Átta
Studio album by
Sigur Rós
Released16 June 2023 (2023-06-16)
Studio
GenrePost-rock[1]
Length56:34
Label
Producer
Sigur Rós chronology
Odin's Raven Magic
(2020)		 Átta
(2023)
Singles from Átta
  1. "Blóðberg"
    Released: 12 June 2023

Átta (lit. 'Eight')[2] is the eighth studio album by Icelandic post-rock band Sigur Rós, released through Von Dur and BMG Rights Management on 16 June 2023.[3] It is their first studio album in 10 years, following Kveikur (2013), and is their first since 2012's Valtari to feature keyboardist Kjartan Sveinsson, who rejoined the band in 2022. The seven-minute lead single "Blóðberg" was released on 12 June 2023 alongside its music video, directed by Johan Renck.[4] Physical editions of the album were released on 1 September 2023.[5] The band embarked on a tour from June to August 2023 backed by a 41-piece orchestra, during which they debuted songs from the album.[6]

Background and recording

The band announced in February 2022 that they were working on their eighth studio album after keyboardist Kjartan Sveinsson rejoined the band.[7] Jónsi explained that when Sveinsson rejoined the band, Sveinsson came to visit him in Los Angeles, where they jammed and wrote together in Jónsi's basement. After he left, the COVID-19 pandemic happened, and it took two years before Sveinsson met up with Jónsi in Los Angeles again, after which point Georg Hólm joined them "and it became more of an album". All three then travelled to Abbey Road Studios in London, where they recorded with the London Contemporary Orchestra, led by conductor Robert Ames.[2] The band also recorded at their Sundlaugin studio in Iceland and multiple studios in the US.[8]

Jónsi said the band's intention with the music was "to have minimal drums and for the music to be really sparse, floaty and beautiful". They produced the album alongside Paul Corley.[5] The album was also inspired by a "desire for a feeling of unity when overwhelmed by the tumultuous circumstances", with Hólm stating that the album "feels like a balming and unifying bond", calling it "more introverted than before. It's very expansive with this sound of strings, but it looks within more than outside".[8]

Cover art

The album's artwork, depicting a rainbow in flames, was designed by the Icelandic artist Rúrí. Jónsi said of it, "Trans and queer and gay rights have been trampled on so much recently. It's scary to see. Around the world also, it feels like we're going backwards. We try to stay out of politics, just to make the music as neutral as possible, but we were talking about the state of the world we live in now: climate change and doomscrolling."[9]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
AnyDecentMusic?8.2/10[10]
Metacritic84/100[11]
Review scores
SourceRating
The Arts Desk[12]
Beats Per Minute85%[13]
Clash8/10[14]
Exclaim!8/10[15]
The Guardian[16]
MusicOMH[17]
NME[18]
Paste8.4/10[1]
Pitchfork7.2/10[19]
Sputnikmusic3.4/5[20]

Átta received a score of 84 out of 100 on review aggregator Metacritic based on twelve critics' reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".[11] Robin Murray of Clash stated that Átta "pick[s] up where [Sigur Rós] left off, producing works outstanding beauty – slow of pace, yet rich in feeling; deftly experimental yet also daringly melodic" and that it "presents something of an oasis of calm" with tracks "allowed to stretch out and recede". Murray called the final track, "8", "remarkable" with its "sense of subtle daring seem[ing] to epitomise both the album as a whole and the band themselves".[14] Andrew Trendell of NME called it "a welcome comeback" and "entirely at odds with the violent, industrial and anti-commercial 2013 predecessor Kveikur". He concluded that it is "at least the band's best album since 2005's monolithic Takk made them a household name, and at most a record that gives Sigur Rós plenty more reason to exist in adding some pure and natural soul to this cold and unfeeling world".[18]

MusicOMH's John Murphy felt that Átta "ebbs and flows magnificently" and "still very much sounds like a Sigur Rós album". He also remarked that "the absence of Dýrason's drums is noticeable" and that it is ultimately "an album which demands to be listened to in its entirety".[17] Devon Chodzin of Paste concurred that the album "requir[es] a continuous listen back-to-front". He added, "while the music is, as one might expect, beautiful, there are hints of torment and desolation that are hard to ignore" and found that the presence of an orchestra "helps their sound grow even more massive".[1]

