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Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust (Icelandic: [mɛð ˈsʏːð i ˈeiːrʏm vɪð ˈspɪːlʏm ˈɛntaløyst], meth sooth ee ay-room vith spee-loom end-ə-loostWith a Buzz in Our Ears We Play Endlessly[13]) is the fifth full-length studio album by the Icelandic band Sigur Rós, released on June 23, 2008.[14]

All the lyrics for the album were originally intended to be in English, but in the end the band decided that Icelandic felt more natural to them. Some lyrics were translated back into Icelandic, while some songs got completely new texts.[15] It is the band's first album to feature a track sung in English ("All Alright"). The first track on the album, "Gobbledigook", premiered on Zane Lowe's BBC Radio 1 music show in the UK on May 27, 2008. "Festival" was premiered on Colin Murray's Radio 1 show on June 3, 2008. "Inní mér syngur vitleysingur" was used as the theme tune for Colin Murray's Gold Run, which aired on BBC Radio 5 Live during the run-up to the 2012 Summer Olympics.

In general, the music continues Sigur Rós' departure from their generally ethereal and minimalist music, being (as the title and cover suggest) more playful and fanciful than their early work, featuring more traditional guitar melodies, acoustic instrumentation, and folk-oriented compositions following in the vein of their later albums.

The album was available for pre-order from June 3 on the band's official media site, and on June 5, the band performed "Gobbledigook", "Inní mér syngur vitleysingur ", "Festival", "Fljótavík", "Við spilum endalaust" and "All Alright" live in GuadalajaraMexico. On June 8, the full album streamed early on the Sigur Rós dót widget.[16][17] On June 19, pre-ordered albums began arriving in the mail.

The album's cover features a photograph by Ryan McGinley.[18] Originally the album artwork was going to be done by Olafur Eliasson; it would have been the first time the band had passed album artwork to an external artist.[19] In the end they did not like the proposed design and created the cover art themselves using the photograph.[20]

The song "All Alright" played a central role in Neil Jordan's 2009 film Ondine[21] whilst "Festival" featured in the 2010 Danny Boyle film 127 Hours.[22]

Contents[]

 [hide*1 Track listing

Track listing[edit][]

No. Title Length
1. "Gobbledigook(English term for a speech that sounds like language but forms no meaning) 3:08
2. "Inní mér syngur vitleysingur("Within me a lunatic sings") 4:05
3. "Góðan daginn" ("Good morning") 5:15
4. "Við spilum endalaust" ("We play endlessly") 3:33
5. "Festival"   9:24
6. "Með suð í eyrum" ("With a buzz in our ears") 4:56
7. "Ára bátur" ("Row boat") 8:57
8. "Illgresi" ("Weeds") 4:13
9. "Fljótavík" ([the name of a wide bay in Hornstrandir, Iceland]) 3:49
10. "Straumnes" ([the name of a tidal headland near Fljótavík]) 2:01
11. "All Alright"   6:21

Personnel[edit][]

StringsAmiina (on tracks 2,3,4,5,8 and 9, recorded in Kjartan Sveinsson's livingroom and Langholtskirkja)

  • Hildur Ársælsdóttir
  • Edda Rún Ólafsdóttir
  • Maria Huld Markan Sigfúsdóttir
  • Sólrún Sumarliðadóttir

Brass (on tracks 2, 4 and 11) performed by:

  • E. Friðfinnsson
  • Helgi Hrafn Jónsson
  • I.G. Erlendsson
  • K. Håkonarson
  • Samúel Jón Samúelsson
  • S. Sigurðarson
  • S.J. Bernharðsson

Tambourine, claps and other noises by Siggi Frendi, Höddi Gunni, John Best, Sunray and Breeze.

"Ára bátur" recorded live at Abbey Road Studios with the London Sinfonietta and the choristers of the London Oratory School Schola. Directed by D. Bjarnason, engineered by Andy Dudman.

Photography by Ryan McGinley.

Charts[edit][]

Chart (2008)[23] Peak

position

Australian Albums Chart 14
Belgian Albums Chart (Flanders) 4
Dutch Albums Chart 21
Finnish Albums Chart 7
German Albums Chart 26
Iceland Albums Chart 1
Irish Albums Chart 4
Japanese Albums Chart 22
Italian Albums Chart 13
Norwegian Albums Chart 7
Polish Albums Chart[24] 43
Swedish Albums Chart 29
Swiss Albums Chart 8
U.S. Billboard 200 15
UK Albums Chart 5
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