I
Sigur Ros

About:

Jón Þór (Jónsi) Birgisson (guitar and vocals), Georg Hólm (bass) and Ágúst Ævar Gunnarsson (drums) formed Sigur Ros in Reykjavík in August 1994. Their name is taken from Jónsi's younger sister Sigurrós (which when translated into English means 'Victory Rose'), who was born the same day as the band was formed. They soon won a record deal with the local Sugarcubes-owned record label, Bad Taste. In 1997, they released Von. International acclaim came with 1999's Ágætis byrjun. The album's reputation spread by word of mouth over the following two years. Soon the band was playing support to established acts such as Radiohead..

In 2002, their highly anticipated follow-up album ( ) was released. Upon release all tracks on the album were untitled, though the band later published song names on their website. All of the lyrics on ( ) are sung in Vonlenska, also known as Hopelandic, a constructed language of nonsense syllables which resembles the phonology of the Icelandic language. It has also been said that the listener is supposed to interpret their own meanings of the lyrics which can then be written in the blank pages in the album booklet.

The band started touring heavily across the globe bringing them to Hongkong and back. Upon return to their homeland, Sigur Rós provided a series of free surprise outdoor concerts throughout Iceland in July and August, playing in various venues such as abandoned bunkers and community coffee shops, all of which were included in the 2007 documentary film Heima. To promote their film Heima, the band scheduled a series of premiere screenings throughout the world, featuring a short acoustic set before the film and a question-and-answer session afterwards.

In late February 2008 it was reported at Sigur Rós' official website that the band, together with producer Flood, has recorded the foundation of the forthcoming album. The album will be titled Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust (in English: "With a Buzz in Our Ears We Play Endlessly").

On the web:

- Sigur Ros' website: www.sigurros.com

What do we think:

DB: Sigur Ros taps highly into the musical history of Iceland. With pastorical elements of the religious music and elements of folklore and rímur. It also seems that scandinavia has a patent on mysterious and non-understandable lyrics. It does not matter for this band who will make you feel like you're in the land of gaysers and gletsjers yourself. Very atmospheric.

If you like this, you probably like.. / european counterparts

Mikael Simpson (Denmark)

Albums:

♪♪♪♪ - Ágætis byrjun - 1999

♪♪♪ - ( ) - 2002

♪♪ - Takk.. - 2005.

Further listening; Von 1997; Heima 2007; Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust 2008

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♪♪♪♪♪ = outstanding album, an absolute must-have
♪♪♪♪ = great album, highly recomended
♪♪♪ = nice album
♪♪ = be careful, requires listening before buying
♪ = best to be avoided