Albums to watch

Kveikur

Sigur Rós

Kveikur

The Icelandic band, now a trio following the departure of keyboard player Kjartan Sveinsson, swap ambient post-rock for a more industrial sound on their 7th album

ADM rating[?]

7.6

Label
XL
UK Release date
17/06/2013
US Release date
18/06/2013
  1. 9.0 |   The 405

    It's their loudest record. It's their darkest record. It's their best record in a long, long time
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  2. 9.0 |   Drowned In Sound

    Whatever Sveinsson added before, Kveikur is more exciting for its omission: leaner and dirtier and far more focused, invigorated by its own decay
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  3. 9.0 |   The Line Of Best Fit

    There’s little that’s whimsical or playful to it, and yet it’s still, somehow, pop music – despite being quite unlike anything else currently in the global mainstream
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  4. 9.0 |   musicOMH

    The Icelandic trio has now adopted darker musical stylings to create a record that’s every bit as transcendental as their best work
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  5. 9.0 |   Paste Magazine

    Though Kveikur is more anxious and busy than a lot of their past output, it still possesses the heavenly quality all their other records so admirably held on to as well
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  6. 9.0 |   The Digital Fix

    With Kveikur Sigur Ros have pulled off a dramatic change of direction in fantastic fashion, all the while keeping true to their own sound and feel. A stunning achievement
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  7. 9.0 |   God Is In The TV

    Yet another dense, diverse, painstakingly crafted work of genius from a band at the peak of their remarkable powers
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  8. 8.4 |   Beats Per Minute

    Despite being one person lighter, Sigur Rós have dialed back by beefing up. I can’t think of many other bands so adept at wringing elegance from ugliness
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  9. 8.4 |   AltSounds

    Sigur Ros continue to dodge the pigeonholes and climb ever higher as a result, which seems to suit them just fine
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  10. 8.3 |   Pretty Much Amazing

    The darkest the band has gotten, making use of several minor chords throughout; curiously, it is at the same time the group’s most accessible
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  11. 8.3 |   A.V. Club

    Breathtaking as well as bloodcurdling
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  12. 8.1 |   Pitchfork

    A collection that works as effectively as a spiritual experience and pop music, the essence of their overwhelming, widescreen grandeur conveyed with the immediacy of a 50-minute rock record
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  13. 8.0 |   Slant Magazine

    If the intuitive, star-gazing Valtari served as the rediscovery of Sigur Rós's signature sound, then the instinctual, sober Kveikur is its compulsive reinvention
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  14. 8.0 |   Under The Radar

    A vibrant and much-needed reminder that the band's creative well is far from running dry
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  15. 8.0 |   DIY

    Rhe reinvention of Sigur Rós as clandestine creatures of the night, thunderous and full of chest-out bluster is a development that carries an intrinsic visceral thrill their output could never lay claim to
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  16. 8.0 |   NME

    A violent but welcome surprise. Print edition only

  17. 8.0 |   The Guardian

    There's an edge of menace that wasn't there before, and the dirt beneath their fingernails seems to suit them
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  18. 8.0 |   The Irish Times

    They remain, as always, an undiluted pleasure
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  19. 8.0 |   Evening Standard

    Kveikur is joy untrammelled
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  20. 8.0 |   The Independent

    An album packed with Wordsworthian sturm und drang
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  21. 8.0 |   Q

    They sound as out of place as ever, and all the better for it. Print edition only

  22. 8.0 |   Clash

    No two songs sound similar and, while Jonsi’s vocals confirm that this is, really, the artist on the album sleeve, it is far from more of the same
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  23. 8.0 |   All Music

    One of their most daring albums to date
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  24. 8.0 |   PopMatters

    This is the exact type of work that needed to happen following Valtari: it’s bold when it needs to be without sacrificing the group’s hallmark signposts
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  25. 8.0 |   State

    Sigur Rós have mined the murky depths of their signature sound and unearthed a beautifully constructed, quintessentially extravagant, glittering black
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  26. 8.0 |   Spin

    In their own highly idiosyncratic way and without compromising one iota, the ultimate post-rockers are rocking the fuck out
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  27. 7.0 |   Entertainment.ie

    Its best moments remind us just how exhilarating this band are when they hit their stride, but it is not quite brave or bold enough for a band that have released some of the most beautiful and innovative music of the last decade
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  28. 7.0 |   No Ripcord

    Kveikur is a strong album, one with no low-lights and an intriguing progression of sound. For a band that has always strived for unique forms and has always pushed the envelope, that means they haven’t stopped
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  29. 7.0 |   Rolling Stone

    With no keyboards in sight, Sigur Rós are that most rock of entities: the power trio
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  30. 7.0 |   Uncut

    All in all, a neat side-stepping of expectations, and a timely one. Print edition only

  31. 7.0 |   Consequence Of Sound

    While energized, Kveikur doesn’t break away from Sigur Rós’ safe spots
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  32. 6.0 |   The Arts Desk

    The debt to second-album Ride and – less happily – what Coldplay owe to Sigur Rós has never been more apparent
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  33. 6.0 |   Mojo

    Sigur Rós are still a transporting rather than pulverising listen. Print edition only

  34. 6.0 |   The Scotsman

    This is still slick soundtrack stuff
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  35. 6.0 |   The Skinny

    Overall, Kveikur is their most teeth-out release for a while
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  36. 6.0 |   Independent on Sunday

    In all honesty, it's not that different
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  37. 6.0 |   Fact

    Its elements of darkness feel incidental to the overall triumphal blueprint
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  38. 6.0 |   The Quietus

    The comparative brevity of the album and the darker hue of some of its material suggest a healthy bit of self-reflection for a band almost 20 years old, though it feels more like a quarter-turn than a reinvention of the wheel
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  39. 4.0 |   The Observer

    Much of it still sounds about as vital as Coldplay Babelfished into Icelandic
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