Baby steps toward mainstream

Sigur Rós

Meðsuðí eyrum viðspilum endalaust (EMI/XL Recordings)

ESSENTIAL "Inní mér syngur vitleysingur"

An Icelandic band that refuses interviews and sings in the made-up language of "Hopelandic" would hardly be considered mainstream. And yet, Sigur Rós' "Meðsuðí eyrum við spilum endalaust" ("With a Buzz in Our Ears We Play Endlessly") has been heralded as the group's most accessible effort to date.

The rock outfit known for its lengthy ambient soundscapes kicks things off with a batch of three-minute, verse-chorus-verse pop songs, including the twinkling "Inní mér syngur vitleysingur" and the playful tribal dance "Gobbledigook." "Með suð" also features Jónsi Birgisson's first English lyrics (on "All Alright"), though with his otherworldly falsetto, it might as well be in Elvish.

These more radio-friendly diversions fit in snugly with archetypal Sigur Rós tracks like "Festival," which segues from its modest bowed-guitar beginnings to a spine-tingling climax of triumphant horns and swelling strings. The album increasingly finds the group straddling the line between grandeur and pomposity: with a 70-piece orchestra and the boy's choir from the Harry Potter soundtrack, the ambitious "Ára bátur" is begging to be snatched up by Miramax for its next Oscar contender.

Not that Sigur Rós would be interested. With "Með suð," the band proves its indie-pop potential while remaining rooted in its unique brand of spaced-out alt-rock. [Adam Conner-Simons]