Valtari, Dave

When Puke on Your Birthday first approached me about writing a review for Sigur Rós, I was worried that I would regret a decision I made seventeen years ago.

When I left for London in 2008, I was in the heavy pop punk phase of my life. Four Year Strong and Set Your Goals were blowing up as bands like Taking Back Sunday and Brand New were cooling down. My iPod nano consisted mostly of catchy songs with "sick breakdowns." The timing of my study abroad program worked out well, as Four Year Strong and Set Your Goals opened for New Found Glory in London while I was there. Four Year Strong then headlined at a small club a few nights later, which I also attended. (The latter show is a top-five best night of my life)

When I first arrived at my dorm, I was greeted by a guy named Dave (separate from me), who immediately asked if I wanted to grab a pint. I said yes, and we went out. I spent the next four months with Dave. He and I are friends to this day.

My other two roommates were named Chris and Vaughn. We didn't see much of Vaughn, as he was a flamboyantly gay drug addict who somehow had his own set of friends all over Europe. Keep in mind, we were 20-year-old Temple students, so how this dude had similarly drug-addicted friends across the UK and Europe is beyond me. He was a mystery.

Chris seemed like a pretty uninteresting guy, though he's an important piece of the Sigur Rós story. He was pretty low-key and rarely seemed happy, but we had a similar taste in music. He leaned more heavily into the indie bands of the early 2000s, and introduced me to Dr. Dog. He was also a huge Philly sports fan. We probably had the most in common of the four of us, but our personalities past sports and music did not mesh. Oddly, his favorite band was Anberlin. I have no issues with Anberlin, but I'm pretty sure that's the only time I'll ever type that sentence.

Chris also loved Sigur Rós. He was obsessed. He brought them up nearly every time we hung out. I had never heard of them, and wasn't really interested in looking into them because they didn't have fun guitar hooks and the occasional scream. He played some of their stuff in our dorm, but it just wasn't my thing. While we were there, Sigur Rós toured and played a few shows in the UK. According to their website, they hit London on November 20th and 21st. He bought three or four tickets and gave one to me. It was a free show, so I figured, "why the hell not." But there was this guy named Ryan downstairs who nobody really liked. He took sarcasm to ungodly levels and became unbearable shortly into the four-month trip. Ryan was also a huge Sigur Rós fan. He got wind that we were going and begged for a ticket. I felt bad for him and gave him my ticket a few weeks before the show. His reaction was heartwarming. I seriously thought he was going to write all my papers for the rest of the semester. He was over the moon. Chris (and whoever else he gave tickets to) were pretty pissed at me, but I didn't care. I probably got drunk with Dave that night.

Another reason why I didn't attend the show was because I had my fill. Music was good to me while I was in London. A bunch of my favorites bands toured, and I saw all of them: Four Year Strong (twice), Set Your Goals, Tilly and the Wall, Enter Shikari, and Coheed and Cambria. So, even though it was free, I didn't feel a strong desire to see an introspective band I've never heard of. I instead gave it to a real fan. I did wonder, however, if I would come to hate my decision should I become a huge fan later in life.

Years later, I began listening to Iron & Wine, Bon Iver, and Radical Face. A band called Explosions in the Sky would often come on those Pandora stations, and I really liked them. Though instrumental, their music sounded a lot like what Chris played for me back in London. So, I refused to give Sigur Rós a chance for fear that I'd love them and regret giving up my ticket. Then I was asked for an album review on Sigur Rós, and I obliged.

Though this album came out well after 2008 (the portion of their catalogue I would've heard live), I'm relieved to say that I do not regret my decision to give up my ticket, BUT this album is really, really good. I love the Icelandic language and the epic song arcs. It's perfect for my long train rides into the city. However, it's not life changing. I would probably see them live, but I'm not going to search tour dates or learn the members' names.