Pitchfork

Sigur Rós are recording their full-length follow-up to 2005's Takk, according to an update on the band's website. And though bass player Georg Holm writes that the Icelandic musicians "don't know exactly where the album is heading yet," we suspect that their patented formula of epic, orchestral rock might just be too tough to resist. Not that we're complaining, though.

Holm writes, "We have finished recording a few songs but some more things need to be done... We are really just experimenting at this stage. Some of the songs we recorded are old songs, which we had written a while ago... We decided it was time they were recorded." The band expect to finish recording the record this year, and though "nothing is confirmed at this point," there is the possibility of a 2007 release.

Sigur Rós will play two U.S. shows in February. As previously reported, the first is in Miami, where they will accompany a performance of Merce Cunningham's "Split Sides" dance piece. The second is at New York City's Carnegie Hall alongside Lou Reed, Philip Glass, Patti Smith, and Laurie Anderson for a Tibet House benefit. They "will most likely perform just one song" at the latter event. So, like, 15 minutes, then?

Sigur Rós affiliates Amiina have also scheduled U.S. dates beginning in March and continuing into April. Danish label Rumraket recently released the band's "Seoul" single digitally, and the coming weeks will see a vinyl release with a remix from Frakkur, Sigur Rós vocalist Jónsi Birgisson's solo project.

Sigur Rós dates:

02-25 Miami, FL - Carnival Centre
02-26 New York, NY - Carnegie Hall

Amiina dates:

03-21 Madison, WI - Café Montmartre
03-22 Minneapolis, MN - Varsity Theatre
03-23 Chicago, IL - Lakeshore Theater
03-25 Cleveland, OH - Cambridge Room
03-26 Detroit, MI Magic Bag
03-27 Toronto, Ontario - Music Gallery
03-28 Montreal, Quebec - National
03-30 Philadelphia, PA - World Café Live
03-31 Boston, MA - The Remis (Museum of Fine Arts)
04-01 Washington, D.C. - 9:30 Club
04-02 New York, NY - Lincoln Center
04-05-07 Cincinnati, OH - TBA