Sigur Ros Are 24 Hour Party People

When a band gets around to its sixth album, it’s harder to keep the promotion fresh—which is why we’re duly impressed by the creative tacks that our favorite Icelandic language-inventing post-rock group, Sigur Rós, is taking to drum up excitement for their upcoming Valtari, out May 29. First—presumably to reach a new audience of starry-eyed 16-year-olds, which coincidentally happens to be exactly what we were when we became Sigur Rós fans—they premiered a new song from the album on the CW series The Vampire Diaries, a show we’ve been told contains lots of vampires but no actual diaries. And today they’ve announced a rolling global listening event, Valtari Hour, to commence at this Thursday at 7 pm in every time zone around the world. There is, of course, a hashtag.

There are three ways to hear the album when the clock strikes Valtari: via an online platform built for the occasion; by tuning into participating NPR affiliate stations; or by visiting any of dozens of record stores that will be playing the album as well as offering giveaways. Preordering the album will net you a limited-edition Valtari print, and each store will be giving away one Valtari prize pack that includes a vinyl test pressing of the album, a custom, limited print, and a copy of the “very-sold-out” Hvarf/Heim EP on clear vinyl.

We’ve heard the new album, and it’s characteristically lovely and well worth tuning in for on Thursday. What we really want to know, though, is this: if two Sigur Rós fans meet at a record store on Valtari Hour and fall in love, will Jónsi and company play their wedding? Can we get that in writing?

FOR MORE ON SIGUR RÓS OR TO PREORDER VALTARI, VISIT THE BAND’S WEBSITE.