed, sparse, tribal-like percussion. And lead singer / songwriter Elena Tonra, with her diminutive frame and whisper-like voice, makes the band feel somewhat like that older dog at the pound that you just can’t resist taking home to give some proper love. Tonra plays a guitar in the band as well, her pad-of-the-fingers picking creates notes that are the perfect counterpart to Haefeli’s sonic chorus.

The band suffers from the Sigur Rós Malady, where each song starts off super quiet and builds to a crescendo, a cacophony of sound that’s as exciting and energetic as a lightning storm. And that’s not the only thing they have in common with the band from Iceland. I got to see Daughter play at Neumos back in May, which is when I discovered that Haefeli plays his guitar with a bow, just like Jónsi does. In my review of the show, I summed up Tonra’s voice thusly:

Tonra’s voice is the most beautiful whisper you’ll ever hear, both quiet and pitch perfect, subdued just enough to make everyone in the audience lean, actively working to not miss that one amazing tone we know is coming. Tonra doesn’t appear to suffer from stage fright — she’s not one to put her back to us — but all other signs point to her being a new kind of Chan Marshall, aka Cat Power, in poise and stage presence. Tonra’s stunning vocal range is in the higher registers (unlike Cat Power), but her style of singing intimate songs of breakup and heartache is a perfect match.

The encore of that performance was one for the ages, but unfortunately they played a song you won’t find on the album:

The band played a good array of songs from all three recorded works, and when they finally left the stage after their most well-known song, “Youth,” I got the impression there would be no encore. What could they possibly play, as we’d heard everything we expected to hear? After we gave our best, longest, loudest cheers, the band did indeed come back out on stage, to play the one song I’d heard before and expected them to not play: a cover of Daft Punk’s brand new single “Get Lucky.” When they played the song in late April on BBC One, I’ll admit I listened to it many many times on repeat. So much so that now, when I hear the original Daft Punk version, it sounds like a cover of the Daughter version. Hearing their cover live on stage at Neumos was the perfect capper for the evening.

You may be thinking it’s impossible that there could be ten albums better than this one that came out this year. Just wait and see, the best is yet to come!

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12. Pedestrian Verse by Frightened Rabbit
13. The Silver Gymnasium by Okkervil River
14. The Next Day by David Bowie
15. Reflektor by Arcade Fire
16. We Are the 21st Century Ambassadors of Peace & Magic by Foxygen
17. Lanters by Son Lux
18. Howlin’ by Jagwar Ma
19. Impersonator by Majical Cloudz
20. Dream Cave by Cloud Control
21. Mole City by Quasi
22. Phantogram by Phantogram
23. Julia With Blue Jeans On by Moonface
24. Uncanney Valley by The Dismemberment Plan
25. Event II by Deltron 3030
26. Wise Up Ghost by Elvis Costello and The Roots
27. Us Alone by Hayden
28. Pure Heroine by Lorde
29. Shaking the Habitual by The Knife
30. False Idols by Tricky
31. Let’s Be Still by The Head and the Heart

2012 Musical Bacon Calendar
2011 Musical Bacon Calendar
2010 Musical Bacon Calendar
2009 Musical Bacon Calendar

#18 on the 2023 Bacon Top 31 — Sigur Rós

#11 on the 2013 Musical Bacon Calendar