Sigur Rós
Ba Ba Ti Ki Di Do

(Geffen)

First Appeared in The Music Box, June 2004, Volume 11, #6

Written by John Metzger

Since opening several dates for Radiohead in 2000, the Icelandic ensemble Sigur Rós has become internationally renowned for its airy, ambient pop. It’s no surprise, then, that in the wake of the band’s success, it was asked to score the first of what are likely to be many soundtracks for other artistic endeavors. In this case, the end result is its new EP Ba Ba Ti Ki Di Do, which features a 20-minute, three-segment piece meant to accompany a dance routine that was choreographed by Merce Cunningham. Throughout the set, Sigur Rós paints a landscape that is extremely sparse and open, one that is largely populated by music boxes and glockenspiels that circularly churn as tiptoed creaks sneak across its ethereal terrain. The sound is at once both delicate and foreboding, though the latter is largely due to a striking resemblance to Mike Oldfield’s Tubular Bells. For nearly 15 minutes, the band drones along this somnambulistic path before a strange kaleidoscope of vocal snippets begins to skitter through the music, only to degenerate into a shrill blast of chaos. In the end, some might find Ba Ba Ti Ki Di Do to be interesting, but devoid of its visual framework, most will find it rather pretentiously dull. ½

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Ratings

1 Star:   Pitiful
2 Stars: Listenable
3 Stars: Respectable
4 Stars: Excellent
5 Stars: Can't Live Without It!!

Copyright © 2004 The Music Box