ABON 0040. 2008. SIGUR ROS – ALL ALRIGHT

Sigur Ros are from Iceland. I’ve no evidence to support this but I like to think that Sigur Ros might just have been influenced by The Fall when in 1982 our heroes from Manchester became the first band I know  to tour Iceland. No idea what the population of Iceland made of The Fall but maybe the fledgling Sigur were inspired by Mark E Smith’s majestic but very skewed take on the English language to create their own version of Icelandic. Because, Sigur sing in Hopelandic – a version of Icelandic but one they invented themselves.

Might be a surprise to all those who believe lyrics are more important than music but to my English ears the noises Sigur Ros make communicate more profoundly than the lyrics of practically anyone else currently singing in English. Even though I couldn’t translate one word of it for you. Except perversely on this track which is the only one they’ve ever recorded in English. So hauntingly beautiful is it though that: 1. I had to choose it and 2. it always makes me cry. Which is why I’ve chosen it for ABON while I’m not here to listen.

Released 2008.

Available on the CD ‘Me Su í Eyrum Vi Spilum Endalaust’ which translates as ’With A Buzz In Our Ears We Play Endlessly’: Amazon.

Of course if you know someone really really special you might want to buy the Deluxe Edition which contains amongst other things a numbered unique piece of genuine 35mm film from the video of the making of the album. In which case you need: SigurRos