Sigur Ros - Takk (2005)

Genre- Indie Rock, Post Rock

Sigur Ros are from Iceland. When I think of Iceland I envision a cold, grey somber place. I also see the incredible beauty of the landscape. Perhaps geography plays a role in Sigur Ros’ sound. Like Iceland, Sigur Ros’ music is cold, grey and somber, however, shining above these grey tones is the pure monumental beauty of the music. It’s like a picture perfect sunrise on an Icelandic beach as the cold chill of the North Atlantic seeps into your core. On Takk, the cold breeze is the layered piano and strings that foretell the breaking of dawn. As the sun cracks the surface of the ocean and the first warm rays soften the chill, the piano gives way to a crescendo of pure guitar driven bliss that holds you until all is illuminated. Takk is Sigur Ros’ best album to date. It strips away some of the darkness from their previous work and dawns a new more uplifting sound. So far, this is the best album of 2005. Best songs are Glosoli and Gong.

Rating- 9.5/10

Leaves - The Angela Test (2005)

Genre- Indie Rock, Pop

The Leaves are from Iceland and if you are like me you must wonder if they sound like Sigur Ros. Though they do employ similar instrumentation and experimentation as Sigur Ros, they sound much more like another band. In fact, they sound so much like this other band you could mistake the two for being the same band. The Leaves sound so much like Coldplay that it is distracting to listen to. You wonder how they can get away with such theft of sound. The Angela Test is a good album though. In fact, it might even be better than X & Y. It's just very hard to appreciate their music when you know another band has pioneered and dominated the industry with this sound. To the Leaves credit, I must admit that they have more complex arrangements and tend to experiment more than Coldplay, which makes for some interesting songs. Arnar Gudjonsson sounds so much like Chris Martin that you would swear he is a clone. The only difference is Gudjonsson writes more intelligent and thought provoking lyrics. If this album were more original I would rate it very high because this is a good album. I really just can't get past the similarity to Coldplay though. Best songs are Shakma and Good Enough.

Rating- 6/10

The Cloud Room - The Cloud Room (2005)

Genre- Indie Rock, New Wave

Where have I heard this before? Is this a band I heard on the 80's Modern Rock Station about 20 years ago? Of course not, it is yet another band that sounds like they were transported straight from 1985. This is The Cloud Room's debut album. I'm afraid this album will get lost beneath the success of The Killers and Interpol. The Cloud Room lacks the energy of some of the other bands in their genre. It's not that it is a boring album. There are some pretty upbeat, rocking songs and quirky lyrics. It's just that it sounds too familiar. The Cloud Room sounds like a marriage between David Bowie, Interpol, The Smiths, Joy Division…..Well, you get the point. It just sounds too much like everything else. These guys are young and should improve with experience. Not a bad debut. Best tracks are Hey Now Now and Beautiful Mess.

Rating- 5/10