Sigur Rós 是一个冰岛的 slow-motion 结合 shoegaze 元素的摇滚乐队（根据乐队自己的定义）。乐队名称的发音为”see-oor-rows”。乐队名来自乐队主唱Jónsi Birgisson的妹妹 Sigurrósa 的冰岛名字，意思为”胜利玫瑰”（注意：Sigur Rós 不是正确的冰岛拼法）。一些乐队的同龄厩伴包括Múm 以及 Amiina，他们都是出自有创意与活力的冰岛乐坛。
by Andy Kellman
Named in part after a sister of one of the bandmembers, Reykjavik, Icelands Sigur Rós (Victory Rose) was formed by guitarist and vocalist Jon Thor Birgisson, bassist Georg Holm, and drummer Agust. Formed in early 1994 while the members were teenagers, the trios first recorded song earned them a deal with Icelands Bad Taste label. Their sprawling debut LP, Von (Hope), was released in 1997, followed the next year by a collection of remixes from that album, Recycle Bin. Kjartan Sveinsson joined the band on keyboards and the band recorded 1999s strings-heavy Ágætis Byrjun (Good Start), earning themselves numerous accolades in their homeland and achieving platinum status in sales. Agust then departed and was quickly replaced by Orri Páll DýRason.
Svefn-G-Englar, their first release to be distributed outside of their native country, was hailed as NMEs Single of the Week during September of 1999, launching a press hype steamroller in the U.K. and — to a lesser extent — in the U.S. The Ný Battery single was issued in early 2000, the bands breakout year. British independent Fat Cat began distributing the band, stretching their reach beyond Icelanders and rabid journalists. April dates in England with Godspeed You! Black Emperor were capped off by an appearance at the All Tomorrows Parties festival, and they also opened several dates of Radioheads European tour before years end.
Sigur Rós spent the first three months of 2001 away from the road, setting up their own studio and making their third album. Meanwhile, Ágætis Byrjun found a label in the U.S. and worldwide press became increasingly positive and varied; both Entertainment Weekly and The Wire ran features on the band. The group began touring again in April, playing more shows in Europe, a handful in the States, and several more in Japan throughout the remainder of the year. By the end of the year, Ágætis Byrjun had won the Shortlist Prize for Artistic Achievement in Music; it was also declared Icelands Best Album of the Century.
2002 saw the release of ( ), Sigur Rós third album. The majority of the material was honed on the road prior to being recorded at Alafoss, the groups studio, located outside Reykjavik. The album featured a raw sound in comparison to its predecessors and scaled back the extreme highs and lows that were prominent on Ágætis Byrjun. Three years later, they released Takk..., featuring some tighter arrangements and brighter tones.
