favorite songs of 2008, #15 of 30: sigur rós's "gobbledigook"

Sorry for the back-to-back music posts, but as I type this I am still 5,000 words shy of completing my very first novel, and I'm feeling rather anxious about getting it all squared away.  I expect to write a proper reflection on the whole NaNoWriMo experience tomorrow (bate that breath, baby), but for today - and in the spirit of thanksgiving - I wanted to give thanks for one of the things that helped me through my recent novel writing odyssey: Sigur Rós.

See, I'm one of those weird birds who can't stand to write for any length of time when there's no music playing, but can't focus on writing while listening to lyrics.  It's really quite the little conundrum.  To meet this problem, I am limited to either instrumental music (nods to Explosions in the Sky), or to bands who sing in a language so far removed from my own that their voices become instruments for sound rather than conveyors of ideas.  Cue Sigur Rós.  

Sigur Rós sing in either Icelandic or in Hopelandic, and since Icelandic is a language I have yet to learn, and Hopelandic isn't even a language at all but rather gibberish sounds intended to make melodies, you can see how this band has been invaluable to me during the month of November.  

Although I have been making occasional dips into their back catalog, I've written the vast majority of my novel while listening to their most recent album, titled Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust, which, in English, means "With a Buzz in Our Ears We Play Endlessly."  It's a bit more light and playful than their previous works, while still maintaining the fragility of sound that the band is known for.  In short, it's lovely, and I like it quite a little bit.  As the title suggests, I have been playing it endlessly, and if my silly little book is ever published, then I shall have to dedicate it to them.

(Note: this is not the actual video for this song, but rather a collection of still shots taken from the video.  Reason being, the video is chock-full of some of the most non-sexual nudity I think I've ever seen.  I personally have no problem with this whatsoever, but I do try to keep things PG-13 in these parts.  If you want the one with all the twigs and berries, then feel free to click over here instead.  Dirty bird.)