Sigur Ros HHV Records 15 Items

The Icelandic Long-Form Enthusiasts

Indefinable genre boundaries, dream-like sound collages, and a unique sung language: the Icelandic band Sigur Rós is breaking nearly every expectation of many rock enthusiasts. The group was formed around frontman Jónsi in 1994 – someone who plays the guitar with a bow and makes no secret of his unconventional composition methods. The trio, whose name translates to “victory rose,” quickly gained the favor of Björk’s own label, Bad Taste, and three years later released their first album, Von. The ambient tracks, interrupted by heavy electric guitars, initially did not see much success, and the remix album Von brigði, released a year later, did little to change that. It was only with Ágætis byrjun in 1999 that the post-rock creators finally achieved a hard-fought nationwide and international hit, even receiving recognition from legends like David Bowie – slowly but surely, Sigur Rós found their place in the international market. They now had a home at the British indie label Fat Cat, their ten-minute song Svefn-g-englar was crowned Single of the Week by NME, and in Europe, the long-form enthusiasts were opening shows for Radiohead. After this rapid rise, the band took a break in 2001 and built their own home studio for the next project, which bore the obscure title ( ).

Wordless Texts and Unorthodox Song Structures

The wordless album title was quite in harmony with the atmospheric songs: instead of words, the compositions featured the invented nonsensical language called “Vonlenska” by Jónsi. Drummer Dýrason simply stated, “the songs were fully formed and it would have been strange to suddenly insert lyrics into these finished products.” However, for the 2005 recorded successor, Takk…, Icelandic lyrics returned, though Jónsi occasionally reverted to Vonlenska – leaving the interpretation completely up to the listener. With this, Sigur Rós reached the upper echelons of the charts in the USA and the UK – quite remarkable for an Icelandic post-rock act with elements of classical music and consistently unorthodox song structures. In 2006, the concert film Heima was released, which was revered among fans, and for their new work, Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust, the band enlisted the producer Mark Flood Ellis two years later – known for his work with New Order, U2, and other industry giants. Together with Flood, Sigur Rós ventured towards pop, including their first track in English – and the song Festival even made it into Danny Boyle’s film drama 127 Hours.

Nostalgia-Indulging Orchestras

2010 marked the beginning of Jónsi’s solo career with his first album Go, and the live album Inni once again documented the extravagant shows that Sigur Rós had been delivering since their formation, turning them into a sought-after live experience worldwide. They returned to their roots with their 2012 album Valtari, which the band simply described as an “avalanche in slow motion” – revisiting and reinventing forgotten ideas from old days. The following year, Kveikur presented the antithesis – notably direct and at times aggressive, frontman Jónsi again told stories in Vonlenska, accompanied by grinding guitars. After that, the group took a slower approach to new album recordings: worldwide concert tours and tracks for series were on the agenda, but a new project was yet to come. The band’s image darkened when their longtime drummer, Dýrason, left the band in 2018 following accusations of sexual assault. However, in June 2023, after 10 years, the album ÁTTA was released, featuring nostalgia-indulging orchestras and drawing inspiration from late-era Radiohead. And it only works so well because Sigur Rós have never cared much about commercialism.