| Med Sud I Eyrum Vid Spilum Endalaust | 
 enlarge | Artist: Sigur Ros
Label: XL Recordings
Category: Music
List Price: $11.98
Buy New: $5.98
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Avg. Customer Rating:  66 reviews
Sales Rank: 423
Media: Audio CD
Discs: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 5.6 x 5 x 0.5
MPN: 40364
UPC: 634904036423
EAN: 0634904036423
ASIN: B001ACY8D2
Release Date: June 24, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Customer Reviews:
 stop reading reviews June 28, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
i love sigur ros. to hear them sound so alive and fresh, it's pretty much awesome. this album evokes emotion just as well as the past albums, only it's a much different emotion, one of a content for life. for me the sounds of Agaetis Byrjun were the sounds of falling in love, as i was. ( ) was there with me for some of my worst years, not to sound predictable, but for me it was true. this music doesn't need critiquing. just enjoy it. to read some of you write about sigur ros selling out is hilarious. do you really expect to hear Gobbledigook on the radio?
 Great album, but bring the joy! June 28, 2008
I'll be honest, this started as a three star review, because I was initially turned off by the downbeat music on what I'd hoped was the band's "happy album". But with repeated listening, I've come to appreciate just how lovely those quieter acoustic songs are. I'm still slightly disappointed that the album isn't more consistent in tone, and the exciting songs like tracks 2 and 6, and the second half of "Festival", are still my clear favorites. But I've come to really enjoy all of the songs, except for the just-okay "All Alright".
I've loved about 80% of the band's music, across all their minor changes in style from album to album, but I was more than ready for the big leap into happier, more upbeat music. I think the band is at its best when they're making big, majestic music, and that's still what I hope for with every new release. To hear that kind of grandeur in happy, somewhat "pop" music is a great joy, and I hope that they bring more of that on their next album. In the meantime, this one might not be exactly what I wanted it to be, but I still really love it.
It's Good to be Heima June 27, 2008
4 out of 5 found this review helpful
In the Heima video (spelled Heim by iTunes but not by Sigur Ros--for whatever reason?) Sigur Ros spoke of a pervasive yearning and desire to return home--'home' being spoken of in a far deeper sense than simply returning to Iceland. Sure, they were coming off a busy touring schedule and obviously missed the beautifully bleak, dreamscape countryside, along with its lovely people--all which played vital roles in shaping the band's musical identity. I certainly have no difficulty in understanding this sentiment. The music and video footage alone were enough to inspire me to begin planning an eventual trip to that oft forgotten land of mystery and romance. Sigur Ros are obviously quite tied to this place they know so well & who can blame them? Imagine what might have come of their music had they originated from elsewhere? Likely nothing. Therefore, I venture to say that Iceland itself is far more of an influence on their musical identity than anything happening in the chart-obsessed world of pop music. And thank God for that! On the present album, 'Med sud I eyrum vid spilum endalaust,' I hear a refreshing reassessment and even a kind of reestablishment of the band's intrinsic identity with their cultural and musical heritage--something they began to express on the 'Hvarf-Heim' project. I would say the present album is the culmination of that return 'home.' The result is, quite naturally, a sound that's somewhat alien to what we're used to, but it's a sound that remains clearly rooted in the artistic identity of Sigur Ros. The primary changes, I would argue, are merely found in the album's sonic texture--most likely the result of the band having fresh production perspective. Certainly, no 'selling out' occurred. If anything, we're seeing the diametric opposite. But still, some will likely complain about the warmer, more acoustic-focused--dare I say?--'rootsier' sound. However, we must remember that people will nearly always complain when faced with change. Even when that change can so often be a very good thing. Change is a sign of life and of health. Stagnation is a sign of death and dying. When dealing with art that is authentic, pure inner-expression, at some point change becomes a 'necessary evil.' It is an inherent law of art's nature when there is spiritual evolution occurring within the artist. And I don't use the term evil in any traditional sense but more as a description of how the audience can sometimes feel when they're expecting one thing and suddenly experience another. Revulsion can be a natural, if unnecessary, reaction. But give it time. Because these are often the very works that turn out to be the purest and most bountiful step along the creative path. Personally, I think the change of sound is far less than overwhelming. In fact I welcome it with open arms and a fistful of stars. Five honestly doesn't seem quite enough.
With a buzz in our ears, we'll LISTEN endlessly... June 26, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
The new album is quite simply another masterpiece of modern musical work from one of the world's most innovative and unique music group - Sigur Ros.
The first track, Gobbledigook, is absolutely amazing. To those who have dismissed it as a "pop song" - if it is, in fact, a "pop song", it's the most ADVANCED pop song I've ever heard, musically. What pop song can shift between time signatures and meters so easily and fluently, and drives your body to move along, that you're left with a dizzying sense of, "What... just... HAPPENED?" (one can also hear influence of composer Steve Reich in this song, so if you like it, check him out).
Don't put any prenotions of music history ahead of you when you listen to Sigur Ros. They working by their own rules, not the mainstream music scene's. This song was not written for "pop song" standards. It was written for THEIR standards alone, and it is a brilliant introduction to the new work as a whole.
They have not sold out - how can they sell out when they are as separated from the mainstream (US) music scene as they can possibly be?
The whole album floats through emotional territory with as much vigor and paitience as their past albums, but it's like staring at a beautiful landscape and simply... turning around and seeing the beautiful landscape that you could have missed if you had spent all day looking in one direction. This is a new direction. A new landscape. The sandbox that the members of Sigur Ros have been playing and creating in has just become bigger...
This album is also significant because it contains the first song ENTIRELY in ENGLISH (the only use before this was a name in "Heysatan" from "Takk"), and for us English-speaking fans, we should feel honored that Jonsi and the others decided to do this.
For those who like their earlier works, the minimalistic nature of the songs may come as a shock (but yet their work has ALWAYS been minimal in nature...), but it is enjoyable as MUSIC.
So listen to it as such. Not just as Sigur Ros, but as beautiful music. Which, obviously, it is.
A new direction, great sound June 26, 2008
11 out of 17 found this review helpful
It would be truly unfair to compare "Med Sud I Eyrum Vid Spilum Endalaust" to Sigur Ros's previous three records. First, this offers a new direction in sound and has little to do with their ethereal if entrancing previous LP's. Second, it incorporates a more joyous view on every track. And thirdly, how can one compare four albums that flow like a continuous stream, with music so dispair and no lyrics whatsoever?
The departure from the beautiful yet claustrophobic sound of their first two albums can already be heard on some tracks form Takk, but it isn't until the first track and lead single of Med Sud... that we see that they can as well succeed as a "pop" band.
As absurd as it appears, this is just one of those albums that needs to be listened to from beginning to end to be appreciated in all its beauty and complexity. Do not be fooled by the simplicity of opening track: there are some gems mixed in with the radio friendgly stuff(to name one, 'Festival", one of the best songs they've ever composed) that make this record strong from every corner it's seen.
That said, Med Sud is a grower. Its appeal will not show immediately like it did with Takk or even Untitled, but it grows in magnificence slowly with every listen.
The live rendition of the new songs is outstanding as well. If you are lucky to have them play near your hometown go see them by all means. One can only witness the complete Sigur Ros experience (music and feelings) by seeing them play live.
If this review lacks of any concrete mention to specific tracks is because I consider it incomplete to dissect an entire piece by unit. I recommend this record to anyone who liked or even to those whose liking was manning after Takk. It will sound like a nice fresh surprise and get you back on track with their music.
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