Sigur Ros

Sigur Ros may not realize they're the kings of post-Shoegazer (sorry, Mogwai), but perhaps that's a good thing. This Icelandic outfit creates interplanetary soundscapes that make Slowdive sound like Motorhead. Moaning guitars weep and howl over textured, ether-soaked guitar effects as an androgynous singer coos and croons wistful melodies of pure soul. Sigur Ros create the kind of transcendental music for those who appreciate aural escapism and white noise. Their songs somehow sound and feel like coming down softly upon endless Arctic sheets -- you clear off some snow from the surface to discover blue lights shining from beneath the ice. If ghosts get to listen to music, don't think for a second that they subscribe to the gloomy Goth ethic. It would make sense if Sigur Ros topped the music charts for afterlife listeners.