Standing Room Only
or
Hopelandic 101
Well, it sure has been a while, hasn't it? Sorry I haven't been around to entertain you, gentle readers. I've been busy round the clock just keeping my grades up and demolishing all my close personal relationships. You know. The usual bill of mayhem.
What you don't know is that I'm now the third biggest Sigur Ros fan on the face of the planet.
Sigur WHAT? That's right. I am in love with "an Icelandic post-rock band with shoe-gazing and minimalist elements." I can hear the protests already. Pourquoi, Larkin, pourquooooiiii! (Pronounced "poohr-kwah")
They played at the Pagent on Tuesday night. By the grace of god (Adam Olansky) Kay and I had free tickets AND a ride to the show (bless the man). When we arrived at the sold-out show, the place was already packed. Standing room only. Whatever, I thought. I've got strong legs.
But when I took a good look at the crowd around me, I began to grow apprehensive. What is this, an audience of kids in hoodies? And HIPSTERS? SHWAH? But wait, who are those hilbilly guys in the back there? The crowd was so mixed, I hardly knew what to expect. Was it a good sign or a bad sign that I couldn't spot a homogenous group in the bunch?
I almost left. The opening band sucked so bad, I scarcely wanted to stay for the main act. "This is WOMEN'S MUSIC," I proclaimed. "It is at once harvest-like and masterbatory. I'LL HAVE NO MORE OF IT!" At length, I was calmed, though the band - an experimental string, xylophone, and voice quartet - had given me a raging headache.
I'm so glad I stayed. Dear Lord. Sigur Ros. Where had they been all my life? Within minutes, the lead singer's epic keening had reduced me to tears.
From The Sigur Ros FAQ:
What language does jónsi sing in?
on von, ágætis byrjun and takk, jónsi sang most songs in icelandic but a few of the songs were sung in 'hopelandic'. all of the vocals ( ) are however in hopelandic. hopelandic (vonlenska in icelandic) is the 'invented language' in which jónsi sings before lyrics are written to the vocals. it's of course not an actual language by definition (no vocabulary, grammar, etc.), it's rather a form of gibberish vocals that fits to the music and acts as another instrument. jónsi likens it with what singers sometimes do when they've decided on the melody but haven't written the lyrics yet. many languages were considered to be used on ( ), including english, but they decided on hopelandic. hopelandic (vonlenska) got its name from first song which jónsi sang it on, hope (von). tracks 7-9 on takk are in hopelandic.
The music's fugue-like repetition, sustained tones, and soaring vocals made me think of Opera, Fado, and Bjork, deftly blended into one. Staggering sound built of simple layers. An opera from 6,000 years in the future. A holy polyphonic wedding cake - and I was the maid of honor.
Did I mention the lighting? I don't think I've mentioned the lighting yet.
The band had rigged lights of every color and quality around the stage. Some could move. Others changed shape. Some projected textures. There was a disco ball. There was a white sheetlike screen on which the band projected images of people marching, water crashing, blood dripping, whatever was appropriate to the song. It was brilliant. The audience was spellbound. I was out of my skull!
Long story short: I highly reccomend Sigur Ros, especially if you are into musical performance or theory. This band is really on to something. They made me cry.
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