In my younger days when I was in bands and followed music more closely, it wouldn’t have taken me six months to notice that Icelandic ambient band Sigur Rós had released a concept recording of sorts. Ever the proponents of their volcanic home island, Sigur Rós teamed up with the Icelandic National Broadcasting Service to tour the entire country by bus on the 2016 Solstice and record a soundtrack to accompany the trip. This was done by circumnavigating the country on Route One (also the title of the resulting videos), the ring road that runs mostly around the island’s perimeter with. The road skirts craggy volcanic mountains, treeless plains, and barren seashores and because of its northerly latitude, the Solstice provides enough light to see it all. And the soundtrack plays while the trip unfolds in real time, totaling 24 hours on a leisurely jaunt around the 1,200-kilometer road.

The skies are typically gloomy with the occasional dash of sun peeking through and while parts of the geography will recall Alaska, the Upper Midwest, and maybe Scotland, Iceland is very much its own place. The video starts and ends in the capital of Reykjavik, itself a typically Nordic city with long, low buildings and rolling hills. The music is probably not for everyone, nor is 24 hours of real-time tourist video, but it’s downright relaxing to throw this on and just stare at the alien landscapes unfolding ahead of the bus in 1080p. Here’s Part 1, of which I’ve only made it through about 2-1/2 hours at this point, but this will be regular viewing until I’ve made it through. And then I’ll buy a plane ticket and do it all myself.