Sigur Ros: Valtari

     Sigur Ros likes their music slow.  Since the bands acclaimed debut over a decade ago, the Icelandic outfit has made an art form out creating soundscapes that saunter on forever.  The groups lack of sound has become their modus operandi.  With there latest effort, Valtari, Sigur Ros takes their spatial sound to new heights, with mixed results.
     The success, and downfall, of Valtari, is that it has all the elements that makes Sigur Ros a creative band, just in smaller doses.  The subtle electronic hints and wistful melodies present throughout the album, and their towering crescendos are present, most notably in the song "Varou." Orchestra sounds and reverbed voices add depth and mood to the sparse instrumentation.
     The album does, however, feel forced and trudging.  Perhaps fans have become greedy with the slew of indelible albums Sigur Ros has released throughout the groups illustrious career, but this album lacks all of the respective qualities of their previous efforts.  It lacks the haunting beauty of something like  (), but too listless to have defined song structure.  The album clumsily bounces from ethereal to substantial.
      Valtari shows Sigur Ros making a valiant effort within their catalog of music, but lacks the direction to be a great album.  While not a bad album, nothing about Valtari stands out, and seems destined to be lost in a sea of ambient noise.