Valtari Film Experiment
EMI
This DVD collects 16 short films commissioned by a range of international directors, each charged with making a short-film rather than music-video but they would use one or more songs from Sigur Ros’ Valtari album. They were all given the same $10,000 budget.
The result is as pretentious as you can imagine – and then some. With nakedness passing for art and slow and sweeping the only direction – for both the filmed action and the music; the big gushing crescendos are overly telegraphed, the films obtuse and it all feels like watching a silent six-hour director’s cut of Breaking The Waves with a Sigur Ros covers band stepping in for Sigur Ros. No, that’s not true at all, you get the feeling that – nowadays – a Sigur Ros covers band would offer a lot more passion, enthusiasm and grit.
The same things people find in this music – soul, passion, the ethereal life-changing heaven-on-earth aspect…I’m pretty sure that’s all watery, watered down, soaked, phoned in, vague or just completely absent to begin with.
But I loved seeing this DVD – it was a final nail in the coffin for me with Sigur Ros. A ghastly band that has repeated itself for far too long now – something I always kinda figured. Seeing this load of twaddle confirmed that for me.