Among the best soundtracks of all time, people will inevitably cite The Graduate by Simon and Garfunkel or Henry Mancini’s work for The Pink Panther. There is indeed something to be said about these succinct, complete works of cinematic musical composition as they fit within the context of a single film.

You may well be asking yourself why exactly I am talking about film soundtracks given that Go by Sigur Ros frontman Jonsi is not a soundtrack (despite the extended documentary release that coincides with it). On some level, however, this new Jonsi album is a soundtrack without a film. When one listens to this album one cannot help but be taken to a world not our own in the depths of our own imagination. Go provides, for me, the audio track to the ramblings of my mind, and certainly any human could elicit some sort of similarity in my opinion of this disc.

I have been a fan of Sigur Ros for several years now. I have seen them perform live once, met the band on a trip to Iceland and had a brief conversation with the man behind this album. For a casual listener, Go can easily sound like the same old epic Post-Rock that Jonsi’s band has recorded and performed to much acclaim and success. However, there are many key differences between this album and his earlier work with his band mates.

Most importantly is that, on Go, Jonsi, for the first time in his career chose to sing in English. While his heavy accent makes understanding his simply (borderline tacky) lyrics, I honestly think Jonsi could have produced better poetry overall. Some lines just exude generic, as if they were picked from the wall of a second grade classroom. While he does do a little singing in Icelandic and Hopelandic (his made up ‘language’ that is basically sung sounds that sound good with the music), there is just simply not enough and the reliance on English seems disjunctive for a Sigur Ros junkie like myself.

Barring the lyrics, this album is about as perfect an album that you will hear in your life time. Its stunning melodies of a plethora of instruments floats between orchestral, pop, classical, and militaristic influences to create a swirling wall of sound that makes any occasion something worth celebrating.

Jonsi’s claim is that he draws much of his influence from nature, and there is certainly an organic sensibility to the album and a playfulness that is primal and animalistic encapsulated in the percussion of the opening song and first single Go Do.

2010 so far has provided us with numerous musical gifts. It is only the first week of April and the candidates for album of the year is already crowded. Allow me to nominate Go.

-Doug Ray

Doug Ray is the co-host of Saltimbocca and Escargot, Sundays 8-10 PM on WRBC.

The film, titled Go Quiet, is billed on his website by director Dean Deblois (Director of the Acclaimed Sigur Ros documentary, Heima) thusly: “The concept behind ‘go quiet’ was simple: it’s New Year’s Day in Reykjavík, and Jónsi awakens to a trashed house in the wake of his party. he avoids cleaning up and instead procrastinates by playing songs that reflect the night before, the bittersweetness of new year, and the melancholy of a year gone by”

This full length DVD will be released alongside the album as a part of various special edition packages.

Check out the trailer, it is pretty epic:

-Doug Ray

Doug Ray is the co-host of Saltimbocca and Escargot, Sundays 8-10 PM on WRBC.

Lead singer of the band Sigur Ros, Jón “Jónsi” Þór Birgisson, has dipped his toes into the world of solo work before under the pseudonym “Frakkur,” but none of that early work comes close in quality or sound to his most recent venture, his forthcoming album Go, which is slated for a global release on April 5th. So far, two tracks have been released officially by the artist “Boy Lilikoi” was given away as a free download to fans on December 4th, and, just this week, the second track, “Go Do” (The opening track on the album) was released on YouTube by his label.

In support of the album, Jonsi will tour North America, including two stops in Boston’s House of Blues on May 5 and 6. Tickets are going to be $30 and go on sale on Tuesday 2/9/10.

Take a listen here of a sweet acoustic version of “Go Do” and get yourself ready for this musical experience.

-Doug Ray

Doug Ray is the co-host of Saltimbocca and Escargot, Sundays 8-10 PM on WRBC.