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For whatever reason, regardless of how many heartstrings they tug or tear ducts they wrench open, some people still pretend Sigur Rós is just a band. It’s true, despite their other worldly sound the Icelandic foursome are purportedly human beings who, like us, need food and water to survive. They just happen to write and play songs hyperbolically well. A point underscored by their latest release, Med Sud I Eyrum Vid Spilum Endalaust.

The album’s most noticeable change to the Sigur Rós imprint comes in the form of contemplative acoustic guitars replacing the ghostly bowed electrics that previously defined their sound. By relinquishing the use of electronics and plugged-in instruments nearly all together on Med Sud, Sigur Rós bear their flesh and bones to the listener, striking a balance between adhering to reliable formulas from their past and stretching unhurriedly in new directions that manage to simultaneously defy expectations and feel comfortably familiar.

If Sigur Rós’ latest has any flaws, it’s in the sequencing. On 2005's Takk..., the Sigur Rós aesthetic culminated in a concise collection of moving epics, never lagging. Predictably, more excited and motivated to add a new sonic layer to their palette than fuss over sequencing, the songs on Med Sud often feel out of order or mixed up. Upon first listen, the first five tracks, beginning with the much-praised pop anthem “Gobbledigook” and ending with the imposing 9-minute “Festival,” indicate a powerhouse record in the making. The album's subsequent six tracks, however, sound like an altogether different band altogether. Although not a flat out downgrade in quality, the music does shift markedly into neo-classical mode, saying goodbye to the giddy-up gallop of the early tracks and hello to much more somber territory.

Repeated listens solve this problem slowly but surely. First, the piano layering on “Med Sud í Eyrum” blossoms into a cacophony of beauty, then the string swells on “Ára Bátur” mature into a steady allure. Even the first Sigur Rós song to be sung in English, “All Alright,” contains a hypnotic drowning brass section underneath the piano plunks that feel a million years apart. Sigur Rós have never been ones to attract fans by grabbing their eardrums with full force. They’ve garnered the attention of so many the hard way: finding their unique voice without caring about what was popular or instantly pleasing.