Sigur Rós – Ba ba ti ki di do

‘Ba Ba Ti Ki Di Do’ is the latest Sigur Ròs material. Sigur Ròs (‘Victory Rose’) is just one of those ‘indie’ groups that can’t go by unnoticed. They gained worldwide attention after their second album released in 2000, called ‘Agætis byrjun’. A while after that first global success, they released the highly atmospheric album ‘( )’.

The first thing that strikes you after listening to the band is the unique sound and singing, the latter which is best described as ‘androgynous’. The sound is mainly constructed by playing the electric guitar with a cello bow. Also, Sigur Ròs is not afraid of experimenting with weird electronic sounds and voice deconstruction. This is mainly the case on ‘Ba Ba Ti Ki Di Do’: three pieces of instrumental music, originally written for the Split Sides performance of the Merce Cunningham Dance Company.

The first two tracks ( ‘Ba Ba’and ‘Ti Ki’) are quite nice, with a sampled music box and some synthesizer melodies. They have a different sound than presented on ‘( )’because of the missing vocals and the absence of manipulated guitar playing which causes the atmospherical sound. Also there are a lot of clicks, cuts and little cracklings present that give the songs a strange but very pleasant structure.

The highlight of this mini-cd is the last track, logically called ‘Di Do’. It’s a slowly evolving track with a very strong and rhythmic apotheosis. It features cut-up samples of choreographer Merce Cunningham’s voice, which is of an experimental beauty I haven’t even heard in most ‘underground’ experimental records. It even has episodes of chaotic noise-bursts. I think most Sigur Ròs fans, unacquainted with unconventional music, will hate this effort of the Icelandic band, because it is much less accessible then their other work. Considering this is a special project, Sigur Ròs will probably return to their original sound on their forthcoming album.

Overall the mini-cd is a nice one, a perfect blend for lovers of both experimental music and post-rock. Comes in a nice digipack too.

artist: Sigur Rós
label: EMI Records
details: EP, 3 tracks, 2004