KODA

Tomorrow, to my great anticipation, I will get to see my all-time favorite band live in concert. Ever since listening to some of their music on their website, I’ve been a huge fan of Sigur Rós’s music.

Sigur Rós is (are) an Icelandic band who play original, long, simple and yet very sonically “full” music. They play a mixture of rock instruments, strings, used in a genre that’s pretty much all their own. There are no (to my ear) understandable lyrics, though singer Jonsi’s often high-pitched vocals in Icelandic and “Hopelandic” (a kind of phonetic scat singing unique to the band) have a very meaningful quality, even without the words. Jonsi also often plays his guitar with a bow, adding to the uniqueness of their sound.

Back in September, I saw them live in a medium-sized rock club… standing room only on the lower level. They brought in all their instruments… pianos, electric guitars, bass, strings, bells, music boxes… you name it. It was amazing, standing front and center about 10 feet away from Jonsi. Even for a relatively small audience their energy was spectacular, and it simply was amazing to hear them live. It was a really special night. However, one thing was really missing from that evening: I wish I could have shared the experience with more people.

This time, I’ve invited a good friend and my long time Piano teacher to join me. They have both heard some of the music as well as my drawn-out ramblings about it, though I think the experience will largely be new to them. Sigur Rós are playing in a significantly larger venue this time… a real concert hall. We’ve got okay seats… but hey, after last time, I’m more content with being a bit on the side! I’m curious to see how things might be different from the last time I saw them. They’ve been touring on and off for quite a long time now (more than a year I think), so I know if I were them I’d be pretty tired. However, I trust that they’ll make it quite a memorable show.

Sigur Rós are musical and melodic in a way very unlike any other music I have ever heard. Listening to them really frequently over the last few years, I’ve really come to find personal meaning in their songs. To me, their music (which consists of a variety of instruments) contains a kind of emotional expression that I haven’t found equated anywhere else. And when they play live, it’s especially poignant and beautiful.

I’m really looking forward to tomorrow. I have my hopes that it will be a really fantastic night!