Med Sud I Eyrum Vid Spilum Endalaust

Sigur Ros is the kind of band your roommate in college probably loved with great fanfare but you had trouble understanding why. They compose 9-minute epic songs with long buildups in the middle and usually sing in a language they made up called Hopelandic. They even created an album full of songs called Untitled and all in all, it seems like they are sometimes trying to alienate listeners rather than attract them.

That's why their newest album, "Med Sud I Eyrum Vid Spilum Endalaust," is a gift to music fans everywhere. It's an easy way to sample a greatly talented band in safer waters. The title translates to "With a Buzz In Our Ears We Play Endlessly," and indeed the band seem to be infected with a bright simple melodies and an overall playfulness.

The leadoff track is perhaps the best indication of their revised sound for this record. Appropriately titled "Gobbledigook," the song features a driving percussive beat, excessive backing vocals and acoustic guitars. It clocks in at just over 3 minutes in length. It's the catchiest song Sigur Ros has put out until you hear the next track. "Inni Mer Syngur Vityleysingur" sounds like a consolidated version of a song off their "Agaetis Byrjun" record. It is a sonically complex song, with string instruments and multiple crescendos, but it's a piece which moves swiftly and trims off some of the excess fat of their older work.

There are of course songs on this record for longtime Sigur Ros fans. "Festival," one of the highlights on the album, is an epic piece that moves from a tender intro to a pounding bass line later and could have fit on any of their past four releases. Perhaps the hope is that by the time new fans hear this track, they will already be hooked on the band from the earlier songs.

"Med Sud I Eyrum Vid Spilum Endalaust" is the work of a band that is confident and capable enough to change their formula and tighten their sound. It is a fun record and a rewarding one, but it should not be a template for their future releases. Sigur Ros is a band that needs to keep exploring and creating wildly eccentric songs. They should leave the 3-minute pop song to other artists.