Truly looking forward to this. I have a feeling this will be THE album of 2012, certainly if it continues the uniformly high standard of previous releases!



As promised, Sigur Rós will return this spring with their sixth studio album. According to this month’s Q Magazine (via the band’s message board), the LP is called Valtari and will arrive in the UK on May 28th (and presumably the following day in the U.S.)

Produced by frontman Jónsi, along with his partner and frequent collaborator Alex Somers, the album includes at least seven tracks, which you can find listed out below.

In a previous interview, the band used adjectives like “ambient,” “introverted,” “floaty,” and “minimal” to describe the album’s sound. Speaking with Q, bassist Georg Hólm added that the the album lives up to its title — which translates to “steamroller” in English. “The music kind of just rolls over you. In a good way,” he explained.

For his part, Jónsi described the album as “heavy and floaty” and said “there’s more electric stuff than before… but don’t worry, we haven’t made a dance record.” He also revealed that there will be no English lyrics.

From Rolling Stone: The title of the Icelandic* art-rock crew's sixth studio LP means "steamroller" – a perfect description of the disc's epic, celestial sound. Vocalist Jónsi Birgisson takes his spectral vocal style to uncharted realms, soaring over sublime hymns that stagger in their cumulative force. "It sounds corny, but when I listen to it, it puts images in my head," says bassist Georg Hólm. "I feel like I'm walking up a mountain alone, staring out into a massive landscape, hearing only my heartbeat. It gives me goose bumps – always a good sign!"

New song and video from the album: