Why Does Sigur Rós Music Sound Like That?

[@camillealyse3962]

When I was 15, my guitar teacher’s girlfriend got me listening to Sigur Ros. She said they blew up among her group of friends when she was a teenager. I’ve thought about their music a lot through the last five years and just assumed that literally no other english speaker knew who this band was. So strange to stumble upon this video and realize that my love for this band wasn’t a teenage fever dream.

[@ThoughtWord]

Yeah, I discovered them as a teenager too. Their music utterly transformed me. Still my favorite band to this day, even though their more recent stuff is avant garde in the extreme.

[@lilouhaefner3352]

I think in ambient / dream pop / post-rock, the sound, texture, and melody can communicate emotion all by itself. Especially with Jónsi’s vocals, I feel like it doesn’t matter so much what is being said as how it’s being said. Maybe it even helps that I can’t understand, it somehow makes the music more ‘sacred’ or abstract. Idk, maybe I’m just crazy.

[@Astronirav]

I'm going to show this video to every one of my friends and turn them into Sigur Ros fans. I've always been looking for a perfect Sigur Ros introduction video to show to people with whom I share music. This is it!

[@ThoughtWord]

Wow, thanks! I'm glad you think so highly of the video. I hope you're successful in getting people into Sigur Rós!

[@torresaurus_]

Dude, just show them the Heima DVD. I feel you, though. Sigur Ros is one of the most famous bands in the world and yet none of my friends really listen to them.

[@arpitpgupta]

I got introduced to Sigur Ros by 127 hours ending sequence. Since then, I never stopped listening to it.

[@krista8920]

Sadly I never got to go to a Sigur Ros show when the band had all of its members. But, I did see Jonsi live when his album "Go" was released and again this last October when he toured with Alex for Riceboy Sleeps. Both were magical experiences. If you ever get the chance to see him live I suggest going.

[@Oh_I_Will]

I saw them as a 3-piece (New Orleans) with no additional backing band members. Having only 3 members on stage in a SR concert is impossible to recreate. Thus, they used Backing Tracks which really was a downer

[@adriandiaz497]

I clicked on this thinking it was a Sigur Rós song but then I ended up loving the band even more.

[@ThoughtWord]

Gotta love a happy accident! Thanks for watching!

[@halt.halt.halt.]

I‘ve never experienced anything like Jónsi‘s guitar live. It’s so much more impressive than the studio recordings. The dynamic, the tone. Unbelievable. Shook me to the core. Edit: That particular moment in VVTL is one of my favourite bowed guitar moments in their music. Alongside the ending of Sæglópur.

[@ThoughtWord]

I've only had the good fortune to see them live once way back in 2013. But you're right, it leaves an indelible and unforgettable mark on your life.

[@Confileus]

@@ThoughtWord Question is.. if we ever would have a chance to see them again? I discovered them few years ago, and since then.. well, pure silent. Seems a bit like Jonsi is more focused on his own career and projects.

[@ThoughtWord]

@@Confileus True. They've gone in a wildly avant-garde direction lately that doesn't really lend itself to live performance (especially all the Liminal stuff). Orri's issues and departure haven't helped either. Who knows if they'll pull it back together or not. I certainly hope so!

[@caleob9725]

I need a new sigur ros album

[@halt.halt.halt.]

@@Confileus finally seeing them again on Sunday. Cannot wait.

[@lordcrispen]

I well up almost every time the crescendo hits in "Viðrar vel til loftárása". It's such a powerful, beautiful moment where it all comes together and just....nails it. Thank you for highlighting this moment for many people that may not get the chance to experience it otherwise.

[@lilouhaefner3352]

I discovered Sigur Rós from an episode of Blackmirror called Hang the DJ. They co-wrote a couple of songs with Alex Somers. The final scene where they climb the ladder is one of my favourite moments of cinema (If you can call a tv show ‘cinema’), and the sound of Sigur Rós was a perfect fit for that moment. I’ve loved them ever since.

[@ivyshack7310]

I know I'm late but Sigur Rós is my favorite band and their music as well as Jónsi in particular are both very special to me and I love the video essay genre, so naturally I'm in love with this video. Thank you for making it :P.

