So I wanna start listening to Sigur Rós

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DaveC

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I want to get into Sigur Rós.

I listened to Ný Batterí and it's fucking brilliant. I've seen the video for Untitled #1 on MuchMusic and it's fucking brilliant.

But I don't know where to start. I know a lot of you are Sigur Rós fans, and so I ask for your guidance to get me into it.

I love the Kid A/Amnesiac period of Radiohead, so trippy weirdo music is all good with me. :up:
 
Agaetis Byrjun is really the place to start, album-wise. They make some good music but, in my opinion, most of their albums are uneven; they alternate between spectacular and painful, sometimes. That album, though, is probably the most consistent that the band has ever sounded and certainly the most beautiful. It's great stuff, for the most part. And if you like the Radiohead stuff, then you should check into finding peformances of "Split Sides," an opera-type deal which both Sigur Ros and Radiohead composed music for. In all honesty, I couldn't tell you where to look...but at least now you know to try. Peace.
 
split sides sucked ass for me, personally. melon will probably disagree with me, but who cares what he has to say anyway :sexywink:

seriously though, i agree with 'if you shout...'
 
See them live. Their music live is very moving. I almost cried during the show I went to because the music resonated through my body. And yeah.
 
If you shout... said:
Agaetis Byrjun is really the place to start, album-wise.

Absolutely.

If you are buying their stuff, you might as well pick up ( ), but it's just not as good of a cohesive unit, and much of it sounds like the same song splintered into several shorter melodies.
 
Yes, start with AB. It's gorgeous. But don't listen to it while driving. It almost put me in a coma in heavy traffic once.

I would LOVE to see them live.

Anybody know if the lyrics are translated into English somewhere?
 
I don't think they have a translation seeing as to how they sing in a made up language.

I know the song titles can be translated, but I don't think the rest of the lyrics can.
 
Yes, but according to their website it's on two songs (von and olsen olsen) and the entire () album that he sings in "hopelandic". The rest is in true icelandic.

So I've listened to most of ágætis byrjun and a bit of () and von, and I'm now officially in love with this music.
 
Oh, and I'm now convinced that Icelandic is the most beautiful language in the world, and I have every intention of learning it someday.
 
german is the most intense barking sound of a language i've ever heard.

i want to learn russian.
 
Zoomerang96 said:
german is the most intense barking sound of a language i've ever heard.

i want to learn russian.

German is pretty tough.

I used to think French is a pretty language. That's until I sat on an Air France flight watching French films, wanting a mountain to rise out of the sea and deliver me from that evil.

I can read Russian and understand it reasonably well. It's easy for anyone who speaks a Slavic language.
 
Zoomerang96 said:
split sides sucked ass for me, personally. melon will probably disagree with me, but who cares what he has to say anyway :sexywink:

I do disagree with you. :angry:

So...Sigur Rós. Here's my favorite songs of theirs:

1) Svefn-G-Englar. Wow. Just wow. I never get tired of listening to this song. In fact, this song blew my mind so much that U2 became my second favorite band. :reject: The studio version is way superior to the live version, IMO.

2) Njosnavelin (The Nothing Song). The live version of this song is superior to the studio version on ( ) (a.k.a., "Untitled #4"), IMO.

3) Vaka (a.k.a., "Untitled 1"). Just very solid.

4) Vidrar Vel Til Loftarasa. The music video is beautiful, but most heterosexual males will disagree with me on that. Regardless, the song is great.

5) Von. Great song both live and in the studio version (found on their debut album, "Von," has just recently been released in the U.S.!).

6) Hun Jord. Also on "Von," it's a lot more hard rocking than we're used to from them.

7) Myrkur. See #6's explanation.

8) Olsen Olsen. Very ethereal in the vein of Svefn-G-Englar.

9) Bíum Bíum Bambal. Only Sigur Rós can make an old Icelandic lullaby sound like somebody had just died (found on the "Angels of the Universe" soundtrack).

I don't have a #10 favorite; sorry...lol. But it's all good, IMO. I look forward to their new album eventually!

Melon
 
Sorry to bring up an incredibly old thread, but I'm feeling the same impulses towards Sigur Rós that DaveC did two years ago. I've read a lot about them on virtually every forum I visit and I've heard a few good clips online. I would have bought an album sooner, but the only place that sells CDs where I live is Wal-Mart. Rural Canadian towns, oh yeah!

But anyway, I just wanted to find out if attitudes towards any of their albums have changed since this thread was made (especially considering last year's release.) The general impression I get from this thread and a few of the other old ones is that Agaetis Byrjun is considered to be the best Sigur Rós album. Is this still the case, or has () grown on some of you? And how has Takk held up so far?

The reason I ask is because I'll be heading into civilisation for the next few days and I need something new to listen to. Preferably starting out with the best and then moving on to the worst later, if I enjoy it.
 
AB is the standard, so I'd start with that. Takk is probably the one you can grasp the quickest. ( ) is still my favorite record to listen to straight through ever made, so it's the sentimental favorite here. It also includes "Untitled 8", which is quite simply one of the best songs you'll ever hear.

I'd go with ( ) or AB first. Takk, while extremely good, isn't quite on the level of those two.
 
takk is the most accessible one. i think it's phenomenal.

but AB is considered their best, so get that one second.
 
Thanks for for the quick responses, everyone. Looks like I'll be going AB first, Takk / () second and Von last. I can't remember which album it was that I heard the clips from, but it was such lush, beautiful music. Really looking forward to this.
 
Also for your consideration, their live show was hands down the greatest show I've ever seen. If they drop by the woods of your neck, and by that I mean within 400 miles of you, do everything you can to see them.
 
Yeah, I've heard that they're spectacular live. It's difficult for me to get to see many live shows (unless it's shit like the Irish Descendants) because I'm forced to fly to either Toronto or Montreal. But if I enjoy them as much as I think I will, I'll definitely take out a loan or something next time they're on tour.
 
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