Sigur Rós is an Icelandic post-rock band. The name is derived from the name… Read Full Bio ↴Sigur Rós is an Icelandic post-rock band. The name is derived from the name of lead vocalist Jónsi Birgisson's little sister, Sigurrós. They hail from the same creative and vibrant Icelandic music scene as múm and Amiina. They released their first-ever foray into film-making with their tour documentary, Heima in late 2007.

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.

Stormur
Sigur Rós Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Hugsar á rúður
rúður
rúður

Hugsar um úthöf
úthöf
úthöf

Drekkur af stút flösku
stút flösku
stút flösku

Þurrkar sér í klút
í klút
í klút
vasa

Stormur í vatnsglasi
hreyfirmyndir
Hvirfilbyl í höfÞukúp
Hrislast upp bakið hrollur

Kveikur í bút
í bút
í bút
spýtu

Festir á klút
á klút
á klút
höfuð

Stormur í vatnsglasi
hreyfirmyndir

Hvirfilbyl í höfÞukúp
Hrislast upp bakið hrollur

Overall Meaning

The Icelandic band Sigur Rós is known for its ethereal, otherworldly music, often marked by singer Jónsi Birgisson's use of a bowed guitar and a made-up language called Vonlenska. The lyrics to "Stormur" are in Icelandic, but the haunting quality of the song's instrumentation and Birgisson's falsetto can be felt even if you don't understand the words.

The repetition of certain phrases - "Hugsar á rúður" (thinking about the window), "Drekkur af stút flösku" (drinking from a small bottle), "Þurrkar sér í klút" (drying off with a cloth) - gives a sense of someone lost in thought, possibly staring out a rain-soaked window, drinking alone, and wiping away tears. The storm metaphor in the chorus suggests a tumultuous emotional state: "Stormur í vatnsglasi, hreyfirmyndir" (a storm in a glass of water, moving images) and "Hvirfilbyl í höfÞukúp, hrislast upp bakið hrollur" (Whirlwind in a coffee cup, shivering up the back). The final verses repeat the same phrases with the addition of "Festir á klút, höfuð" (fixing on the cloth, head).

The meaning of these lyrics is open to interpretation, but the overall mood of the song is melancholic and introspective. The evocative language and atmospheric music create a vivid image of someone lost in thought, possibly in the midst of a personal crisis or emotional storm. Despite the sadness of the lyrics, there is also a sense of beauty and poetry in the way they are expressed, making "Stormur" a moving and memorable song.

Line by Line Meaning

Hugsar á rúður
Thinking of the window

rúður
Window

Hugsar um úthöf
Thinking of the open ocean

úthöf
Open ocean

Drekkur af stút flösku
Drinking from a small bottle

stút flösku
Small bottle

Þurrkar sér í klút
Drying oneself with a cloth

í klút
With a cloth

vasa
Steam

Stormur í vatnsglasi
Storm in a glass of water

hreyfirmyndir
Moving images