Jónsi Birgisson‘s had a pretty busy couple of years.
Starting with the release of Með suð à eyrum við spilum endalaust with Sigur Rós in 2008, the Icelandic vocalist took some time off this year to prepare the release of his fabulous, ethereal collection Riceboy Sleeps, a collaborative effort with his boyfriend, Alex Somers.
Now, he’s on his own.
On March 22, 2010, Jónsi will release his first solo album, entitled Go, on Parlophone Records.
According to the album’s press release, the singer’s debut encompasses “a backlog of songs Jónsi had written that didn’t seem to fit within the Sigur Rós context,” many of which will be in English.
When he began working on ‘Go’, Jónsi initially though he would be making a low-key, acoustic album until, as he says, “somewhere along the line, it just sort of exploded.†That explosion resulted in sheer aural fireworks. Not a straight ahead pop record, nor rock, folk, ambient or electronic, it encompasses all of these to create an expansive musical palette that’s been brought to life by Jónsi alongside a number of free-spirited collaborators.
‘Go’ completes a personal journey for Jónsi away from the wordless and near-brutal sonic monoliths of Sigur Rós’ untitled ( ) album, and is a bold stride beyond the career-redefining pop of ‘Hoppipolla’ and even the explosive percussive assault of the last album’s ‘Gobbledigook’.
Along with the announcement of the new album comes a new website for his solo work, which is worth checking out merely because of what happens when you hover and click on each letter of his name on the site’s opening page. Isn’t that cute?
But more than some nifty graphic design, Jónsi’s official site overs up a free download of one of the upcoming tracks from the album, “Boy Lilikoi.”
As you might have expected from the press release, it’s entirely different from what you’ve heard in the past. While the music may borrow from Sigur Rós’ back catalog, the song’s structure is entirely unexpected: It’s vibrant, energetic, bold and, dare I say it, accessible. I can’t believe this is Jónsi’s work!
And now for the tracklisting which, much like any other Sigur Rós release, is mostly a pile of silly words that sound like the noises you make when talking to babies.
Go Do
Animal Arithmetic
Tornado
Boy Lilikoi
Sinking Friendships
Kolnidur
Around Us
Grow Till Tall
Hengilas
Can’t hardly wait!