Jónsi Birgisson‘s had a pretty busy couple of years.

Starting with the release of Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust with Sigur Rós in 2008, the Icelandic vocalist took some time off this year to prepare the release of his fabulous, ethereal collection Riceboy Sleeps, a collaborative effort with his boyfriend, Alex Somers.

Now, he’s on his own.

On March 22, 2010, Jónsi will release his first solo album, entitled Go, on Parlophone Records.

According to the album’s press release, the singer’s debut encompasses “a backlog of songs Jónsi had written that didn’t seem to fit within the Sigur Rós context,” many of which will be in English.

When he began working on ‘Go’, Jónsi initially though he would be making a low-key, acoustic album until, as he says, “somewhere along the line, it just sort of exploded.” That explosion resulted in sheer aural fireworks. Not a straight ahead pop record, nor rock, folk, ambient or electronic, it encompasses all of these to create an expansive musical palette that’s been brought to life by Jónsi alongside a number of free-spirited collaborators.

‘Go’ completes a personal journey for Jónsi away from the wordless and near-brutal sonic monoliths of Sigur Rós’ untitled ( ) album, and is a bold stride beyond the career-redefining pop of ‘Hoppipolla’ and even the explosive percussive assault of the last album’s ‘Gobbledigook’.

Along with the announcement of the new album comes a new website for his solo work, which is worth checking out merely because of what happens when you hover and click on each letter of his name on the site’s opening page. Isn’t that cute?

But more than some nifty graphic design, Jónsi’s official site overs up a free download of one of the upcoming tracks from the album, “Boy Lilikoi.”

As you might have expected from the press release, it’s entirely different from what you’ve heard in the past. While the music may borrow from Sigur Rós’ back catalog, the song’s structure is entirely unexpected: It’s vibrant, energetic, bold and, dare I say it, accessible. I can’t believe this is Jónsi’s work!

And now for the tracklisting which, much like any other Sigur Rós release, is mostly a pile of silly words that sound like the noises you make when talking to babies.

Go Do
Animal Arithmetic
Tornado
Boy Lilikoi
Sinking Friendships
Kolnidur
Around Us
Grow Till Tall
Hengilas

Can’t hardly wait!

Purchase more from Jónsi on iTunes | Official Website

I’m fairly certain I love literally everything about Sigur Rós. To date, they’re still the only band capable of making me cry on command on the basis of their artistry alone (Takk… being the greatest offender of them all).

On July 20, Sigur Rós lead Jónsi Birgisson and his boyfriend Alex Somers will be releasing their first album together, Riceboy Sleeps off of Parlophone Records. (Cuteeee!) The collaboration, which originally began as a series of art exhibitions, has been in the works for two or three years. According to the accompanying press release, the 9 track instrumental album was recorded with in Iceland using acoustic instruments, strings by Amiina, and the Kopavogsdaetur Choir.

Have a listen to a track from the upcoming album called “Daniell And The Sea” below. Much in line with the Sigur Rós visual aesthetic as of late, don’t expect anything showy–unless you consider abstract, shadowed images of children and grainy film to be showy.

Click below to hear more from Sigur Rós!