Track Listing

1. Happiness
2. Atlas Song
3. Indian Summer
4. Stokkseyri
5. Boy 1904
6. All The Big Trees
7. Daniell In The Sea
8. Howl
9. Sleeping Giant

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #2390 in Music
• Released on: 2009-07-20
• Number of discs: 1
• Format: CD
• Dimensions: .11 pounds

CD Description
This debut album from Jon Thor "Jonsi" Birgisson, the voiceof Icelandic post-rockers Sigur Ros, was written and recorded with his partner Alex Somers, with whom he has also produced an acclaimed body of visual art. With strings performed by long-term Sigur Ros collaborators Amiina and a contribution by the Kopavogsdaetur choir, the album is a lush, blissful ambient experience, sounding much like Sigur Ros but shornof the rock instrumentation, huge build-ups and epic crescendos.

Customer Reviews

Stunning in its other-worldly beauty
This is a very impressive piece of ambient Icelandic acoustic music. Very ethereal and the strings and occasional wordless choral vocals give it a "church like" feeling. Similar in mood to Eno's "Thursday Afternoon" but wider ranging in its textures. It also reminded me in parts of their fellow Icelanders múm, and naturally of some of the quieter passages of Sigur Ros's music without sounding directly like them. Easily the best thing I've heard so far in 2009 and it reveals new qualities with each playing. Quite beautiful

haunting
I'd imagine most people who purchase this album will be Sigur Ros fans and many reviews have tried to draw comparisons between the two groups. I, however, think it stands up in its own right and is distinctive enough to leave an impression.

Out of curiosity I'd watched the video to "Daniell in the Sea" on youtube and was immediately impressed by its otherworldly atmosphere and beautiful choral arrangement. Wondering whether this was a typical example of Riceboy Sleeps I then listened to a couple more tracks and realised that the rest of their music was equally haunting.

When trying to describe the sound I keep thinking of an orchestra playing underwater as daft as that sounds. The instrumentation is uncertain although strings can be heard drifting in and out of focus as well a number of intriguing samples. Occasionally I'm reminded of the quieter moments of Sigur Ros but most of the time I'm immersed in the overall atmosphere of the music.

For me the best tracks are those that utilise voices such as "Boy 1904" and the aforementioned "Daniell in the Sea". Jonsi's unique voice is only noticeable on one track and even then it's used more as a texture rather than a lead melody.

A couple of tracks don't particularly stand out or go anywhere but taken as a whole it's a beautiful and haunting record. Play it late at night and it works perfectly.

Most beautiful album ever?
Riceboy Sleeps

I think this CD could well be the most beautiful album ive ever heard. I drift even further away listening to this than a Sigur Ros release-which is definitely saying something! This is certainly music that can't fail to bring objective thought into your mind; with pictures and thoughts-pondering on what life can be like. The direction that this CD takes in the story of Jonsi and Sigur Ros is that Sigur Ros have been known for making otherwordly music that in the case of () is amazingly crafted, and emotionally crushing, and in the case of Takk... majestic and joyous. The joys of Takk... pale in comparison to this. This album is utterly overflowing with radiance and describes being in Love with somebody so deeply that it is almost too much to bear. So all I can add is to say that if you are even considering buying this album, then you definitely should, and here's to hoping my wife (of the future) likes this CD.