[@ytcarol]

Thank you. This was a really well made presentation and enhances my enjoyment of Jonsi and Sigur Ros.

[@melaniecolgin3705]

This is a beautiful film, and stunning tribute to my all time favorite band. Thank you for representing them so beautifully.

[@Gamedenker]

You reminded me of hoppípolla, my favorite Sigur song. Very well done :)

[@ThoughtWord]

I'll definitely take that as a compliment. Thanks!

[@gracehaven5459]

Mine as well, I picked it my senior year of highschool as my song that best seemed to represent me for English class because dispite and even maybe because of my lifelong battle with major depression, life is still beautiful, and it reminds me of that everytime I hear it. It's a bittersweet song. It reminds me that I'm so glad to be alive and that I haven't killed myself as a young person :') :')

[@gracehaven5459]

It's probably my favorite song of all time tied with The Winner is from Little Miss Sunshine because of it, when life gets to be too difficult and my depression gets to be too much for me both remind me of all the emotions and experiences I would miss out on if I died, it reminds me that I want to live, and to me that transients all else.

[@wulyf4lyf]

I got married in the small train station in my town, built in the 19th century in 2009. The station only fit 30 people, who were seated on chairs brought in, with white flowers all around the inside. We had a small stereo that was queued up to play “hoppipolla” , as my wife walked down the makeshift aisle, the only light that crept in through the few large windows, a bleak grey and white of a December’s afternoon. Time stood still , for what seemed like an eternity. 11 years later, and I often wish I could go back and relive the whole thing all over again. Sigur Ros, and especially that song, are the closest things to actually bringing me back to that moment.

[@Legionere]

That scene in Vanilla Sky was my first introduction as well. I fell in love. That movie forever opened my eyes and heart to a whole new world of music and film.

[@avedic]

I'm so happy I stumbled across this video again...months after first seeing it. This is so well made. At the most basic level...these sort of super well made video essays about something very specific...like a band...make me realize that the idiocyncratic strangness that is my perception of reality...is in fact shared by others. I was honestly kinda vibing off the fact you not only love Sigur Ros as much as I do....but you love their music for very similar reasons to me. And it's just really cool to hear another human being express my own exact thoughts...but in their own words.

[@shoutsilence5881]

Thank you for putting into words what I could not. Sigur Rós is my favorite band; their music saved me. I feel more people should hear their music. It is life changing. I am eternally in awe of their otherworldly music and it transports me to somewhere and someone else I prefer to be. It is comfort, it is home❤

[@agnarssondemise]

Thank you for making this video. Could never really figure out why I liked Sigur Rós so much, until now. For me, it was the song near the end of The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou. Recently watched an interview where Jónsi said him and Alex may be going their separate ways... very sad. But that’s life. Hopelandic? Not always.

[@iandavies7991]

Amazing band. The most freely creative and experimental band working and impossible to categories

[@rosemimi973]

Glad I finally found this video. I am a huge fan. However, I found out that for me Sigur Rós was always linked to experiencing Iceland. When you stand at the Gullfoss you can’t help but think of the amazing Sigur Rós sound. Also check out the music Jónsi creates with his partner Alex. Riceboy sleeps is one of the best albums ever.

[@phildupuis1084]

Great video with cogent insights into the sound of this wonderful band. Thanks and with this, you have gained a new subscriber.

[@grizeldabrown]

Your video was so beautifully written and produced.

[@johnmacdougall9601]

That was splendid. A very thoughtful description of the band and their music. The Einstein quote I had never heard. I'm a scientist (my day job) and a musician (my night job). I'm fortunate enough to have the opportunity to think a lot about the mysterious in my day job and in some ways that is how I approach my night job as well. I love the music of Sigur Ros.

[@LierenCavanaugh]

I really must thank you for this. I was drawn to Sigur Rós by the cover of Ágætis Byrjun, in a library, of all places. I'd never heard their music, or even heard of the band. To this day, I'm not sure why the cover latched on to me like that. I'm just glad it did. I checked out that album, as well as the untitled brackets album. I went home, put on my headphones, and was immediately immersed in pools of calm and beauty. I'd been a fan of Enya for some time before that, and until I heard Jónsi's ethereal voice, I was sure I'd never hear anything so achingly beautiful as Enya's soft Gaelic words again. I was wrong. Your description of the band and their amazing work is the most accurate description of any artist that I've encountered. I think after all these years, I finally understand why I was drawn into their music so quickly and completely.

