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.
Fljótavík
Sigur Rós Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Cut off the sea
We sail by the mast
Stretch the sails
We steer towards the bridge
We sail ashore
Up on the large rocks and the sand
What a mess
Fuckin' yeah!
There I found myself
Endlessly thanking
Sheltered in a makeshift house
And we slept
As the storm died down
The lyrics to Sigur Rós's song Fljótavík seem to be about sailing and the experience of a storm. The first few lines describe the process of sailing a boat, referencing the rudder and the mast of the ship. The next few lines talk about sailing ashore, onto rocks and sand, and wading through the resulting mess. The exclamation of "Fuckin' yeah!" could be interpreted as a release of tension or excitement after safely landing the boat.
The following lines take the listener to a different place, where the singer is in a makeshift house, sheltered from a storm. The singer is endlessly thanking someone or something, perhaps for the safe shelter that they have found. The final line indicates that they were able to sleep once the storm had died down.
Overall, the lyrics paint a picture of a dramatic experience - sailing through a storm and finding a safe haven on land. The song creates a sense of drama and tension before finally arriving at peace and safety.
Line by Line Meaning
We look over the rudder
We look out over the stern, towards the trailing edge of the boat
Cut off the sea
We slice through the ocean with our boat, separating the water behind us
We sail by the mast
We travel past the vertical pole that supports the sails
Stretch the sails
We adjust the sails to catch the wind more efficiently
We steer towards the bridge
We direct the boat towards the structure spanning over a body of water
We sail ashore
We maneuver the boat towards the shore, getting closer to land
Up on the large rocks and the sand
We reach the shore where there are big rock formations and sandy areas
We wade ashore
We walk through the shallow water towards the land
What a mess
The beach is untidy, chaotic, or frustrating
Fuckin' yeah!
An exclamation of excitement or joy
There I found myself
I discovered myself in an unexpected and profound way
Endlessly thanking
Expressing gratitude continually without limit
Sheltered in a makeshift house
Protected in a rough, temporary dwelling place
And we slept
We rested and allowed ourselves to be at ease
As the storm died down
The weather had become less chaotic and tumultuous
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: GEORG HOLM, JON THOR BIRGISSON, KJARTAN SVEINSSON, ORRI PALL DYRASON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@Endendros
I remember the first time I listened to this, I was in the mountains with some friends on a summer, in this tiny mountain house - there were five of us, and the house was very small, so three of us had to sleep in sleeping bags on the living room floor
And suffering from insomnia of course I didn't sleep much, so at some point around 4am or so I just started listening to music, then quietly went outside
And as this song started, I could see the sun rising
This cold pink light slowly getting brighter and brighter between the trees, colouring the clouds, the birds chirping louder as the night ended
And it felt like this song was written just for that moment
@island5317
I feel ya. Sigur ros’s music is like that. Wether you’re an emotional person or cold as ice, it’ll get to your heart.
@youxarexsoxspecial
Esta música me hace conectar conmigo misma más que cualquier otra, pero especialmente ...... Fljótavik.....Sigur Rós los conozco gracias a Samantha, la chica más linda que he conocido, Ella los sigue a todos sus conciertos, cuando estuvieron en Guadalajara vino de Monterrey y se fue de madrugada para tener un buen lugar, ya que es muy bajita y dice que es solo en sus conciertos que quisiera ser alta. Dios Los bendiga a ambos por siempre. Los amo.
@matthewkincaid6536
Just saw this played live tonight in Washington, DC. Incredible performance incredible song.
@LaurenSonia
I think it's so cool that Sigur Ros speaks icelandic BUT ALSO writes songs to their own made-up language. True story
@old_rube5857
Yep, they call it "hopelandic"
@ZimmerSquash
GOD IS A SERB I think jonsi himself actually hated that term, I might be wrong.
@kolmilan
@@ZimmerSquash yup, he said it was "f***ing bullsh*t", and that it's gibberish without any meaning.
@Luke0587
This Song makes me cry. The most beautiful song I've heard in a long time.
@gabriellamanuel1
every single note in this song is perfect. what a beautiful and emotive work of musical art.