Fantastically great emotions!

Welcome to the Sigur ROS Kosmos: If you now only know this Icelandic band hearsay, this album is the perfect opportunity to jump on the Sigur ROS train. And that is because it's the catchiest of all albums of this band, a musical development that has been pursued consistently since of over Ágætis Byrjun, (), and TAKK hvarf / HOME.

Well - who knows Ágætis Byrjun and () and loves, will initially be disappointed, because the epic sound paintings of infinite Guitar Hall in favor of almost chamber music instrumentation have given way to purely acoustic instruments such as classical guitar, piano and strings. The optimism of the first four titles for Sigur Ros as unfamiliar as the radio-friendly length of the pieces 3-4 minutes - show I deliberately say: strange, not bad.

The strengths of this album will still be found only in the second half. Starting with almost sacral sounding epic "Festival"; consistently then at the peak of "Ara Batur": a nine minute dream with full orchestra and choir, the so skilfully circumnavigated the border to lard, that one must have a heart of stone to not get really moist eyes while listening. So I have finally felt after the movie "How in heaven": deeply moved!

The rest of this masterpiece is made up in the final four titles continue that are absolutely outstanding: soulful, more meditative and introverted beads. Okay - truly dramatic moments like the towering "Popplagid / Untitled 8" from unnamed album () you will not find here - but that is the development of this unique band.

The new entrants is hereby invited to this album piecemeal zurückzuhangeln to the previous albums, until it has reached the grand post-rock of Ágætis Byrjun - it is really worth. And - one more remark: the sung Icelandic (or the fantasy language Hopelandish) can listen good as English and is no hurdle for our linguistically quite restricted listening habits as well.