Top 50 Albums of the 00s - #12: Sigur Rós - Takk...

Yep, we're counting down the top 50. Click here for overview and criteria.

So the last posting in this series was, [checks watch] nearly four years ago. I have been extremely busy. And nobody, apparently reads blogs anymore. But if Twitter is about to die, maybe it’s time for a comeback? I referenced last time that this list was originally built nearly 10 14 years ago, and it's reasonable to expect that if I were to make it again today, there may be some alterations. Of the albums yet remaining at the top end of these rankings, the shakiest one is Takk…. Sigur Ros was new to me, and when this album arrived it felt like this bold, symphonic intent that was right up my alley – made just to impress me. I played it a lot.

But something has happened in the interim. Two things, I think. First, I eventually didn’t find the depth I would need for an album to stay in heavy rotation and therefor rank up with my all-time favorites. Is that because the lyrics are not actual words? Is it because there are only so many hooks in these songs? Or did I just move on to others things? I had big stretches of time in the 00s when I was single. Now I am married with two children. This is perhaps individual music and I have scant individual time nowadays.

  The second, and I may be wrong here, it feels like the world caught up to Sigur Ros. This kind of powerful, modern symphonic style approach became the norm in movies and car commercials. In fact, Sigur Ros provided the soundtrack for various car commercials. So perhaps they simply cannot stand out as they did 15 years ago.

I of course gave the record another coupla spins as I prepared this post, and it indeed landed flat for me. That said, there are still a few standout tracks. “Glosoli,” which impressed me so much it was the original “I just have to post this youtube and that’s it” entry, is still compelling with its steady build to an irresistible crescendo. 

 

But the standout is Sæglópur, which starts off innocently enough and then brings in a mix of darker tones to provide a base that it can quickly grow from. In an album reaching for anthemic moods throughout, it’s the one that most achieves it. And honestly is enough to give the record top 50 status almost on its own. It may not fit my life nowadays, but it’s not hard to hear why it once did.

Previous Entries:
#13- Tool - Lateralus
#14- Radiohead - In Rainbows
#15 - Interpol - Antics
#16 - Andrew Bird - Armchair Apocrypha
#17 - Jens Lekman - Oh You're So Silent, Jens
#18 - Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes
#19 - Band of Horses - Everything All the Time
#20 - The Lawrence Arms - Oh! Calcutta!
#21 - Amy Winehouse - Back to Black
#22 - Mission of Burma - The Obliterati