Ian Cohen of Pitchfork wrote that Átta "proves that Sigur Rós are physically capable of making angry music—but they aim for the softer, more poignant variants: despair, depression, and dejection" and throughout, the band "make the distinction between ambient and classical for people who might not otherwise listen to either of these forms. This is minimal music often performed maximally".[19] Phil Mongredien of The Guardian wrote that with strings "very much foregrounded, [the songs] tend towards slowly unfurling ambient washes of sound" and while "the effect is undeniably beautiful", Mongredien argued "there's a disappointing homogeneity" that makes the album feel "cloying" and "surprisingly unengaging".[16] Writing for AllMusic, Marcy Donelson concluded that "while not the project's most mind-bending or boundary-pushing album, it's their most stunningly gorgeous, and a successful, timely countermeasure to the symbolic cover art depicting a rainbow in flames."[21]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Jón Birgisson, Georg Hólm, and Kjartan Sveinsson

Átta track listing
No.TitleLength
1."Glóð"3:39
2."Blóðberg"7:16
3."Skel"4:58
4."Klettur"6:31
5."Mór"5:47
6."Andrá"4:07
7."Gold"5:13
8."Ylur"5:55
9."Fall"3:27
10."8"9:41
Total length:56:34

Personnel

Sigur Rós

Additional musicians

  • London Contemporary Orchestra[lower-alpha 1] – orchestra (1–8, 10)
  • Robert Ames – orchestra conductor (1–8, 10)
  • Ólafur Ólafsson – percussion (1, 7, 9, 10)
  • Ingi Erlendsson – trombone, tuba (4, 10)
  • Helgi Jónsson – trombone (4, 10)
  • Eirikur Ólafsson – trumpet (4, 10)
  • Snorri Sigurðarson – trumpet (4, 10)
  • María Sigfúsdóttir – violin (4, 10)

Technical

  • Paul Corley – production, engineering
  • Ted Jensen – mastering
  • Birgir Jón Birgisson – engineering
  • Chris Bolster – engineering
  • Farrokh Shroff – engineering
  • Freddie Light – engineering
  • Ivan Handwerk – engineering
  • Nate Haessly – engineering
  • PJ Munley – engineering
  • Zack Zajdel – engineering

Charts

Chart performance for Átta
Chart (2023) Peak
position
Australian Vinyl Albums (ARIA)[22] 8
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[23] 41
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[24] 5
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[25] 14
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[26] 38
French Albums (SNEP)[27] 51
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[28] 5
Italian Albums (FIMI)[29] 18
Japanese Digital Albums (Oricon)[30] 25
Japanese Hot Albums (Billboard Japan)[31] 93
Polish Albums (ZPAV)[32] 98
Portuguese Albums (AFP)[33] 10
Scottish Albums (OCC)[34] 6
Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE)[35] 42
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[36] 7
UK Albums (OCC)[37] 30
UK Independent Albums (OCC)[38] 2
US Top Album Sales (Billboard)[39] 11
US World Albums (Billboard)[40] 8

Release history

Release history and formats for Átta
Region Date Format(s) Label Ref.
Various 16 June 2023
[41]
1 September 2023

