Live music review: Sigur Rós at ACL Live night one left our writer speechless

It’s difficult to put into words the relationship a fan has with an artist and their work as it generally revolves around how that work relates to that individual on an extremely personal level. Most of the time, that relationship is based on a connection to both lyrical and musical components of the music. Describing that connection with Sigur Rós is somewhat complicated, as what most of us have to work with, despite vocals being present, is solely the music. The band’s lyrical content, sung mostly in Hopelandic (a made up dialect with little to no meaning or literal translation), serves as a vehicle for Jón Þór “Jónsi” Birgisson’s, voice which at times is the boldest instrument on a track.

Sigur Rós brought this music experience to life at ACL Live at the Moody Theater Monday night, the first of two appearances at the venue, and if you ask those in attendance what took place on that stage and in that room, the answers could be as diverse and mysterious as the band itself, but only in the best way. Fan or no fan, the emotional push and pull of this band live is hard to deny. Frankly the show was so good it left our writer speechless. -Editor

Photos of this performance do not represent the experience by any means. With a limit on time to shoot, the opportunity to capture the band’s ability and talent to slowly reveal itself through its diverse, complex collection of material over 20-plus years, securing the full experience is limiting to say the least. Perhaps it’s best that way.

 

Over the course of two-plus hours with a short intermission, Sigur Rós showcased their unique ability to transverse a musical landscape that can feel as desolate, intimate, and stunning as their home country, Iceland while working their way into a swell of sonic dissonance over lengthy periods of time, that pass with little attention to that time. If that sounds strange, it was meant to. Simply put, the band takes the audience on a journey that seems to speed up and slow down time at various points during the performance. It’s quite a trick.

The band gathered in a small corner of the stage for the slower, stripped down pieces, while finding their respective spots on stage for the explosive, building tracks that occasionally peaked with Jonsi pacing back and forth like a caged animal screaming into the abyss that was the audience. Awash in the musical build between these tempos,the audience found itself soaked in the faded lights from the stage, punctuated with explosive flashes.

Each track can be a journey. Each song holds something delightful in store for the listener if you give it proper attention. Patience is required when taking in a Sigur Rós show and should be applied more often in everyday life. An application that, when executed, can reveal the true beauty of this thing called life. Sigur Rós’s music and performance feel like all of the strongest emotions associated with life and being a human, expressed in a window of time that reveals itself over and over again throughout the journey.

 

Do most of us know the names of the tracks or albums? Doubtful. Does it matter? Not at all. Hell, some of us have been struggling to pronounce the band’s name for decades. But, that’s the point, maybe?

Making classical music for the modern world, Sigur Ros has captured without the need for lyrical meaning, the essence of what music is about. Beauty, fear, darkness, light, joy…life.

What’s in store for a second night of Sigur Ros at ACL Live Moody Theater? One would guess, a different journey with the same result.

Notable tracks are listed below but, quite honestly, a need to pick out highlights seems pointless.

“Untitled #1 (Vaka)

“Frysta fero”

“Untitled #3 (Samskeyti)

“Svefn-g-englar”

“Ny batteri”

All photos: Michael Maly