Tom Lynch

The Icelandic experiment in dreamlike sound and mood-altering aural drifts and waves returns this week with "Taak...," the band's jump to Geffen Records and most uplifting, dangerous and boundary-shoving effort to date. The vocals are apparently now sung in true Icelandic, rather than the band-invented "Hopelandic" that dominated previous records, and the melodies certainly seem more upbeat, even sounding like deliberate pop at times. The wonder that was Sigur Ros' last record, the song-titleless "()," seeps through into "Taak..." at certain, most appropriate times, but in no way will you predict what the band does with most of its songs this time around, changing tones, mood, keys and everything else under the Icelandic moonlight. Some songs end without any trace of how they began. Heavy distortion pounds the second track with truck force, while the voice, still as gorgeous as any instrument on the planet, floats through and through and the violin-bow massages the fuzzy guitar. Sigur Ros remains one of the treasures of contemporary songwriting, totally original and inspiring, understandable and inexplicable in the same breath. "Taak..." is seamless and beautiful, daring and dazzling.

Sigur Ros plays September 21 at the Chicago Theatre, 175 North State Street, tickets through Ticketmaster at (312)902-1500. (2005-09-13)

Also by Tom Lynch

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