Takk... - Dark Publications

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Editorial Reviews:

Amazon.com
Just when this Icelandic crew seemed stuck in loud/soft/loud/ soft rut a la Mogwai or Godspeed You Black Emperor, they release their most beguiling, subtle and beautiful album yet. This album, allegedly the group's first sung in Icelandic rather than their own made-up "Hopelandic" (not that this listener could tell the difference) is relentlessly joyous, unaffectedly rad and inventive but never just for its own sake. Strings hold an ever more prominent place in the music, and this is a good thing. Songs unfold slowly as usual, but they take unexpected turns as often as not. The brilliant "Glosoli" burbles with as much melodic invention and anything by their fellow Icelanders Mum. Takk is a delight from start to finish, managing to be both their most accessible and experimental album yet. --Mike McGonigal

Customer Reviews: Read 186 more reviews...

5 out of 5 stars

Best of 2005: If you could see their music... you would see heaven September 21, 2005
156 out of 178 found this review helpful

Words will never suffice to adequately describe the music of Sigur Ros. Coming from Iceland, in a little more than five years, they've made the universe their stage, with a sound that doesn't repeat anywhere else in nature and touching some of the deepest fibers you could ever imagine to be found inside of you.

With a balance of instruments and ethereal voices that doesn't know barriers or limitations imposed by musical genres, their fourth album, "Takk...", exceeds all expectations by their previous fans, leaving their previous production, "( )", in the dust. It will take you in a trance you will not want to leave and it will force those riding with you in the car to tag along with you, something that they are not likely to regret.

If you think I am exaggerating, take a pick: there's almost no part of this album that you can go wrong with. Whether you want to call their sound post-rock or any other name you care to give it, it doesn't matter. The truth is, if you could see their music... you would see heaven.

5 out of 5 stars

Sigur Ros's 4th Album - Takk September 16, 2005
82 out of 105 found this review helpful

For the most part, the music I enjoy are by artists who don't release much material these days - people like Pink Floyd, Roxy Music, Queen, Yes, Bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen, etc. However, there are very few artists performing on a regular basis today that I get excited about when I hear they are releasing a new album. Radiohead is one of those as is Wilco and Beck. But it is this album by Iceland's Sigur Ros that had me excited for well over a month (and would have been longer if I had known about it sooner!).

And I am happy to say that I am not disappointed by "Takk". I have to admit that I didn't like "( )" aka Untitled as much as "Agaetis Byrjun" but Untitled has grown on me. I think the reason for that is Untitled is more bleak and sadder compared to "Agaetis Byrjun". "Takk" is a more upbeat album for sure compared to Untitled and the song lengths seem to have gotten shorter. But you know after hearing the first 15 seconds of the album's instrumental title track, that this is a Sigur Ros album. After the opener, Sigur Ros goes for the throat immediately with the outstanding "Glosoli", one of their all-time best songs, IMO. After hearing this song, it is very apparent to me that My Bloody Valentine is a huge influence on Jonsi and the rest of the band. Track #3 is a very joyous song and reminds me of a shorter version of some of the tracks on "Agaetis Byrjun". The next 2 tracks were alright, but nothing outstanding. That all changed with track #6, "Saeglopur" - this one song by itself makes buying this album essential. It is like they took the best parts of "Agaetis Byrjun" and Untitled and mixed in some My Bloody Valentine and came up with this monster. Words cannot describe this song - it is a just phenomenal song.

Unfortunately, with such a mindblowing song in the middle of the album, it was inevitable the rest of the album would pale in comparison. Track #7 is okay but meanders a little too much and then we have "Gong" (Track #8) - one of the few songs on the album that the band had played live in concerts. It is one of the best songs on the album with some phenomenal drumming. The last 3 tracks are solid but nothing special.

The end result is that "Takk" is a very solid album that weakens just a little bit near the end. Not as great as "Agaetis Byrjun" but an album that is just as good or better than Untitled, IMO. Buy it simply for track #6 and prepare to have your jaw drop in amazement.

5 out of 5 stars

Would you smash a priceless bottle of wine? January 15, 2006
42 out of 59 found this review helpful

The reviews here at Amazon.com never cease to astound me. Some knock me out with their sensitivity and intelligence, some make me laugh out loud with joy at their use of humor to express their feelings, some make me laugh out loud with disgust at their pretentious attempts to sound sophisticated while not being able to spell or use correct grammar...and some make me shake my head in disbelief at the level of hatred they generate in response to something they simply cannot understand, appreciate or begin to relate to. More often than not I've heard some reviewers pose the question: If you hate this recording so much, why are you going to the trouble of writing a review of it? Do you feel some twisted obligation to "strike a balance" in the presentation of reviews? Do you feel the need to make those who love the recording feel like self-conscious idiots? Or is it merely some alternate way of venting your anger over the fact that you're involuntarily without a significant other, living in your parents' basement, and earning a "paycheck" by flipping burgers at the local Mickey D's?

