TORONTO - At previous Sigur Ros concerts, I have been soothed, intrigued, even thrilled by the Icelandic orchestral space-rock quartet.

At the band's sold-out show Monday at Massey Hall, it was all of the above and more: Try astonished.

Fronted by the formidable Jonsi Birgisson -- a tall, gangly lad with a sweet face who sings in a made-up language called Hopelandic (in a child-like falsetto) and who plays his guitar with a bow -- the Reykjavik foursome eventually delivered a noisy, feedback-laden rock show that reflected their more guitar-based new album, MeK suK i eyrum viK spilum endalaust (translation: With a buzz in our ears we play endlessly). They made the album with British producer Flood, who has worked for U2, Depeche Mode, Nine Inch Nails and The Smashing Pumpkins.

As they have done during past visits to Toronto, Birgisson, keyboardist-guitarist Kjartan Sveinsson, bassist Georg Holm and drummer Orri Pall Dyrason began their one-hour 35-minute show in near-darkness, slowly and effectively building the intensity of their mood-making music that has been used in everything from features films (The Life Aquatic, Vanilla Sky), to TV shows (CSI, Queer As Folk), to nature series (Planet Earth), to sporting events (soccer's World Cup).

Gentler songs such as Heysatan and Glosoli from their 2005 album, Takk, kicked off the night. It was hard not to notice that both Birgisson and Dyrason have gone more glam in their look these days.

With sparkly makeup on both of their faces, Birgisson was decked out in a dramatic-looking military-like coat weighed down by fringe, feathers and gold -- it was hard to figure out where his hair ended and the jacket began -- while Dyrason was wearing what looked a homemade crown of paper and sequins.

Holm's look was inexplicably straight out of The Band's Big Pink era, as he wore a bowler hat and western-styled suit. (More on the Dylan influence later.)

Appearances aside, Sigur Ros signalled the change in their sound with Vid Spilum Endalaust, the first song from the new album, which featured lots of guitar feedback and banging drums as the tune built to its exciting climax.

Other new songs such as the ethereal Festival and Fljotavik --the latter complete with falling snow amid blue lights -- proved to be similarly effective and downright cinematic standouts, but it was the hand-clappy and joyous Inni Mer Syngur and the show-ending Gobbledigook (with opening act Parachutes forming a four-person drum line as confetti was shot out of cannons) that really shook up the place.

Missing in action was Sigur Ros' most recognizable tune, Svefn-G-Englar, but that was only a small annoyance.

Such an otherworldly, unconventional and emotional performance I'll take over a hit song any day.

Birgisson's playfulness was also more evident this time out. He encouraged an audience singalong at one point, and even tried out his best Dylan impersonation -- I think -- as he sat down to play acoustic guitar alongside Sveinsson and Holm during the first song of the encore.

"God---- son of a bitch," he joked in a nasal sing-song voice before starting to play.