Biography
Icelandic outfit Sigur Ros became a film and TV soundtrack staple thanks to a cinematic blend of post-rock, dream pop and neo-classical performed in an entirely constructed language known as Vonlenska. Frontman Jon Por 'Jonsi' Birgisson - who named the band after his younger sister - bassist Georg Holm and drummer Agust Aevar Gunnarsson first came together in their Reykjavik hometown in 1994 and shortly after signed to The Sugarcubes-owned label Bad Taste. 1997 debut Von first showcased their majestic sound and famously unintelligible vocal style, and after adding keyboardist Kjartan Sveinsson to their line-up, follow-up Agaetis byrjun arrived two years later. With its sweeping orchestration and cello-bowed guitarwork, the record set the template for the band's career, while the use of three of its songs in Cameron Crowe's "Vanilla Sky" (2001) and a support slot with Radiohead raised their international profile considerably. 2002's ( ), a collection of eight untitled tracks featuring new drummer Orri Pall Dyrason, saw the band enter the US Top 50, and was followed by original scores for "Hlemmur" (2003), a documentary about life in Reykjavik's main bus terminal, and dance productions "Bodyscript" and "Split Sides." 2005's Takk saw the band reach a whole new audience thanks to the use of "Hoppipolla" on trailers for David Attenborough's "Planet Earth" (BBC, 2006), and was promoted by both a major world tour and a series of intimate homecoming shows documented on concert film "Heima" (2007). Released in 2008, "Meo suo i eyrum vio spilum endalaust" offered a more guitar-oriented sound and the band's first English-language track ("All Alright"), before Jonsi spent the next few years focusing on side-projects such as solo album Go and an LP with boyfriend Alex Somers (Riceboy Sleeps). A No.7 peak on the Billboard 200 for 2012's Valtari saw Sigur Ros pick up where they left off, and despite Sveinsson's departure reducing the group to a trio, 2013's harder-edged Kveikur and cameos on "The Simpsons" (Fox, 1989-) and "Game of Thrones" (HBO, 2011-) further added to their success story.
