Go

by Jonsi

Overview

Anyone expecting Jonsi's solo debut to sound anything much like his work as vocalist with Sigur Ros might be a little shocked. (Only a little, though.) Unlike the sound of the band, which is akin to being enveloped in a great misty cloud of shifting tones and textures, listening to Go is, for the most part, like being caught in a storm of color saturated hailstones. From the very beginning, Jonsi and his collaborators, composer Nico Muhly, Alex Somers (who was half of the Jonsi & Alex project), and Samuli Kosminen pepper the listener with shards of sunny strings and woodwinds, spools of chopped-up guitars and keyboards, all sorts of digital manipulations, and above it all, layers of Jonsi's reliably enthralling voice. The songs alternate between tracks like "Animal Arithmetic" and "Go Do," which sound like the bubbling soundtrack to an awesome training montage in a film where pixies are training to battle fairies; atmospheric tunes like "Sinking Friendships" and "Grow Till Tall" that drift by like puffy clouds; and string-heavy ballads like "Kolnidjur" and "Hengilas." These ballads anchor the record just enough to keep it from blowing away in the slightest wind and give it some emotional heft. One could argue that not every record necessarily needs this kind of weight, and that it would have been more fun to add two more songs that spun like out-of-balance tops, but since Jonsi does ballads really well, it's hard to complain too much. It's also hard to imagine a giddier song than "Boy Lilikoi," which swells and shimmers in a shower of flutes, bells, strings, and almost unbearably sugary vocals. Listening to it is like biting into a jelly-filled donut; only the jelly turns out to be a rainbow. While the whole album doesn't quite deliver this kind of intense listening experience, enough of it does to make Go an essential addition to the collection of anyone who likes their music to come in colors. If Sigur Ros never releases another album, as long as Jonsi makes records this thrilling, it'll be OK. ~ Tim Sendra

Product Details

Release Date:	11/06/2020
Label:	Krunk
UPC:	0190296837586

Tracks

1. Go Do
2. Animal Arithmetic
3. Tornado
4. Boy Lilikoi
5. Sinking Friendships
6. Kolni¿¿ur
7. Around Us
8. Grow Till Tall
9. Hengil¿¿s

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Jonsi   Primary Artist,Piano,Guitar,Vocals,Ukulele,Sampling,Glockenspiel
Samuli Kosminen   Harp,Drums,Kalimba,Percussion
Nico Muhly   Piano,Celeste,Strings,Glockenspiel
Caleb Burhans   Violin
Courtney Orlando   Violin
Brian Snow   Cello
William Lang   Trombone,Trombone (Bass)
Christa Robinson   Horn,Oboe
Clarice Jensen   Cello
Hideaki Aomori   Clarinet
David Nelson   Sackbut,Trombone
Nadia Sirota   Viola
Alex Somers   Piano,Guitar,Celeste,Sampling,Glockenspiel
Edward Burns   Bassoon
John Pickford Richards   Viola
Alexandra Sopp   Flute
David Byrd-Marrow   French Horn
Kate Sheeran   French Horn
Logan Coale   Double Bass
Jon Þor Birgisson   Piano,Guitar,Vocals,Ukulele,Sampling,Glockenspiel

Technical Credits

Ted Jensen   Mastering,Mastering Engineer
Nico Muhly   Arranger,Brass Arrangement,Wind Arrangements,String Arrangements
Peter Katis   Engineer,Musician,Producer,Recording
Dan Parry   Mixing,Assistant
Tom Elmhirst   Mixing
Greg Giorgio   Assistant,Recording
Sarah Hopper   Design,Typography
Alex Somers   Musician,Producer
Inga Birgisdottir   Design,Photography,Illustrations
Lilja Birgisdottir   Design,Photography,Illustrations
Jonsi   Composer,Producer
Jon Þor Birgisson   Composer,Producer