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.
Sigur 3
Sigur Rós Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Hendumst í hringi
Höldumst í hendur
Allur heimurinn óskýr
Nema þú stendur
Rennblautur
Allur rennvotur
Hlaupandi í okkur?
Vill springa út úr skel
Vindur í
Og útilykt? af hárinu þínu
Ég lamdi eins fast og ég get
Með nefinu mínu
Hoppa í poll
Í engum stígvélum
Allur rennvotur(rennblautur)
Í engum stígvélum
Og ég fæ blóðnasir
En ég stend alltaf upp
(Hopelandish)
Og ég fæ blóðnasir
En ég stend alltaf upp
(Hopelandish)
The lyrics to Sigur Rós's song Sigur 3 are a beautiful and emotive expression of the power of love and the way that it can be a guiding force in an otherwise uncertain and confusing world. The opening lines, "Brosandi, hendumst í hringi, höldumst í hendur, allur heimurinn óskýr, nema þú stendur" (Smiling, we spin around, hand in hand, the whole world is unclear unless you stand), set the tone for the rest of the song, which builds upon this central idea of the transformative power of love.
Throughout the rest of the song, we see the couple described in the lyrics going through a range of experiences together, from running through the rain to jumping into a pool without shoes on. These experiences are tied together by their love for each other, which is the one constant that remains even as everything else in the world is in flux. The repeated lines "Og ég fæ blóðnasir, en ég stend alltaf upp" (And I get nosebleeds, but I always stand up) reinforce this idea, suggesting that even when things get tough, the power of love can help us overcome our challenges and keep moving forward.
Line by Line Meaning
Brosandi
Smiling
Hendumst í hringi
We fall into a circle
Höldumst í hendur
We hold hands
Allur heimurinn óskýr
The whole world is vague
Nema þú stendur
Except for you standing
Rennblautur
Soaked
Allur rennvotur
All drowned
Engin gúmmístígvél
No rubber boots
Hlaupandi í okkur?
Running into us?
Vill springa út úr skel
Wants to burst out of the shell
Vindur í
Wind in
Og útilykt? af hárinu þínu
And the smell of your hair?
Ég lamdi eins fast og ég get
I hit as hard as I can
Með nefinu mínu
With my nose
Hoppa í poll
Jump into the pool
Í engum stígvélum
Without any boots
Allur rennvotur(rennblautur)
All drowned (soaked)
Í engum stígvélum
Without any boots
Og ég fæ blóðnasir
And I get nosebleeds
En ég stend alltaf upp
But I always stand up
(Hopelandish)
(In Hopelandic)
Og ég fæ blóðnasir
And I get nosebleeds
En ég stend alltaf upp
But I always stand up
(Hopelandish)
(In Hopelandic)
Writer(s): KJARTAN SVEINSSON, JON THOR BIRGISSON, GEORG HOLM, ORRI PALL DYRASON
Contributed by Madelyn T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.