A decade after his last album of original compositions, Sigur Rós returns with a less “rock” album carried by the violins.

The post-rock label may no longer be suitable for Sigur Rós, we can see when listening to ATTA, a disc launched on distribution platforms on Friday (physical versions are expected at the start of the autumn). We have to wait for the fourth track, Klettur, for a rare rock pulse to be heard. On this recent disc, the Icelanders no longer sound like the “power trio” of Kveikur (2013), but like a cosmic chamber orchestra.

When announcing the release of this disc, Sigur Rós warned his admirers that it would be more orchestral than usual. It is indeed marked by the presence of the violins and that of a brass section which is generally more discreet even if it elegantly colors the evanescent music on which Jonsi (vocals and guitar) places his high-pitched voice which dance ballet in her invented language.

There is something solemn, even almost religious, in the music of Sigur Rós for a long time. Like a desire for transcendence, or at the very least to pray that all the fires that burn don’t eat up all the rainbows. This is evident on Andra, a piece punctuated by acoustic guitar, but above all carried by the strings and delicate choirs and which translates the other quest which guides Jonsi, Kartan Sveinsson (various instruments) and Georg Holm (bass): that of beauty.

And yes, it is beautiful.

The surprise is long gone. Sigur Rós will probably never surprise us as much as with Agaetis Byrjun, his first album, released in 1999. It is not important. His music, imbued with serenity despite the anxiety, seeks to comfort us and sheds a soft light on the course of the days. That is what matters. That’s what feels good.