Lögberg-Heimskringla - 04.11.2005, Qupperneq 13

Lögberg-Heimskringla • Föstudagur 4. nóvember 2005 • 13
Iceland’s ethereal Sigur Rós electrifies Minneapolis
Sigur Rós with Amina
State Theatre, Minneapolis,
MN
September 24, 2005
Reviewed by
Mykael Sopher
In fantasy, folklore, and
mythological tales, protagonists
often encounter enchanted, inde-
scribable forests. This scenario
is complete with an eerie atmo-
sphere that encapsulates the he-
roes, leaving them in a dream-
like state. On this evening, when
Sigur Rós took the stage, it felt
as though the State Theatre had
become one of these ambient
enclosures.
The show began with Sigur
Rós veiled behind a silk curtain,
playing the tracks “Intro” and
“Glósóli” off their newest re-
cord Takk. As “Glósóli” came
to an end, the curtain rose, re-
vealing Jonsi, Kjartan, Orri and
Georg, the enigmatic members
of Sigur Rós.
The next track, “Ný Bat-
terí,” saw Sigur Rós joined by
opening act and frequent tour-
mates Amina, who remained for
the show’s entirety. The addition
of this all-female string quar-
tet was essential; their string
section produced many of the
subtleties heard on Sigur Rós’s
records.
Two notes into the next
song, the mysterious “Svefn-g-
englar,” and the band received
the biggest crowd response of
the night. This track was one of
the show’s highlights, from its
slow mesmerizing tempo to its
dancing, flickering lights mov-
ing over the stage. At this point,
it was evident that the crowd
was entranced by the magical
essence of Sigur Rós’s music.
The rest of the set consisted
of crowd favorites like “Vaka,”
“Viðrar Vel Til Loftárása,”
“Sæglópur” and the sublime
“Hafssól,” which fealured bass-
ist Georg Olm using a drum-
stick to set the song’s rhythm on
his bass guitar. After showcas-
ing over eleven tracks, the set
ended and the bands made their
way backstage, only to retum
following a standing ovation.
For this final track, “track
8,” off their untitled () album,
the background screen dis-
played images of birds perched
on a wire, taking flight and re-
turning. As the song wore down,
the members of Sigur Rós slow-
ly left, one by one, until only
the drummer Orri remained. As
Orri hit his last drum and exited
the stage, all of the birds on the
background screen flew off the
wire with meticulous detail and
did not return. To signal the end
of the show, Sigur Rós and Am-
ina came out clapping, while
repeatedly bowing for the audi-
ence. The crowd responded with
the second standing ovation of
the evening.
After Sigur Rós took their
final bow and the crowd made its
way to the exits, a quick glance
in any direction showed faces
filled with confusion. It was as
though these faces were in the.
process of deciding if what they
just witnessed had actually oc-
curred.
Reprinted with permission
from Stylus magazine.
The Lögberg-Heimskringla Crossword Puzzle
by David Jón Fuller
“Writers and
company”
ACROSS
2. On his or her own
4. Beam of light
9. Plague carrier?
10. Can’t get around it
13. Pertaining to sound
14. Early 1990s video game
phenomenon
16. Purchase
17. Mechanical practice
19. Solemn promise
23. Wailing pussycat?
24. “Pish for thee, lceland_!
Thou prick-eared cur of
lceland!”
25. He established absolute
zero
29. Writer of The Swan
30. Wood made famous in
longbows
32. Writer of fractured fairy
tales
35. “Float like a butterfly, sting
like a___”
36. Writer of Eccentric Islands
39. In and of itself, to Caesar
40. Mischievous spirit
DOWN
1. Attempt
2. Old Norse poet
3. Edible seaweed
5. UK city founded as Jorvík
6. Celebrated 150 years of lce-
landic settlement this year
7. Small Scandinavian sprite
8. Menace to grain stocks
11. Celebrated 130 years
of lcelandic settlement
this year
12. Army or carpenter insect
15. Long period
16. Writer of Letters to lceland-
ers
18. Writer of Gentle Sinners
20. Is supposedly 20/20
21. Unsteady
22. Flute or Scottish kingdom
26. High-speed toboggan
27. Greek letter or discarded
video format
28. Humorous N. Dakota poet
31. Farewell, to Jacques
33. Useful for guiding a horse
34. Group divide
37. Untruth
38. Tiny
ANSWERS ON PAGE 15
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