Sigur Rós - Odin's Raven Magic – bold orchestral manoeuvres from 2004

The Guardian 0

(Krunk via Warner Classics)
Inspired by a 14th-century poem, the Icelandic band conjure otherworldly grandeur on this long-awaited live recording

If the road to hell is indeed paved with discarded copies of rock artists’ inglorious forays into classical music, from Deep Purple to Sting, then at least Sigur Rós ought to have a better chance than most of bucking that trend. While there have always been prominent classical elements in their work, it has been more in terms of song structure than in instrumentation or execution. Odin’s Raven Magic, first performed in 2002 (this recording was made at a 2004 show in Paris), is a full-blown orchestral work, however, based on a 14th-century Icelandic poem and largely arranged by the band’s Kjartan Sveinsson and Amiina’s Maria Huld Markan Sigfúsdóttir, with input, too, from electronica pioneer Hilmar Örn Hilmarsson.

Many of the best moments centre around a custom-built stone marimba, most notably on Hvert Stefnir and the powerful Stendur Æva, the latterculminating in Jónsi’s otherworldy falsetto, which contrasts beautifully with the earthier tones of renowned Icelandic singer Steindór Andersen. The final movement, Dagrenning, is even more impressive, with Andersen flanked by the massed voices of Reykjavik’s Schola Cantorum amid an all-consuming climax worthy of their post-rock peers Godspeed You! Black Emperor at their most apocalyptic-sounding. There are occasional missteps – the closing two minutes of Dvergmál veer worryingly close to windswept arena rock, and elsewhere there’s a ponderousness in places – but this is a good document of a bold artistic move.