After listening to Sigur Ros's previous 3 albums--and after being overjoyed by the uptempo, more optimistic feelings expressed in TAKK--I hold to the theory that they are not of this world. They are not OF the musical mainstream in any sense. Their music gives new meaning to the term "exotic." In short, they are an ACQUIRED TASTE, like a fine bottle of wine. Imagine that for a moment, if you would. Someone hands you a bottle of wine that is priceless, one that collectors would consider killing for. You feel privileged to be holding such a treasure in your hand...you pour the wine into a crytal goblet, and take a drink...and sadly, it just doesn't do it for your palate. Now the question arises: Would you, because you weren't enamored with the wine, smash the bottle to the ground? Or would you instead act from a place of evolution and consideration for those around you, and simply put the cork back in the bottle, smile, and hand it to the person next to you for their consideration? Something to think about.

Sigur Ros are not for everybody. Speaking for myself, I feel blessed to be familiar with their music. Since hearing "Svefn-G-Englar" (which I STILL regard as the most beautiful song they've ever written), I have looked forward to each new release from them, and TAKK could very well turn out to be their Sergeant Pepper album. It is a masterpiece. But, as has been pointed out, they'll more than likely never end up in Billboard's Top 10. And, as has ALSO been pointed out, those of us who appreciate their unique, one-of-a-kind music from another planet could not care less about that. It is the singularity of this band's music that is the major source of its drawing power and keeps those of us who love them singing their praises. They are coming to do a concert in Kansas City on February 22nd, I have my ticket, and I feel like a kid who's been given a free pass to my favorite candy store. If only there were more artists like Sigur Ros in this world, musicians unfettered by the demands of the music industry, fashion & trendiness, who forge bravely ahead and express themselves freely & without reservation or self-consciousness...wow.

Mysterious, ethereal, charming, mystical, other-worldly, trance-inducing, thought-provoking, full of imagery...Sigur Ros is all this and so much more. Listen to "Svefn-G-Englar" & TAKK in its entirety, and see if you don't agree. And if you don't...pass the bottle of wine to the one next to you and move respectfully on.

5 out of 5 stars

Exhiliarating, Takk is an unqualified improvement September 14, 2005
16 out of 17 found this review helpful

It's not a joke to say that "Takk . . ." is Sigur Ros's most accessible album, but anyone who heard its cryptic predecessor, "()," knows that the Icelandic quartet has a long way to paddle to reach the mainstream.

Specialists in abstract soundscapes that sometimes coalesce into melody, singer Jonsi Birgisson and his cohorts don't construct verse-chorus-verse rockers or loop-and-thump ravers. But the band, working with co-producer Ken Thomas, has brought new focus and presence to its wispy music on "Takk . . . " (which means "Thanks"). While such fantasias as the 10-minute "Milano" resemble a mash-up of Eno, Sibelius and Radiohead, the pretty (and relatively compact) "Hoppipolla" has moments that suggest a Nordic interpretation of circa 1966 Beach Boys.

The group has playfully labeled "Takk . . . " its rock 'n' roll album, and the drums and guitars are more emphatic than before; "Glosoli" even builds to a climax that crashes and burns like My Bloody Valentine. Devotees of Sigur Ros's breakthrough release, 1999's "Agaetis Byrjun," may find this one too extroverted. Yet there are many familiar timbres, starting with Birgisson's falsetto and including twinkling keyboards and slithering bowed instruments (guitar and violin). What has changed is the sense of dynamics, which doesn't alter the band's fundamental design. It's just that many of this disc's loveliest passages are set off by roars rather than whispers.

Hell, even if you tried, a serious, involved listen to Takk... will blow that can right open. It's that well-constructed, thoughtful, emotionally provocative and cathartic.
Takk is one of the very few ways major labels get it right. Music like this deserves a wide audience, for its sheer audacity, skill, and penetrating beauty.

This is simply the best of Sigur Ros.

2 out of 5 stars

I just don't know.... April 3, 2007
16 out of 20 found this review helpful

I know I am joining a dwindling minority when I speak against this band, but I just can't help myself. I own two Sigur Ros albums including this one and I have listened to them many times in attempt to understand why this band has such a sterling reputation, but I have failed to uncover this mystery.

It seems like in the writing process, Sigur Ros get in a huddle and say to themselves, 'Lets find the most beautiful sound we can and use it throughout the entire album.' I mean, the sounds this band can make are amazing, but there is absolutely no 'umph' nor meaning to this music as far as I can tell. Its like this band tries to recreate the sound you hear while stepping through heaven's gate, and succeed! But I do not want to remain at heaven's doorstep throughout an entire album. I want a band to take me into heaven and show me how it feels to live amongst the clouds, and walk on solid gold. There is very little variation in all of Sigur Ros works, and very little more than one long, but pretty droning sound. This album is like staring directly into the sun; its bright and overwhelming at first, but after a couple of minutes your eyes get tired of it, and block it out.

Personally, when I listen to music I want it to take me places. I want to expirence an aurol journey that lifts me off my feet with passion and energy, and Sigor Ros does not deliver. This band provides nothing more to me than a pleasant background noise. For the record, a little light/dark contrast goes a long way in music, and the same shining noise throughout an entire album is a good start, but gets stale and overdone very quickly. Just think how much brighter the light would be, mixed with a little bit of darkness! Think about how much more interesting the Sigur Ros concept would be with the slightest bit of contrast. Some will argue that there are dynamics throughout this album, and I will agree, but anyone can play music louder to create a cheesy sense of climax. Change is good! No change is boring.

To me, Sigur Ros lacks everything I look for in music: Contrast, direction, backbone and passion. If I were you I would check out Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Explosions in the Sky, and Pelican for music with personality.

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