Rare EPs, part 3

Keeping it simple. This is Sigur Rós' Ný Batterí EP.

1. Rafmagnið Búið
2. Ný Batterí
3. Bíum Bíum Bambaló
4. Dánarfregnir Og Jarðarfarir

While I'm a big fan of everything Sigur Rós and their frontman Jónsi have ever released (including all Sigur Rós LPs and Jónsi's two recent side project albums), their sophomore album Ágætis Byrjun will always stand out as something special to me. This masterpiece is one of my definite favorite albums of all time – an intense 1-hour long deep dive into Sigur Rós unique and mesmerizing world. The track Ný batterí is in my opinion one of the most hypnotizing out-of-this-world experiences on the whole album, and I'd almost call it one of the album's highlights, if it wasn't for the fact that I think there are nothing but highlights on the entire album.

Ný Batterí's perfect progression, its beautiful build-up, is what really does it for me, and I used to think it was perfect – until I discovered this EP a couple of years back. On this EP, Sigur Rós extend Ný Batterí's initial horn section by almost five minutes, and dub this introductory part Rafmagnið Búið. Since this track continues directly into Ný Batterí, the result is essentially a twelve-and-a-half minute long extended version of one of my favorite songs. Track 3 and 4 on this EP are cover versions of two well-known Icelandic songs. Sigur Rós originally recorded these amazing cover tracks for the soundtrack to the Icelandic movie 'Angels of the Universe'.

For anyone out there who loves Ágætis Byrjun as much (or even half as much) as I do, these four tracks are bound to be happy revisit to this excellent period in Sigur Rós' career.

Live at By:Larm - Jóhann Jóhannsson

• mp3: Jóhann Jóhannsson - Part 2/IBM1403 Printer
  
• mp3: Jóhann Jóhannsson - Efripídes Og Neðripídel

Next up in my coverage of By:Larm is experimental artist Jóhann Jóhannsson from Iceland. Jóhannsson is classically trained and works as a composer of movie and play soundtracks, producer, and experimental electronic/ambient music artist.

His live show at By:Larm was one of the most unique concert experiences I've had in a long time. His hypnotizing electronic ambient music, played in near-darkness, was supported by a live string quartet, and the result was an overwhelming and moving experience, and a truly beautiful show.

Having the string quartet with him on stage allowed Jóhannsson to include some of the lush string-based tracks from his 2006 album IBM 1401, A User's Manual, which are rarely performed live. Check out the track Part 2/IBM1403 Printer to get an impression of how this album manages to combine long stretches of cold, low-volume machine bleeps and bloops and obscure snippets of an audio manual to an old IBM computer with sections of warm and intense strings, and turn it into something truly beautiful. It all fades into each other in a unique way that just works. It took me a while after this concert to realize that I was indeed back on planet earth, and no longer floating around space, or perhaps (as during the more intense sections) trapped in the spaceship of 2001: A Space Oddissey.

For something more easily accessible, try Efripídes Og Neðripídel from Jóhannssons more upbeat album Dís (2004). On this track, the electronic soundscape is supported by live drums and guitars for a more energetic and cheerful instrumental track.

(photo courtesy of Eskil V)