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.
Rafstraumur
Sigur Rós Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Hjartað slá
Innanfrá
Brjóstkassinn
Út og inn
Fingur ná
Lenda á
Kviknar glóð
Rennur blóð
Augnsteinar
Víkka út
Magahnút
Kiknar í
Hniáliðum
Maginn er
Malarher
Bítur og sker
Inní kraumar
Rafstraumar
Ég heyri en hlusta ekki
Ég snerti en kem ekki við
Ég sé en horfi ekki á
Ég anda en finn ekkert
The lyrics of Sigur Rós's song Rafstraumur are in Icelandic and are a bit obscure, making it difficult to determine their meaning. However, the song's title translates to "electricity" which opens up the interpretation of the song as an expression of the energy and the force that is unseen but is present within us. The song starts with "listening to the heartbeat" and then diving inside the chest where one can feel the rhythm of the heart from within. The fingers reach out and land on the eyebrows, and the eyes widen into an immersive experience taking in the vital energy that is being produced. The second verse describes a sensation of pressure buildup in the chest, and the subsequent release of it, perhaps implying an individual's desire to be free from the weight of stress or negativity.
The chorus seems to express the contradictory feeling of being alive and present, but not being fully able to engage with or sense one's surroundings. The final verse talks about breathing, but being unable to feel anything. The lyrics of Rafstraumur can be interpreted in many ways, but the theme of feeling alive yet distant and disconnected from the world around is evident throughout the song.
Line by Line Meaning
Hlustar á
Listen closely
Hjartað slá
The heart beats
Innanfrá
From within
Brjóstkassinn
The chest
Út og inn
In and out
Fingur ná
Fingers reaching
Lenda á
Lands on
Augnabrá
Eyebrows
Kviknar glóð
Embers ignite
Rennur blóð
Blood runs
Augnsteinar
Eyeballs
Víkka út
Expand outward
Magahnút
The knot in your stomach
Kiknar í
Crumbles into
Hniáliðum
Joints
Maginn er
The mind is
Malarher
Grinding teeth
Bítur og sker
Biting and sharp
Inní kraumar
Inner turmoil
Rafstraumar
Electric currents
Ég heyri en hlusta ekki
I hear but do not listen
Ég snerti en kem ekki við
I touch but do not respond
Ég sé en horfi ekki á
I see but do not watch
Ég anda en finn ekkert
I breathe but feel nothing
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: GEORG HOLM, JON THOR BIRGISSON, ORRI PALL DYRASON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Katherine Pouliot
This song would fit right into the How to Train Your Dragon movies! I used to have a commute which had me drive above the fog in the mountains. I would play this song and imagine a dragon and rider having the time of their lives.
komikaiba
Read this thru twitter as well - awesome song to drive in for work! Sun broke through wonderfully in the right parts! Magic! :) Thanks, Tom! :)
Kristina Chapin
I started listening to this band in like, 2006 because Eric Szmanda from CSI said they were badass. I was obsessed for a long time but ultimately stopped listening. Hiddleston tweeting about them reminded me how awesome I used to think they were (and made me love Tom even more, if that's possible) so I've been listening to them again lately and asldfkjadsfkjasdf... they always make me feel so connected to everything. The new stuff is awesome, the last album I'd really listened to by them was Takk.
gertyicecream
gosh I was in love with this song before and now the fact that Tom Hiddleston loves it makes it even better! <3
j0eco0l1
This is my favorite song from these guys!
batel.lucie
You can't imagine, how I love this song! Or... maybe you can.
Shipper
Wow. Cure meets Explosions In The Sky. Sublime!!
HiddlesBatchMuser
Wow. No kidding. This is actually beautiful.
Hustle Boss
This is just a f*cking masterpiece I'm sorry
OH_I _Will
Only insecure music fans apologize