This time I'm responding to a member of the online community of which I am a citizen. I know him as Melon, and he has long contended that "Se Lest" is the best song on "Takk".
His initial comment:
Hey JAC,
Glosoli is great but Se' Lest takes my breath away every time I hear it. Not too many songs can pull that off.
I understand how the song could take the breath away from any living creature. But here is my response:
Melon,I think "Se Lest" is a beautiful song. Especially like the way Jonsi's tape-looped voice that floats throughout. The backing vocals are nice, too. The chorus sounds very symphonic to me, and that's not just because of the string section. The piano, like a music box, is sweet and I love the way the vibraphone takes over and eases the listener into the next section of the song. If there's one thing I don't care for in "Se Lest", it's the oom-pah band at the end, but even that sounds pretty cool when Jonsi's voice comes in...talk about a contrast. I suppose the oom-pah band is thrown in for humor value. At least they don't blow on and on. The fade-out, with the orchestral flourishes, is cool.
"Se Lest" is enchanting, but it's not the best song on the album, IMO. I tend to like the ones that slowly build to a full-on climax, or that do the old soft-loud-soft-loud bit. Not every band can pull that off successfully, but Sigur Ros has always been good at it.
"Glosoli" is probably my favorite track here. So atmospheric...once again, the atmosphere is generated by the multi-tracking of Jonsi's voice, tape loops and backwards masking. He sounds vulnerable, almost fragile, a little boy reaching for heaven, still young enough to believe it's possible. 4 & 1/2 minutes into the song the band crashes in and beneath the swirling, rising chaos, if you listen close, you can hear that boy caught up in all of it, and he sounds like he's arrived at his destination. The last 2 minutes of "Glosoli" is, without a doubt, some of the most exhilerating, spine-tingling music that has ever been recorded.
It took me a while to appreciate "Hoppipolla", because it's just too damn cheery. Beach Boys cheery, if you may. I like the darker landscaped these guys are so good at...not that much of "Takk" is all that "dark", but compared to this song the rest of the album might as well have been Joy Division. I eventually came around to it. Now I enjoy it quite a bit. But I think part of the reason I like it now is because it sets up the next piece, "Meo Blodnasir", which sounds like "Hoppipolla" played backwards with the band using that as a template for a whole new song. Kind of reminds me of the Stone Roses' track "Waterfall", in which they pull off a similar trick coming out of "Elephant Stone".
"Saeglopur" is a perfect example of how Sigur Ros handles the soft-loud-soft-loud approach. Only here it's more like a soft-loud-loud-louder. Then it winds down into feather pillow territory again.
At this point words begin to fail me... I didn't set out to write a song-by-song apologetic, and I don't think I ever have with this album. Because how many times can you say "beautiful" without becoming redundant? And that is the main word that perfectly describes the bulk of "Takk". I suppose these terms could also be used:
Breath-taking.
Awe inspiring.
Heartbreaking.
Intense.
Angelic, esoteric.
Beyond.
Innocence screaming.
Floating.
Stargazing, celestial noise.
Embryonic.
Chaotic peace.
Peaceful chaos.
Visceral.
A temporary hiding place for the mind.
An infinite abode for the soul.
The spark of a childhood memory.
The flame of experienced passion.
The merging of the sexes into the negation of gender.
Poetic glossolalia.
Okay, enough of that, before it gets out of hand...oh, wait...it's already out of hand. Oh well, such is the difficulty in trying to convey, through the use of words and language, the brilliance and bliss that is "Takk" (and basically everything else that Sigur Ros has ever recorded). Not too long ago I read a comment about one of their videos on YouTube that said, "Their music pulls at every fibre of my soul." I thought that was the perfect description of the effect they have on me.
And still, I can understand how some people might hate the band. Jonsi's voice may be a turn-off for some, especially those who think a male singer should sing like a man, by God. Or maybe some are of the opinion that a grown man should have the voice of an adult, not one that sounds like an experienced child. It's got to be Jonsi's voice, because the only ones who might fail to appreciate the music alone would have to be heavy metal fanatics who think every other genre is shit or country fans with a similar close minded attitude (nothing against metal or country, I like 'em both, but hey, this is Sigur Ros I'm talkin' 'bout here).
So be it. There are enough of us who love Jonsi and Sigur Ros. It's a given that they will release a new album every now and again. Not counting the debut, "Von", they have put out 3 exceptionally great records. I really don't think they're capable of putting out substandard work.
So, it looks as if I've left off commenting on "Takk" at about the halfway mark. I'll just say that the best songs from that point on are "Milano", "Andvari" and "Svo Hljott".
Can you believe it? Two years after it's release and I'm still raving about it.
