Sigur Rós - Takk

For its fourth full-length studio album, Sigur Ros returns to the sound that made the Icelandic ensemble an internationally renowned rock band. Whereas the group's first outing, VON, was dark and heavy, and 2002's () was often ambient and drone-driven, Takk...sees Jonsi Birgisson and the lads revisiting the chiming, soaring aesthetic of Agaetis Byrjun, the quartet's acclaimed breakthrough record. On this 2005 disc, Sigur Ros's melodies and rhythms ebb and flow beautifully, occasionally building to fierce, guitar-laden crests. Birgisson's high, wispy vocals are still key to the band's sound, but the foursome's intuitive instrumental work, which is highlighted by atmospheric keyboards and pounding percussion, truly carries these songs, resulting in a potent, mesmerizing album.
(FTP)