Jonsi & Alex Sommers: Riceboy Sleeps

  • Philharmonie de Paris
  • 7:00 pm

Tickets

Riceboy Sleeps, which came out in 2009, is the first (and only) album produced by Jónsi, the lead singer of Sigur Rós, and his partner Alex Somers. The LP arose as the musical accompaniment to a graphic and photographic work published in 1000 copies three years earlier.

Composed of long pieces using solely acoustic instruments, with the help of the string ensemble Amiina—the majestic Reykjavik quartet already featured in Sigur Rós albums—this LP is one of the finest accomplishments in ambient music today.

Jonsi & Alex Sommers: Riceboy Sleeps

Its renown has only grown over the past decade, with certain tracks regularly appearing in the most-played list on streaming platforms, helping make it one of the Icelandic scene’s secret masterpieces.

Inspired by the Orient, this contemplative journey could easily have been a film score, but remains even more mysterious as an immersive audio experience—a magical potion whose power remains undiminished ten years later.

Performed live only in Manhattan in 2010, Riceboy Sleeps will be presented here for the first time in Europe, with Jónsi and Alex accompanied on stage by the London Contemporary Orchestra and conductor Robert Ames.