Sigur Rós performs at Frost Amphitheater in Palo Alto, Calif. on May 17, 2022. Derek Tobias/STAFF. PALO ALTO, Calif. — Icelandic melodic post-rockers Sigur Rós’ touched down at Stanford’s Frost Amphitheater on Tuesday. Although it has only been five years since the group played in the Bay Area, this marked…

Wardruna (Einar Selvik center), Courtesy: Kim Ohrling. Einar Selvik was once known as “kvitravn,” which translates from old Norse to “the white raven.” That was back in his days as a drummer in the Norwegian black metal scene. Since the early 2000s, Selvik transitioned from black metal to something…

Sigur Rós‘ newest album, Odin’s Raven Magic, is both the long-anticipated release since 2013’s Kveikur as well as being almost 18 years in the making. Originally developed in 2002 and performed for the Reykjavík (Iceland) Arts Festival, the songs on Odin’s Raven Magic have remained in obscurity—finally receiving a proper recording…

It’s undeniable that Jónsi epitomized whimsical folk rock on his 2010 solo debut, Go. The album’s jubilant boisterousness—let’s call it “youth retreat campfire folk”—came ripe for mumblecore drama movies and summer camp recap videos, all while carrying the depth and dynamics the Icelandic prodigy built as the frontman of post-rock…

Jónsi Birgisson and Alex Somers, Courtesy: Lilja Birgisdottir. LOS ANGELES — If the new analogue remaster of Riceboy Sleeps caught some ears, the long-awaited orchestral performance of the record rattled the soul. Ten years after Sigur Rós frontman Jónsi Birgisson and film composer Alex Somers released their immaculate ambient project, the…

Just as Deep Purple organist Jon Lorde complemented Ritchie Blackmore’s acrobatic guitar shredding, Swedish singer-songwriter and organist Anna Von Hausswolff uses her atmospheric touch to drive a unique blend of folksy doom metal, classical ambient and gothic aesthetics. She matches the volume and weight of such abysmal heaviness with…

At some point, Canadian post-rockers Godspeed You! Black Emperor will realize their creative scope is finite, right? Wrong! Luciferian Towers Godspeed You! Black Emperor Sept. 22 Once again, the nine-piece collective that never ceases to amaze, lulls listeners with a record exceptionally postured by the band’s unique instrumental punch. Its seventh…

Photos: Alessio Neri OAKLAND — Sigur Rós brought their visually stunning show to the Fox Theater Sunday, the second of two Bay Area concerts. Their setlist was comprised of songs from throughout their discography, including classics like “Starálfur” and “Ný batterí,” along with some newer songs like “Kveikur,” from their newest (2013) album with the…

Photos: Ian Young By all accounts 2016 was a shitty year. But amid the chaos were much needed distractions in the form of live music. This year I traveled to Iceland, Chicago, Indio, Los Angeles and Seattle to attend 110 shows and eight festivals, watching and photographing more than 250 bands. Here’s…

Photos: Diana Cordero, Ian Young, Nick DeCicco TREASURE ISLAND — Attendees to the 10th and final Treasure Island Music Festival were easy to spot Sunday on the BART ride home—tired spirits bundled for warmth and many wearing rain gear, their footwear caked in mud. While rain caused a three-hour…