Sigur Rós made a live and studio return in 2012 with Valtari, and clearly they wasted no time in following that up. Kveikur is the name of the new record, and the now-three piece has stated that this album sports a more "aggressive" sound for the band. This is definitely represented on the first track to drop from the record "Brennisteinn", which is also the opening track. The band starts everything off with a bang, forgoing the crescendo for throbbing bass, pounding drums, and a genuinely dire and dramatic atmosphere that surrounds the entire 7-minute affair. However frontman Jón Þór "Jónsi" Birgisson sneaks in his trademark falsetto in a cool down in the middle of the track, and still finds a way to make it fit beautifully.
In a way this track is everything Valtari wasn't; loud, climactic, and in the band's own special way, "aggressive". I very much liked their last record but the band seems to be bringing together a huge change of pace here, and that change is very much welcome. Check out the track below accompanied by one of the most beautifully shot music videos I've seen so far in 2013, and look out for Kveikur when it drops on June 17 internationally and June 18 in the U.S.
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