Artist: Sigur Rós
Album Title: ( )

When I think of albums that have influenced my life the most, I immediately name Sigur Rós’ album, “( )”.
One of the most developed, well-written musical writers of our time has made albums without words. They have used violin bows to play guitars and developed their own language at times to use the human voice as melody to follow the sync of instruments. They have done all of these things just for the sake of making more harmony.
The band has put out several albums since their beginning, however “( )” has been the only album that has captured the attention of my ears and even my very soul.
The band has a way of writing music that makes you feel a deep sense and spirit of music. The rhythm, the motion and the sound almost seem to generate themselves in my head when I listen to track six of “( )”.
None of the tracks for the album have actual titles; they are all titled Untitled 1-8. Untitled 6 is one of the album’s songs that reaches out the most from the album with its slow but sharp tones that drag through every minute of the track. And towards the end of the track, the song gives you the feel of being part of one of the most dramatic instances ever recorded.
The entire album is not sung in English nor in their native language of Icelandic, rather it is made up of words that flow with the music and mean something to the writer. The writer gives you the hope that you will translate the lyrics to mean something to you personally. To me the translation I get is a feeling inside of me rather than words, almost as if the song’s sound is too deep for words.
Its mellow tones make it meditative enough for sleep, for looking back on life, for reading and even work.
The band has put out several albums: “Von (Hope),” “Agaetis Byrjun”, “( )” and “Takk…” as well as others. They have been on soundtracks such as “Vanilla Sky”, “Angels of the Universe” and “The Life Aquatic.” They recently released an album entitled “Hvarf-Heim”, which contains new written tracks as well as re-recorded tracks from some of their older albums. The band’s newest album is not “( )”, but if I had to tell you to buy one of their many albums, it would be “( )”, which was released in 2002. The band is supposedly going to New York in the near future to record and release in due time yet another masterpiece.
For more information on the band, their history, history of their members, their work, updates and their happenings, visit http://sigur-ros.co.uk/index.php.