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.
Kveikur
Sigur Rós Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Og hlaupum
Höldum fast fyrir eyrun
Kreppum augu
Hávaðinn sker í eyrun
Hljóðhimnur leka út
Með svartbundið fyrir augu
Reykur
Svíður í
Hverfum við sjóndeildarhring
Inn í
Kveikur by Sigur Rós is a hauntingly beautiful piece of music with enigmatic lyrics that are open to interpretation. The Icelandic title of the song can be translated to "ignite" or "smolder", which could be a reference to the internal struggles of the human mind, or the spark that ignites a new beginning. The repeated lines "Kveikjum í kveikiþráðum og hlaupum" can be seen as a call to ignite a passion for life and run towards it fearlessly.
The lines "Höldum fast fyrir eyrun kreppum augu" could be interpreted as the struggle to shut out the noise of the outside world and the difficulties that come with it. The next two lines "Hávaðinn sker í eyrun hljóðhimnur leka út" could represent the pain and release of pent-up emotions. The line "Með svartbundið fyrir augu reykur" implies a sense of mystery and ambiguity.
The final lines "Brennum lófa innað beini svíður í hverfum við sjóndeildarhring inn í" provide room for interpretation. It could be a metaphor for burning one's bridges and starting afresh, or it could represent the pain of leaving behind a loved one. In any case, the song is incredibly emotive and a testament to Sigur Rós's skill at conjuring deep feelings through music.
Line by Line Meaning
Kveikjum í kveikiþráðum
We light up in threads of flames
Og hlaupum
And we run
Höldum fast fyrir eyrun
We hold tight over our ears
Kreppum augu
We shrink our eyes
Hávaðinn sker í eyrun
The arrogance cuts into our eyes
Hljóðhimnur leka út
Eardrums leak out
Með svartbundið fyrir augu
With black tape over our eyes
Reykur
Smoke
Brennum lófa innað beini
We burn our palms inside out
Svíður í
It burns inside
Hverfum við sjóndeildarhring
We orbit the circle of division
Inn í
Into
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: GEORG HOLM, JON THOR BIRGISSON, ORRI PALL DYRASON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Marcelo Afonso
The Chorus...WOW!! I love this band so much. The more I grow up, the more I love them
MacavityF
This song was amazing to see performed live! Really brought it to another level.
Marc
We light up the fuse And run for cover We wait We wait Cover our ears Shut our eyes tight We wait We wait We wait The noise cut in our ears The eardrums leak out It burns It burns With blackfolded eyes Smoke hands fumble It burns It burns It burns You ignite me You ignite me Burning the hand into the bone Burns the hand We wait We wait Disappear in the horizon into the memory of the sun We ride/sway We ride/sway We ride/sway You ignite me You ignite me
Elene Jiqidze
Thank you! 😊
Jonathan W
Holy crap! I've listened to this 6 times in a row and counting.
Leonard Dixon
You don't *have* to be insane to enjoy this album... but it doesn't hurt.
Dália Engenheiro
Magnífico como não podia deixar de ser. Sou fã incondicional dos Sigur Rós. para além de tudo trás-me infinitas e gratas memórias. Trabalho magnífico. Parabéns a este grupo fantástico.
Solid Snake
bom gosto o seu
Sabarish Menon
Man,this is a song that gets stuck in my head when I'm insane
akyiirah
This is amazing and I love how they are developing... wow!!