Valtari | ||||
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Studio album by Sigur Rós | ||||
Released | 23 May 2012 | |||
Recorded | 2009–12; Sundlaugin, Greenhouse Studios, Air Studios | |||
Genre | Post-rock, ambient, dream pop | |||
Length | 54:36 | |||
Label | Parlophone | |||
Producer | Sigur Rós, Alex Somers | |||
Sigur Rós chronology | ||||
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Singles from Valtari | ||||
Professional ratings | |
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Aggregate scores | |
Source | Rating |
Metacritic | 74/100 |
Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
Allmusic | |
The A.V. Club | A− |
BBC Music | positive |
Drowned in Sound | 8/10 |
NME | 7/10 |
The Observer | |
Pitchfork Media | 6.1/10 |
PopMatters | 7/10 |
Rolling Stone | |
Slant Magazine |
Valtari (Icelandic pronunciation: [ˈval̥tarɪ], Roller) is the sixth studio album by Icelandic post-rock band Sigur Rós, released on 23 May 2012 by Parlophone. The album was commercially successful going at number eight in the UK Albums Chart, seven in the Billboard 200 and number one in Iceland. The album was met with positive reviews as well with Metacritic, which assigns a normalised rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 74, based on 36 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews". Two singles were released from the album, the first being for "Ekki múkk" released on 10" vinyl for Record Store Day, and the second being for "Varúð", as a limited edition 10" to coincide with their 2012 summer tour. Valtari's album cover is by Jónsi's sisters, Lilja and Inga Birgisdóttir. Inga was also the baby on the cover art for Sigur Rós' debut album Von. It is the last album to feature keyboardist Kjartan Sveinsson.
In the fall of 2008, after the release of their fifth studio album Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust, the band embarked on a world tour supporting their newly released album. The band played as a four-piece without Amiina and the brass band, the first time the band had played as a four-piece in seven years. The tour started on 17 September 2008 in the United States, at the United Palace Theater in New York City, and finished with a concert in Reykjavík at Laugardalshöll on 23 November 2008. The majority of the tour was European with the exception of concerts in the United States, Australia, Canada and Japan. The band then went on a break, with their manager saying it they were on an indefinite hiatus, although Jónsi commented saying "We'd been touring for so many years and we'd gotten tired so we took a break and the guys had babies." Jónsi released an album titled Riceboy Sleeps in 2009 with his partner Alex Somers, and then released a solo album titled Go the next year.