Odin's Raven Magic
by Sigur Rós
  • Record Label: Krunk
  • Release Date: Dec 4, 2020
User Score
7.8

Generally favorable reviews- based on 5 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 4 out of 5
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 5
  3. Negative: 1 out of 5
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  1. JLuis_001
    Jan 22, 2021
    8
    Sigur Rós is back!!!!
    Well sort of. This album is actually the release of music that was composed 18 years ago for a special project.
    The composition was a collaboration by Sigur Rós, Hilmar Örn Hilmarsson, Steindór Andersen, Páll Guðmundsson and Maria Huld Markan Sigfúsdóttir. Those who haven't heard this music before may be surprised because this is closer to the music that Jónsi    Sigur Rós is back!!!!
    Well sort of. This album is actually the release of music that was composed 18 years ago for a special project.

    The composition was a collaboration by Sigur Rós, Hilmar Örn Hilmarsson, Steindór Andersen, Páll Guðmundsson and Maria Huld Markan Sigfúsdóttir.

    Those who haven't heard this music before may be surprised because this is closer to the music that Jónsi makes with his partner Alex Somers, than the ambient that characterizes Sigur Rós.

    So be warned because this a full classical album. Not a single note of rock music.

    Notable Tracks

    > Prologus
    > Alföður orkar
    > Stendur æva
    > Áss hinn hvíti
    > Dagrenning    … Expand
  2. Mental_Fitness
    Dec 7, 2020
    8
    Perhaps not as experimental as their previous releases or as it was in its original form given it has been gestating since its live debut in 2002, but it is undeniably Sigur Ros and perhaps better when not trying to be understood as a narrative piece.

    There is not the usual level of originality on show here but overall it fills the great hall it manifests and Steindór Andersen's    Perhaps not as experimental as their previous releases or as it was in its original form given it has been gestating since its live debut in 2002, but it is undeniably Sigur Ros and perhaps better when not trying to be understood as a narrative piece.

    There is not the usual level of originality on show here but overall it fills the great hall it manifests and Steindór Andersen's rendition of sections of the original poem is a high point.

    I've been lost in the flow of its ancient magic, haunting vocals and sweeping orchestral arrangements for days now.    … Expand

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
74

Generally favorable reviews - based on 11 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 9 out of 11
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 11
  3. Negative: 0 out of 11
  1. Beats Per Minute
    Dec 16, 2020
    79
    Although this may not be what all Sigur Rós fans were hoping for, standing on its own, Odin’s Raven Magic is a gorgeous, moving piece of neoclassical musicianship, performance, and composition.
    Read full review
  2. Uncut
    Dec 15, 2020
    80
    The twin voices of Jonsi and Andersen make for an eerie contrast at times, with "Stendur aeva" a ravishing, multi-faceted highlight. [Feb 2021, p.35]
  3. Paste Magazine
    Dec 9, 2020
    87
    The framework for Odin’s Raven Magic grounds the band and shows that, when they wanted to, they were more than capable of tempering their penchant for extravagant strangeness. Which is not to say that Odin’s Raven Magic’s doesn’t contain many of the band’s signature hallmarks—like the rest of the Sigur Rós discography, the album comes drenched in mood, as well as an incomparable sense of elegance.
    Read full review
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