Sigur Rós - Valtari

The rumours of an ‘indefinite hiatus’ might have left us thinking that was it for Sigur Rós, but the four years since their previous album have amounted to little more than a bit of creative refreshment time. Valtari (the infinitely less satisfying to say English translation is ‘Roller’) is a typically dazzling record that follows the not-unexpected pattern of delicate piano flowerings, cataclysmic storms of bow -caressed guitars and Jónsi Birgisson’s heart-stopping falsetto. Yet here their inflexible muse is certainly hitting another peak, from the draining crescendos of ‘Varúd’ to ‘Daudalogn’s delicate hymnal and the title track’s ethereal cosmic folk. More of the same, in other words, which means beauty and emotional resonance in abundance.