Notes

  1. ↑ The London Contemporary Orchestra consists of: cellists David Lale, Laura Moody, Max Ruisi, Nathaniel Boyd, Patrick Johnson, and Reinoud Ford; double bassists Eloise Riddell, Gwen Reed, Nicola Davenport, and Siret Lust; and violists Alison D'Souza, Freya Hicks, James Heron, Jennifer Wilkinson, Jordan Bergmans, Lowri Thomas, and Matthew Kettle.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Chodzin, Devon (16 June 2023). "Sigur Rós Make a Grand Return on Átta". Paste. Retrieved 17 June 2023.
  2. 1 2 Boilen, Bob (15 June 2023). "Jónsi explains how Sigur Rós made its first new album in a decade". NPR. Retrieved 16 June 2023.
  3. ↑ Fu, Eddie (15 June 2023). "Sigur Rós Announce Átta, Their First New Album in a Decade". Consequence. Retrieved 16 June 2023.
  4. ↑ Strauss, Matthew (12 June 2023). "Sigur Rós Are Back With New Song and Video "Blóðberg": Watch". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on 12 June 2023. Retrieved 15 June 2023.
  5. 1 2 Minsker, Evan (15 June 2023). "Sigur Rós Releasing New Album Átta Tomorrow". Pitchfork. Retrieved 16 June 2023.
  6. ↑ Minsker, Evan (16 March 2023). "Sigur Rós Announce 2023 Orchestra Tour, Releasing New Album in June". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on 9 April 2023. Retrieved 15 June 2023.
  7. ↑ Jones, Abby (22 February 2022). "Sigur Rós Announce North American 2022 Tour". Consequence. Archived from the original on 19 October 2022. Retrieved 15 June 2023.
  8. 1 2 Dunworth, Liberty (15 June 2023). "Sigur Rós announce surprise new album Átta". NME. Retrieved 16 June 2023.
  9. ↑ Lynskey, Dorian (16 June 2023). "'I felt violated. It was a dark period for all of us': Sigur Rós on their nightmarish recent years". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 7 July 2023.
  10. ↑ "Átta by Sigur Rós reviews". AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved 19 June 2023.
  11. 1 2 "Átta by Sigur Rós Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic. Retrieved 1 September 2023.
  12. ↑ Muggs, Joe (16 June 2023). "Album: Sigur Rós – Átta". The Arts Desk. Retrieved 20 June 2023.
  13. ↑ Fisette, Jeremy J. (19 June 2023). "Album Review: Sigur Rós – Átta". Beats Per Minute. Retrieved 20 June 2023.
  14. 1 2 Murray, Robin (15 June 2023). "Sigur Rós – Átta | Reviews". Clash. Retrieved 16 June 2023.
  15. ↑ Heilman, Max (16 June 2023). "On Átta, Sigur Rós Embrace Beauty for Its Own Sake". Exclaim!. Retrieved 20 June 2023.
  16. 1 2 Mongredien, Phil (18 June 2023). "Sigur Rós: Átta review – too much amorphous euphoria". The Guardian. Retrieved 19 June 2023.
  17. 1 2 Murphy, John (16 June 2023). "Sigur Rós – Átta | Album Reviews". MusicOMH. Retrieved 17 June 2023.
  18. 1 2 Trendell, Andrew (16 June 2023). "Sigur Rós – Átta review: lush, healing soul for a cold, unfeeling world". NME. Retrieved 17 June 2023.
  19. 1 2 Cohen, Ian (20 June 2023). "Sigur Rós: Átta Album Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved 20 June 2023.
  20. ↑ JohnnyoftheWell (17 June 2023). "Review: Sigur Ros – Átta". Sputnikmusic. Retrieved 20 June 2023.
  21. ↑ Donelson, Marcy. "Sigur Ros – Átta Album Review, Songs & More". AllMusic. Retrieved 1 September 2023.
  22. ↑ "ARIA Top 20 Vinyl Albums Chart". Australian Recording Industry Association. 11 September 2023. Retrieved 8 September 2023.
  23. ↑ "Austriancharts.at – Sigur Rós – Átta" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 12 September 2023.
  24. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Sigur Rós – Átta" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 10 September 2023.
  25. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Sigur Rós – Átta" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 10 September 2023.
  26. ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – Sigur Rós – Átta" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 9 September 2023.
  27. ↑ "Top Albums (Week 36, 2023)". Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Retrieved 11 September 2023.
  28. ↑ "Offiziellecharts.de – Sigur Rós – Átta" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 8 September 2023.
  29. ↑ "Italiancharts.com – Sigur Rós – Átta". Hung Medien. Retrieved 15 October 2023.
  30. ↑ "Oricon Top 50 Digital Albums: June 26, 2023" (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved 21 June 2023.
  31. ↑ "Billboard Japan Hot Albums – Week of June 21, 2023". Billboard Japan (in Japanese). Retrieved 21 June 2023.
  32. ↑ "OLiS - oficjalna lista sprzedaży - albumy" (in Polish). OLiS. Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry. Note: Change the date to 01.09.2023–07.09.2023 under "zmień zakres od–do:". Retrieved 14 September 2023.
  33. ↑ "Portuguesecharts.com – Sigur Rós – Átta". Hung Medien. Retrieved 15 October 2023.
  34. ↑ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 9 September 2023.
  35. ↑ "Spanishcharts.com – Sigur Rós – Átta". Hung Medien. Retrieved 15 October 2023.
  36. ↑ "Swisscharts.com – Sigur Rós – Átta". Hung Medien. Retrieved 10 September 2023.
  37. ↑ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 8 September 2023.
  38. ↑ "Official Independent Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 8 September 2023.
  39. ↑ "Top Album Sales: Week of September 16, 2023". Billboard. Retrieved 12 September 2023.
  40. ↑ "World Albums: Week of September 16, 2023". Billboard. Retrieved 12 September 2023.
  41. ↑ Rettig, James (15 June 2023). "Sigur Rós Announce Átta, Their First New Album in a Decade, Out Tonight". Stereogum. Retrieved 16 June 2023.
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