Jón Þór Birgisson (Jónsi), Georg Hólm, and Ágúst Ævar Gunnarsson formed the group in Reykjavík, Iceland in August 1994. They soon won a record deal with a local record label, Smekkleysa (Bad Taste). In 1997, they released Von (Hope) and in 1998, released a remix collection named Von brigði. The name is Icelandic wordplay: Vonbrigði means "disappointment," but Von brigði means "hope alteration." (In English, the album is sometimes known by the alternative name "Recycle Bin.")
International acclaim came with 1999's Ágætis Byrjun ("An alright start"), for which the band were joined by Kjartan Sveinsson. The album's reputation slowly spread by word of mouth over the next two years. Soon, many critics worldwide hailed it as one of the best albums of its time, and the band was playing with Radiohead and other big names. Drummer Ágúst left the band after the recording of Ágætis Byrjun and was replaced by Orri Páll Dýrason.
After the release of Ágætis Byrjun, the band became perhaps most well known for Birgisson's signature style of playing guitar with the bow from a cello, accentuated with reverb, creating a sweeping, fluid sound that is unique for an electric guitar.
In early 2001, Sigur Rós set out to record some songs in their newly-completed álafoss swimming pool studio with their friend Steindór Andersen who is a fisherman and chairman of the Icelandic poetry society, Iðunn. Steindór is a chanter/singer of the traditional Icelandic epic poetry form, called "rímur," for which the band named their next EP, Rímur. Only 1000 copies of the EP were printed and sold in the spring tour of 2001.
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. Famously, all of the lyrics on ( ) are sung in vonlenska ("Hopelandic"), nonsensical vocalizations that resemble the sound 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.
In October of 2003, Sigur Rós joined Radiohead in composing music for Merce Cunningham's dance piece Split Sides; Sigur Rós’s three tracks were named "Ba Ba," "Ti Ki," and "Di Do" and released in March of 2004 on an EP titled Ba Ba Ti Ki Di Do The three songs are separate tracks, but the band intended that all three be played at the same time to form one single song. The band's 1997 debut album Von also finally found a United States and United Kingdom release in October of 2004. Their latest full-length album, Takk... (Thanks...), was released on September 13, 2005, with a free legal download of their first single, "Glósóli," made available on August 15. For North American fans, "Sæglópur" was made available for download on August 16."Hoppípolla," the second official single from Takk..., was released on November 28 alongside a new studio remake of "Hafsól," a song which was previously released on the band's 1997 debut, Von.
Sæglópur EP was released on July 10 in most parts of the world and on August 8 in the United States. Its original release date was May 8, but because of the sudden demand of "Hoppípolla," especially in the UK due to its inclusion on BBC's "Planet Earth," it was pushed back from that date. Sigur Rós recorded three new songs for the EP: "Refur," "Ófriður," and "Kafari."
The Hvarf/Heim double album was released on November 5, 2007. Hvarf contains reworkings of songs dating back to the bands' first album, whereas Heim contains live acoustic versions of more well-known songs. The double album was an accompaniment to the film Heima. Heima is a documentary showing footage of the band's tour of Iceland, including live footage and interviews. The official web site is www.heimafilm.com.
Sigur Rós has sold over 2.5 million albums worldwide.
On June 23, 2008, they released Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust.
The single "Gobbledigook" was available for a free download on their website.
In January 2010, the band began a hiatus, and they are now working on new material. On August 11, 2011, the band's website showed a trailer for a project called Inni. A week later, the project was revealed to be a new live album and DVD, although the release date is currently unknown.
Sigur Rós'' sixth studio album, Valtari, was released on May 29, 2012 on Parlophone.
In January 2013, Kjartan Sveinsson left the band and was not replaced. Sigur Rós's first album following his departure was titled Kveikur and released in June 2013.
In 2014, the band made a guest appearance in the HBO show 'Game of Thrones,' performing The Rains of Castamere in the 2nd episode of the 4th season.
Websites
Both websites include discography, band trivia, song lyrics, and news: http://www.sigur-ros.co.uk and http://www.sigurros.com.
┴gµtis byrjun
Sigur Rós Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Er við göngum bæinn
Brosum og hlæjum glaðir
Vinátta og þreyta mætast
Höldum upp á daginn
Og fögnum tveggja ára bið
Borðum og drekkum saddir
Og borgum fyrir okkur
Með því sem við eigum í dag
Setjumst niður spenntir
Hlustum á sjálfa okkur slá
Í takt við tónlistina
Það virðist engin hlusta
Þetta er allt öðruvísi
Við lifðum í öðrum heimi
Þar sem við vorum aldrei ósýnileg
Nokkrum dögum síðar
Við tölum saman á ný
En hljóðið var ekki gott
Við vorum sammála um það
Sammála um flesta hluti
Við munum gera betur næst
Þetta er ágætis byrjun
The song "Ágætis byrjun" by Sigur Rós is about the beautiful beginning of a new hope, where bright hopes come true as they walk through the town, laughing and smiling. The lyrics reflect friendship and being happy and tired, holding on to the day and celebrating a two-year wait. The song mentions the birth of a distant dream that they are happy to be alive and visible in this world.
The second part of the song speaks about how they sit down with tension, listen to each other's heartbeats, and move to the rhythm of music. The song conveys that this world is entirely different from where they come because they were never invisible. The last part of the song is about meeting again after a few days and talking together. Despite the disagreement about the sound, they are in agreement about most things and determined to do better next time.
Overall, the song's message is about starting anew, being happy and tired, celebrating the moment, and agreeing to do better next time. It is a reflective piece about a journey that mirrors the band's beginning.
Line by Line Meaning
Bjartar vonir rætast
Our bright hopes are coming true
Er við göngum bæinn
As we walk through town
Brosum og hlæjum glaðir
We smile and laugh with joy
Vinátta og þreyta mætast
Friendship and exhaustion meet
Höldum upp á daginn
We make the most of the day
Og fögnum tveggja ára bið
And welcome a two-year wait
Fjarlægur draumur fæðist
A distant dream is born
Borðum og drekkum saddir
We eat and drink, feeling down
Og borgum fyrir okkur
And pay for what we have today
Með því sem við eigum í dag
With what we have today
Setjumst niður spenntir
We sit down tense
Hlustum á sjálfa okkur slá
And listen to our own heartbeat
Í takt við tónlistina
In time with the music
Það virðist engin hlusta
It seems like nobody is listening
Þetta er allt öðruvísi
This is all different
Við lifðum í öðrum heimi
We lived in another world
Þar sem við vorum aldrei ósýnileg
Where we were never invisible
Nokkrum dögum síðar
A few days later
Við tölum saman á ný
We talk together again
En hljóðið var ekki gott
But the sound was not good
Við vorum sammála um það
We agreed on that
Sammála um flesta hluti
Agreeing on most things
Við munum gera betur næst
We will do better next time
Þetta er ágætis byrjun
This is a good beginning
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: AGUST AEVAR GUNNARSSON, GEORG HOLM, JON THOR BIRGISSON, KJARTAN SVEINSSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind