THE Eden Session announced for Sunday, June 30, could be the perfect symbiosis of venue and band.
For Iceland's Sigur Rós, with their quietly anthemic post-rock soundscapes, will give the biomes of Eden an even more stately and alien feel. Many of us in Cornwall have hoped that one day Sigur Rós would play the Eden Project. Now our wishes have come true.
The band – otherwise known as Jón Þór "Jónsi" Birgisson, Georg "Goggi" Hólm and Orri Páll Dýrason (it appears fourth member Kjartan Sveinsson has returned to college) – are known for their ambient, euphoric, sweeping music all topped with Jónsi's otherworldly falsetto.
When they first emerged to the wider world in 1999 with Ágætis byrjun (fittingly it translates as "an all right start"), we were astonished by a beautiful music that sounded truly new; the aural equivalent of the astonishing landscape in which they were sired. The album's core track, Svefn-g-englar, could be heard in every film, BBC ident and wildlife documentary it seemed. Indeed, if Sigur Rós didn't exist, David Attenborough would have to invent them.
The run of albums from Ágætis byrjun through 2002's () and 2005's big crossover hit, Takk, was truly breathtaking. Hvarf/Heim in 2007 saw them take a different path with acoustic recordings of some of their best known songs before 2008's Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust forsook the ethereal for a more straightforward pop/rock sound. They largely abandoned the Vonlenska or Hopelandic, which the band describe as "a form of gibberish", in which Jonsi sang.
Fans of their trademark, windswept sound were treated to their sixth studio album, Valtari, last year. A hushed affair, it was hard to get to grips with, but on stunning songs such as Varúð they hit an emotional peak.
Now, with further new music already creeping into their set, they appear to be taking on a harder, more electronic sound. Georg Hólm has called their forthcoming album "an anti-Valtari" and a massive change of direction.
Often seen as a "cult" band, it's easy to forget that they've actually had three Top 20 albums in the UK.
Martin Williams, Eden Project marketing director, said: "Sigur Rós are one of the best ambient post-rock bands in the world and it will be a privilege to see them play in the spectacular, ethereal surroundings of Eden.
"They are known for playing iconic venues so I'm sure they will relish playing here. They also bring with them a spectacular lightshow which will look incredible against the backdrop of the Biomes.
"It will be great to see them as they showcase their new musical direction and material from their acclaimed new album."
Sigur Rós are the fourth headliner to be announced for the 2013 Eden Sessions, joining comic Eddie Izzard (June 3), Kaiser Chiefs (June 29) and The xx (July 2).
The Eden Sessions are set to enter their twelfth year in 2013 following an acclaimed series of gigs in 2012 headlined by Blink-182, Plan B, Tim Minchin, Chase & Status, Noah and the Whale, The Vaccines, Example and Frank Turner.
The Eden Sessions Inside Track club returns for the 2013 season with members getting a guaranteed pair of tickets to each show.
Tickets to the Sigur Rós Eden Session cost £35 plus £5 booking fee and go on sale to Inside Track members today (Wednesday January 16), and on general sale at 5pm on Wednesday January 23. To book to any of the Eden Sessions, contact the Eden Box Office on 01726 811972 or visit www.edensessions.com.
