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Sigur Rós

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Sigur Rós

Sigur Rós (['sɪːɣʏr rouːs]ⓘ) is an Icelandic post-rock band with melodic, classical and minimalist elements. The band is known for its ethereal sound and lead singer Jónsi’s falsetto voice.

History

Von (1997) and von brigði (1998)

Jón Þór (Jónsi) Birgisson (guitar and vocals), Georg Hólm (bass) and Ágúst Ævar Gunnarsson (drums) formed the group in Reykjavík in August 1994.[1] Their name is taken from Jónsi's younger sister Sigurrós (which when translated into English means 'Victory Rose'), who was born the same day as the band was formed. They soon won a record deal with the local Sugarcubes-owned record label, Bad Taste. In 1997, they released Von (pronunciation in IPA: ['vɔ:n]]; in English: Hope) and in 1998 a remix collection named Von brigði (IPA: ['vɔ:n 'brɪɣðɪ]). The name is Icelandic wordplay: Vonbrigði means "disappointment", but Von brigði means "hope alteration". The band was joined by Kjartan Sveinsson on keyboards in 1998. He is the only member of Sigur Rós with musical training, and therefore has contributed most of the orchestral and string arrangements for their later work.

Ágætis byrjun (1999)

International acclaim came with 1999's Ágætis byrjun (IPA: ['aʊ̯ɣaɪ̯tɪs 'bɪrjʏn]; in English: An alright start). The album's reputation spread by word of mouth over the following two years. Soon critics worldwide hailed it as one of the best albums of its time,[citation needed] and the band was playing support to established acts such as Radiohead. Three songs, Ágætis byrjun', "Svefn-g-englar", and a live take of the then-unreleased "Njósnavélin" (later named "Untitled #4") appeared in the Cameron Crowe film Vanilla Sky. The two songs also subsequently appeared in the television series Queer as Folk. Their music has also appeared in 24 (the TV series) with Ný batterí, CSI and CSI Miami. In 2004, Wes Anderson used "Starálfur" in The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou as did the Emmy winning 2005 TV film The Girl in the Café and "Untitled 3" (a.k.a. Samskeyti) can be heard in the final scene from the Gregg Araki film Mysterious Skin. They are also used in Enki Bilal's Immortel (Ad Vitam).

After the release of Ágætis byrjun, the band became well known for Jónsi'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.

( ) (2002)

Drummer Ágúst left the band after the recording of Ágætis byrjun and was replaced by Orri Páll Dýrason. 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. All of the lyrics on ( ) are sung in Vonlenska, also known as Hopelandic, a constructed language of nonsense syllables which resembles the phonology 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.

Sigur Rós collaborated with Radiohead in October 2003, to compose music for Merce Cunningham's dance piece Split Sides; Sigur Rós’s three tracks were named Ba Ba Ti Ki Di Do, and released in March 2004, while Radiohead's contribution was never released. Sigur Rós' 1997 debut album Von found a U.S. and U.K. release in October 2004.

Takk... (2005)

Sigur Rós performing in Hong Kong, on 7 April, 2006.

Their fourth album, Takk... (IPA: ['tʰaʰk]; in English: Thanks...) employs the distinctive sound of their second album in a more rock oriented structure with greater use of the guitar, and was released in September 2005. "Hoppípolla" (IPA: ['hɔʰpiˌpʰɔtl̥a]), the second official single from Takk..., was released in November alongside a new studio remake of "Hafsól" (IPA: ['hafsoʊ̯l]), a song that was previously released on the band's 1997 debut, Von. "Hoppípolla" was used in the trailers for the BBC's natural history series Planet Earth in 2006, as well as the closing credits for the 2006 FA Cup final and ITV's coverage of the 2006 Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race, adverts for the BBC's coverage of England games during the 2006 FIFA World Cup, on television advertisements for RTÉ's Gaelic games coverage in Ireland and on an advert for Oxfam. It was also used on the trailer of the film Children of Men. Following this, demand for the single grew. It was made more widely available by EMI in consequence.

An extended Sæglópur EP (IPA: ['saɪ̯ˌkloʊ̯pʏr]) was released in July 2006 in most parts of the world and in August in the United States. Its original release was scheduled in May, but because of the sudden demand of "Hoppípolla" it was pushed back from that date. Sigur Rós recorded three new songs to appear on the EP ("Refur", "Ó friður", and "Kafari"). In July 2006, Sigur Rós finished a major world tour with stops in Europe, the United States, where they played a headline show at the Hollywood Bowl, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong and Japan. Upon return to their homeland, Sigur Rós provided a series of free surprise outdoor concerts throughout Iceland in July and August, playing in various venues such as abandoned bunkers and community coffee shops, all of which were included in the 2007 documentary film Heima. They also performed twice in the United States in February.[2]

Heima and Hvarf-Heim (2007)

