Mirroring Sigur Rós' career as a whole, Valtari flows through a series of peaks and troughs, each as beguiling as the last.
Sigur Rós delivers a nearly percussion-free batch of ambient soundscapes that may frustrate fans of its more direct predecessor, but ranks among the group’s most elegant records.
Valtari might not be a huge digression for the band but that doesn’t matter: this is quietly, entrancingly and thoroughly sublime.
Valtari bridges the gap between contemporary classical and post-rock music quite brilliantly.
Valtari proves that Inni was more of an unfortunate blip than the sign of impending stagnation.
As an album, Valtari might not be the band’s masterwork, but it very well could be their re-birth.
Valtari is universe music, the type of stuff to fill a cathedral, or maybe a valley.
The first half of Valtari, the sixth album by Sigur Rós, is a negotiation with the remnants of the non-album: there remains something, in pieces, of Sigur Rós throughout the first four songs.
Valtari, their long-awaited joint band effort, revolves to realign their focus instead of undergoing any drastic transformation.
Valtari is a complex album and time is required for these songs to become truly effective. Once their beauty becomes apparent however, it becomes clear that Valtari is up there with Sigur Rós’ best work.
On the surface, Valtari may seem like a step back for the band, but instead of just retreading the past, the album is one of their best; a refined display of their musical power with breathtaking dynamics and enough emotion to flood an ocean.
Just like it’s easy to imagine the band using Valtari‘s original recording sessions to try to out-cotton candy their most recent efforts, it’s equally easy to imagine that, when those sessions turned up nothing worth releasing, Sigur Rós scrapped everything, took their time, avoided cheap thrills and outlandish statements, and submitted a powerfully gentle album; the first sheet of ice covering the lake.
While not a major departure, Valtari adds a fresh, ghostly layer to Sigur Rós’ slow-motion sprawl.
A masterpiece it isn’t, but Valtari is undeniably significant, as this could be the very moment where Sigur Rós have hit the ceiling of their own beauty.
If you’re not a convert to Sigur Rós’ ethereal, wide-eyed majesty, then this probably won’t do anything to change your mind.
It draws up comparisons to the band’s best work without really ever coming together as a satisfying, whole piece.
Unfortunately, Valtari may induce sleepiness for less transcendent reasons.
Their sixth studio album so flattens and narrows Sigur Rós' aesthetic to the point where the title scans as self-parody.
Where do you draw the line between some dizzyingly universal sense of the profound and a tired string of empty platitudes?
Impeccably produced, Valtari ultimately feels like two diametrically opposed albums.
Overall ... this is a sweet and beautiful album. Even better, it doesn’t have to be your “thing” to be an enjoyable listening experience. Lovely.
The album is the opposite of its namesake—a lighter-than-air affair that lands with the intensity of a feather.
In the past, they have demonstrated the power to leave people flattened: Valtari, however, just falls a little flat.
Sigur Rós Discography Speedrun #6:
Wow this is so beautiful, tracks like the third and fourth are why I listen to this band, really insanely good songs.
BUT, the rest of the record is pretty boring, though still good. And like Strangelightsyd said, it's still impressive that such a beautiful record is the weakest of their discography.
“So fair, so cold; like a morning of pale spring still clinging to winter's chill.”
This is one of the most underrated albums I've ever come across. It's not disliked per se, mostly just ignored in favour of the band's louder and more daring records. I think this is daring in its own quiet way. Like the quote eludes to, this reminds me intensely of the smell of morning in spring, when the dew would cling to the tall, green grass outside my childhood home. It's incredibly soothing ... read more
Who knew It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia would get me into Avant-garde Icelandic ambient rock?
This music is georgeous. It's a blissful, intensly crafted piece of what could be considered 'nee classical'. Each track brings more creativity and passion then the last, with the arrangements, while sounding similer, being so beautiful and graceful that it's almost like your being transported to another world. From the lush intrumentation to the fragile yet powerful vocals, it's trancendence music ... read more
Deviating a lot from "post-rock" towards ambient music, Valtari is structured out of many different layers of sound that feel like looking through layers of glass and staring at thousands of reflections. The melodies composed through this orchestration have an amazing ability to touch a particular chord in the human soul that makes you want to cry.
1 | Ég anda 6:15 | 86 |
2 | Ekki múkk 7:44 | 89 |
3 | Varúð 6:37 | 91 |
4 | Rembihnútur 5:05 | 85 |
5 | Dauðalogn 6:37 | 85 |
6 | Varðeldur 6:08 | 90 |
7 | Valtari 8:19 | 83 |
8 | Fjögur píanó 7:50 | 85 |