The new Jonsi album is available for download today, so be sure to be check it out. I am enjoying it immensely. It is a great compliment for me to say this, but I am on my second loop of the album and it isn’t getting tiring. This from a man (me) who never listens to an album all the way through and who makes his wife cringe as he endlessly reaches for the Repeat One button. I just find most albums to be albums simply because it is packaged that way.
Sigur Ros, Jonsi & Alex, Amiina, and now Jonsi solo sort of defy that expectation for me. They are albums in that truest sense, meant to be listened to with big headphones and a daydream or two. They aren’t merely 12 songs strung together because they happen to be 12 songs written that year. Either way, I generally don’t like albums (I love songs), but I love this one.
So get thee to a downloadery and make it happen. Jonsi is so confident that you will buy this thing that he streams the entire album on both Facebook and his own site.
These two tracks below are my favorite so far. Enjoy.
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[soundcloud url=”http://soundcloud.com/michaelgallagher/07-around-us” params=”show_comments=true&auto_play=false&color=006fff” width=”100%” height=”81″ ]
Some albums are exceptions to the rule. I will provide a list of these in another post someday. The albums that I have patience to listen to all the way through. The Trinity Session from Cowboy Junkies would definitely be on there. As would In the Heart of the Moon from Ali Farka Toure and Toumani Diabate. Let me think about that one some more.
Well, being a huge Sigur Ros fan I will be buying this album, though my expectations are so high that I’m also avoiding listening to it for worry that it will disappoint. (I’ve had a quick one-ear-open listen via free streaming and I was pleasantly surprised – I’m thinking that it require close attention, perhaps through headphones.) But your post gives me great confidence it will be the business. PS The Trinity Sessions by Cowboy Junkies would be in my Top 20 albums of all time as well – a classic.
Hello there Nigel!
My expectations were through the roof for this album as well. You made a good observation about being pleasantly, but perhaps not overwhelmingly, surprised. It is all things we have come not to expect in music or even culture in general. It is delicate, optimistic, measured. It feels like spring and is very organic. A very very good album, but it requires the headphones most certainly.
And have you ever met a person who didn’t love the Trinity Sessions? What a fantastic album! All my best, Nigel!