Sigur Ros - Atta

Released: 06/10/23

It's kind of amazing “ and a testament to the way the band touches people on an almost elemental level “ that Sigur Rós, an Icelandic band whose frontman, Jónsi, sometimes sings in an invented language called Vonlenska' (translated as Hopelandic'), and whose music often sounds like glaciers melting imperceptibly, or perhaps two icebergs slowly (very slowly) crashing into one another, all set to the most gorgeous strings this side of Arvo Pärt, have to date sold almost 10 million albums. It really gives one some much-need hope that humans are notalwayscomplete morons. 

While the band didn't really ever leave us “ there have been some excellent collaborations andfilm soundtracks in the intervening years “ÁTTA(now available on vinyl following a surprise digital release) is the first Sigur Rós album-proper since 2012'sKveikur, and thank Freyja, Odin and Thor for that. While I'm not of the opinion, like Johnny Keats, that beauty necessarily equates to truth, in a world ravaged by late-stage capitalism, increasingly totalitarian nation states, the Russo-Ukrainian war (see previous), and continued climate change denial, to enumerate just a fraction of our terrestrial ills, I do believe that the 40 or so minutes of sublimely meditative, sometimes almost overwhelmingly beautiful music withinÁTTAoffers some very much needed respite from our sea of troubles.