Whilst his Sigur Rós bandmates were on extended paternity leave, frontman, Jón Thor Birgisson – Jónsi to his friends – busied himself fathering his first full solo record. However, Go is more than simply an album, it is an awakening. Jónsi comes on like music’s very own Rip Van Winkle, rubbing the dreams from his eyes as he slips free of Sigur Rós’ sleepy reveries. He has never sounded as gleefully alive.
Son of the land of glaciers and volcanoes, the Icelandic imp has created music that sings the praises of the elements: ‘Tornado’ is full of awe and reverence for nature. Many of the lyrics convey a child-like sense of wonder, not least ‘Boy Lilikoi’, and are often sung in English, rather than Icelandic, or indeed the made-up language of Hopelandic which he’s previously employed. However, Jónsi retains both the trademark falsetto and something of Sigur Rós’ sense of the ethereal, albeit bringing a greater physicality to certain compositions.
Overall, there’s an undeniable step away from the ambient towards sounds more recognisably pop, with Nico Muhly arranging strings, brass and woodwind with characteristic finesse and there’s a fresh dynamism to ‘Go Do’ and ‘Animal Arithmetic’. And even if the likes of ‘Grow Till Tall’ and ‘Hengilás’ are little more than busman’s holidays, it’s still fun to be along for the ride.