At UCLA, playing an acoustic set before screening Heima

In August 2007, a limited DVD+CD edition of the 2002 soundtrack to the documentary Hlemmur was released. Hvarf-Heim (IPA: Hvarf: ['kʰvarf]; Heim: ['hɛɪ̯m]) was released on 5 November (6 November in U.S.) , a double compilation album containing studio versions of previously unreleased songs ("Salka" (['salka]), "Hljómalind" (['ɬʲoʊ̯maˌlɪnt]) (formerly known as "Rokklagið"), "Í Gær" ([i 'caɪ̯r]) and "Von"), on Hvarf, and acoustic studio versions of the songs: "Samskeyti" (['samˌscɛɪ̯tɪ]), "Starálfur" (['starˌaʊ̯lvʏr]), "Vaka" (['va:ka]), "Ágætis Byrjun", "Heysátan" (['hɛɪ̯saʊ̯tan]) and "Von", on Heim. On the same day (20 November in U.S.) Heima, a live DVD of last summer’s Iceland tour, was released. Just prior to the release of Hvarf-Heim, on 29 October, a single named Hljómalind was released. A tentative date for a DVD+CD release of the 2002 orchestral piece Odin's Raven Magic is set for January 2008.

To promote their film 'Heima', the band scheduled a series of premiere screenings throughout the world, featuring a short acoustic set before the film and a question-and-answer session afterwards.

Með Suð Í Eyrum Við Spilum Endalaust (2008)

In November 2007 NME reported that the band is recording its fifth regular studio album, with Nine Inch Nails producer Flood. The band member Orri Páll Dýrason was predicting a late 2008 release date. The band are said to have recorded in a house in downtown Reykjavík, and to have written the foundations for several songs already.[3]

In late February 2008 it was reported at Sigur Rós' official site that the band, together with producer Flood, has recorded the foundation of the forthcoming album. Out of the 11 songs recorded, one was played for a small audience during the closing party of Reykjavík venue Sirkus. The album is expected to be released on June 23.[4] The album is said to be stylistically different, featuring fewer strings and more guitar.[5]

According to the band's official website, the band were on 24th April 2008 recording at Abbey Road Studios in London with a boy's choir and a 67-piece orchestra. The lyrics in the album will also be "more understandable to the public than on previous albums", according to Orri. This statement has fueled speculation that the album may have lyrics in English. It has since been confirmed that there will be a track in English on the album, entitled "All Alright."[6]

The band posted on their Myspace page that they will be performing June in México, in the cities Tepoztlan, Guadalajara in Teatro Degollado and Tijuana in Multikulti. The band will headline the 2008 Latitude Festival in Suffolk on the 19th of July.[7] They have also been announced as a headlining act for the 2008 Splendour in the Grass Festival in Byron Bay, Australia [8] and the 2008 La Route du Rock Festival in St Malo, France.[9]

On May 27, it was announced on sigurros.com that the new album will be released on June 23, 2008. It will be entitled, "Með Suð Í Eyrum Við Spilum Endalaust".[10]

Members

Former members

Discography

For a complete list, see Sigur Rós discography.

Covers

  • New Jersey post-hardcore band Thursday recorded a cover of "Ny Batterí" that was rumored to be for a compilation album; the track later appeared as the bonus song for the UK and Japanese releases of War All the Time.
  • Kronos Quartet released the song "Flugufrelsarinn (The Fly Freer)" on Plays Sigur Ros - Single.[11]
  • American Band We Are Scientists included a cover version of "Hoppípolla" on their album of rarities and B-sides entitled Crap Attack.

Notes

  1. ^ "Sigur Rós Official Website FAQ". Retrieved 2007-07-18. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  2. ^ Maher, Dave (15 January 2007). "Sigur Rós: "New Album in the Works"". p. 1. Retrieved 2007-01-15. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  3. ^ "Sigur Ros to work with producer". 15 November 2007. p. 1. Retrieved 2008-01-29. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  4. ^ "Sigur Rós Official Website News". Eighteen Seconds Before Sunrise. Retrieved 2008-02-27.
  5. ^ "Sigur Rós to play Roskilde Festival". Indie Laundry - danish/icelandic musicblog mp3. Retrieved 2008-03-29.
  6. ^ http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/article/news/50901-new-sigur-ros-lp-features-nsfw-art-song-in-english
  7. ^ "Latitude Festival Official Site". Latitude Festival. Retrieved 2008-03-28.
  8. ^ "Splendour in the Grass Official Site". Retrieved 2008-06-07. {{cite web}}: Text "Splendour in the Grass" ignored (help)
  9. ^ "La Route du Rock Official Site". La Route du Rock. Retrieved 2008-04-15.
  10. ^ "Sigur Ros". Sigur Ros. Retrieved 2008-05-27.
  11. ^ "Flugufrelsarinn" as part of Visual Music program at Kronos Quartet website

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Sigur Rós.
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