Grade: A-
Sigur Rós, Jónsi Birgisson's main project, if you've been listening to them over the course of their career, has seen its music steadily grow faster and faster until it becomes what we see here in a promising new single for the frontman. "Boy Lilikoi" is Birgisson's fastest-moving and quite possibly most happy-sounding song that he has ever recorded, but what intrigues me the most is that this is his solo work. Jónsi himself described the work as "orchestral," and while some say that may be an understatement, I see it as just another airy, packed Sigur Rós tune, which is certainly not a bad thing in the slightest. The lyrics are also in English, which, if you've heard the closing track to the full group's most recent effort, "All Alright," might make you a bit wary, but there is naught to fear. Jónsi sounds like, instead of the uneasy, broken voice he produced on said first English track, his old self again. The same impossibly high and beautiful falsetto is showered all over this track, harmonized and backed by a background choir that sounds fantastic. Not to sound like he's forgotten his native language, there's also a good bit of Hopelandic scattered throughout the song, where your generic rock band would insert an "Oh yeah!" As a long-time Sigur Rós fan, I may have some bias, but if every track on Jónsi's upcoming album (entitled
Go, to be released on March 23rd, 2010) sounds something like this, I am going to be overwhelmingly excited.
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