Sigur Rós is an Icelandic post-rock band that formed in 1994 in Reykjavík. It comprises lead vocalist and guitarist Jón Þór "Jónsi" Birgisson, bassist Georg Hólm and keyboardist Kjartan Sveinsson. Known for their ethereal sound, frontman Jónsi's falsetto vocals, and their use of bowed guitar, Sigur Rós incorporate classical and minimal aesthetic elements. Jónsi's vocals are sung in Icelandic and non-linguistic vocalisations the band terms Vonlenska. They have released eight studio albums, and attracted critical and commercial attention with their second album Ágætis byrjun.
( ) is the third studio album by Icelandic post-rock band Sigur Rós, released on 28 October 2002. It comprises eight untitled tracks, divided into two parts: the first four tracks are lighter and more optimistic, while the latter four are bleaker and more melancholic. The two-halves are divided by a 36-second silence, and the album opens and closes with a click of distortion. Lead singer Jón Þór Birgisson ("Jónsi") sang the album's lyrics entirely in "Hopelandic", a made-up language consisting of gibberish words. ( ) reached No. 51 on the Billboard 200 and received acclaim from music critics, although some reviewers found the album weaker than the band's previous album Ágætis byrjun.
Ágætis byrjun is the second studio album by Icelandic post-rock band Sigur Rós, released on 12 June 1999. The album was recorded between the summer of 1998 and the spring of 1999 with producer Ken Thomas. Ágætis byrjun represented a substantial departure from the band's previous album Von, with that album's extended ambient soundscapes replaced by Jónsi Birgisson's cello-bowed guitar work and orchestration, using a double string octet amongst other chamber elements.
Von is the debut studio album by Icelandic post-rock band Sigur Rós, released on 14 June 1997 by Smekkleysa Records. Production lasted over two years, and the result sounded significantly different from the original recordings. The band considered scrapping the final result, but decided not as it would have made the process too long. In exchange for recording time, Sigur Rós painted the studio they recorded in.
The Album Leaf is an American musical project founded in San Diego, California, in 1998 by Jimmy LaValle. He is known for his use of electronics, synthesizer, and Rhodes piano. His performances often feature projected visual art.
Jón Þór "Jónsi" Birgisson is an Icelandic musician; he is the vocalist and multi-instrumentalist for the Icelandic post-rock band Sigur Rós. He is known for his use of a cello bow on guitar and his falsetto or countertenor voice.
"Viðrar vel til loftárása" is a song written and recorded by Icelandic post-rock band Sigur Rós for their second studio album Ágætis byrjun. The song appears as the seventh track on the album. It was also released as the B-side of Sigur Rós' debut single "Svefn-g-englar".
Hvarf/Heim is a compilation album by Sigur Rós. Its original CD release comprises two discs: Hvarf contains studio versions of previously unreleased songs, while Heim contains live acoustic versions of songs already released. The songs on Heim are the same recordings found in the documentary Heima. In 2008 EMI released a single-disc version in which Heim is simply tracklisted to follow Hvarf. In 2012, the albums were issued on vinyl for the first time to be sold on Record Store Day.
Odin's Raven Magic is a 2002 orchestral setting to the Icelandic poem Hrafnagaldr Óðins. The composition was a collaboration by Sigur Rós, Hilmar Örn Hilmarsson, Steindór Andersen, Páll Guðmundsson and Maria Huld Markan Sigfúsdóttir. It was premiered at the Barbican Centre in London on 21 April 2002 and then performed at the Reykjavík Arts Festival on 24 May 2002. Video of the production can be viewed in the documentary Screaming Masterpiece or Gargandi snilld, by Ari Alexander Ergis Magnússon.
Fanfarlo are a London-based indie/alternative band formed in 2006 by Swedish musician Simon Balthazar. They fuse elements of folk, indie rock and post-punk using eclectic instrumentation including trumpet, violin, mandolin, musical saw, clarinet and saxophone. Since their formation they have released three studio albums and one EP.
Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust is the fifth full-length studio album by the Icelandic post-rock band Sigur Rós, released on 23 June 2008.
"Inní mér syngur vitleysingur" is the second track on Sigur Rós' fifth album, Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust. It is the first single from the album and was released on 8 September 2008.
Riceboy Sleeps is the debut studio album by ambient duo Jónsi & Alex, released on 20 July 2009. The album is a collaboration between Sigur Rós vocalist Jón Þór Birgisson and partner Alex Somers which features acoustic instrumental music alongside a string quartet, Amiina, and the Kópavogsdætur Choir.
Valtari is the sixth studio album by Icelandic post-rock band Sigur Rós. It was released on 23 May 2012 by Parlophone. The album reached number eight on the UK Albums Chart and seven on the Billboard 200. The album was met with positive reviews as well with Metacritic, which assigns a normalised rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 74, based on 36 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".
Kveikur is the seventh studio album from Icelandic post-rock band Sigur Rós. It was released 12 June 2013 in Japan, on 17 June internationally, and on 18 June in the United States through XL Recordings. It is the only album to be fully released through XL after the band departed EMI and Parlophone during the label's acquisition by Universal Music Group in 2012. It is the only album since their debut, Von, not to feature Kjartan Sveinsson, following his departure in 2012, and the last to feature drummer Orri Páll Dýrason before his departure in 2018. The cover is a photo by the Brazilian artist Lygia Clark.
"Brennisteinn" is a song written and recorded by Icelandic post-rock band Sigur Rós for their seventh studio album Kveikur. It appears as the opening track on the album. "Brennisteinn" was released as the lead single from the album on March 25, 2013, after the album's official unveiling three days earlier.
"Ísjaki" is a song written and recorded by Icelandic post-rock band Sigur Rós for their seventh studio album Kveikur. It appears as the third track on the album. "Ísjaki" was released to Icelandic contemporary hit radio as a promotional single from Kveikur on April 24, 2013. It was later released early on the Kveikur album listing on iTunes on April 25, 2013.
"Varúð" is a song written and recorded by Icelandic post-rock band Sigur Rós for their sixth studio album, Valtari. It appears as the third track on the album. The song was released as the second official single from the album on August 21, 2012 on a 10" gramophone record in support of their then-current Sigur Rós World Tour. It is also notably the first release by Sigur Rós under XL Recordings after the liquidation of EMI and the selling of its subsidiaries, including Sigur Rós' then-current label Parlophone. The song was used as a backing for an interpretive dance in the thirteenth season finale of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia.
"Rafstraumur" is a song written by Jón Þór Birgisson, Orri Páll Dýrason, Georg Hólm of Icelandic post rock band Sigur Rós. The song was originally recorded throughout 2012 and 2013 at the Sundlaugin Studio in Mosfellsbær, Iceland for inclusion on the band's seventh studio album, Kveikur. The record appears as the seventh track on the album. The record was released to radio on November 18, 2013 as a promotional single for Kveikur.
Átta is the eighth studio album by Icelandic post-rock band Sigur Rós, released through Von Dur and BMG Rights Management on 16 June 2023. It is their first studio album in 10 years, following Kveikur (2013), and is their first since 2012's Valtari to feature keyboardist Kjartan Sveinsson, who rejoined the band in 2022. The seven-minute lead single "Blóðberg" was released on 12 June 2023 alongside its music video, directed by Johan Renck. Physical editions of the album were released on 1 September 2023. The band embarked on a tour from June to August 2023 backed by a 41-piece orchestra, during which they debuted songs from the album.