[@terebinthia]

Thank you so much for creating this! I've been a fan since my early teenage years, and you've put so many of my thoughts into words (and images). Now when everyone asks me why I like them so much, I'll just show them this video. 😉

[@TM-bn8pv]

This song made this my FAVORITE MOVIE and FAVORITE BAND. After watching it numerous times and some KZbin vids on VS, I think I understand the deeper understanding of the movie...think it's just a cult hit as most don't care for it but we all have different preferences. It fit me in many ways, some good some bad despite not being wealthy...that end scene is beautiful with the SR...I've watched every TV series as well that has SR in a scene, such as Sense8. Enjoyed it too a lot.

[@97Mizzo]

Loved watching this. Takk!

[@The_RedVIII]

Vanilla Sky is the movie that got me into loving Sigur Rós back in the day, they've been my favorite band since then. Great video.

[@jesusfish_]

I'm so glad you did this video, and that KZbin recommended it to me. I'm also glad that the music of this band was recommended to me years ago by some music app, and honestly, my life is much richer having heard it. I love this sound, and the concept of the made up language, it really turns the human voice into a real, interesting instrument just as you highlighted in this video. They make some of my favorite music, though they are not my favorite band, and I'm glad for the random chaos that brought them, and this great, detailed explanation, into my musical catalog. If you like this, I recommend bands like This Will Destroy You and Explsions in the Sky, but if you're watching this, then you probably already know about them.

[@BurningSky444]

MAGNIFICENT ✨✨✨❤️‍🔥

[@lch7145]

Thank you Thank you for bringing all my old emotions about this movie and Sigur Ros all together

[@kaos7116]

Great video and Chanel. Thank you

[@UncleRJ]

A beautifully made in-depth analysis on the band, I love it! I hope you don't mind me dropping my own view to expand a little bit on the band. Jonsi's bowed guitar is undeniably unbelievable, and the reverberating sound that he made with it is phenomenal, but we cannot forget the other member of the band, the guitar's greatest support: Georg 'Goggi' Holm, the bassist. Georg is by no mean the best bassist in the world, but he gets the job done, and a job well done he did. His basslines are often melodic than strictly rhythmic, never impressive but can create tensions and releases, no matter how small they may be. Jonsi creates the landscapes, Georg makes them bigger. Jonsi makes the lineart, Georg makes the shadows. The bass makes the whole song sounds bigger, a great foundation and a whole more pallets for Jonsi's melodies to sit into. In some songs, he is what drives them forward. One example is Untitled #6 or E-Bow. It would not be called E-Bow without the bass; it is the centered attention of the song. Untitled #7 is another good example; it _really_ drives the song forward with its simple though haunting basslines. I want to mention Ny Batteri as it is the song that inspired me to play bass. Georg is my first bass hero.

[@ThoughtWord]

You're absolutely right. I think bassists are often the most underappreciated band members. This may be even more true of Georg just because of his unobtrusive demeanor. I think his work really shines in Glósóli. In fact, as a whole album, Takk features his bass quite a bit now that I think about it.

[@firthlaist218]

Loving the enthusiasm for ones hobby 😊👍🏼 It’s true, individual band member appreciation seems to often go: Lead Vocals Lead Vocals/Lead Guitar Lead Guitar Drummer Bass...

[@firthlaist218]

I truly enjoyed this film ...yet I utterly concur ...this scene hit me ‘gently-hard’. As to say, as much as it was sad ...the track made it beautiful. Can’t tell you the amount of times I rewatched this moment, mainly for the music, yet also for how well it merged into a memorable viewing ........meeeooooow! Nice review fella...

[@ThoughtWord]

Thanks for the compliment, I'm glad you enjoyed the video! To be honest, I'm mixed on Vanilla Sky as a whole film (Tom Cruise's character is almost unbearably narcissistic!) but I unabashedly love the final scene...just wish the movie that leads up to it earned it more.

[@shutter-chan]

I came across Sigur Ros when supercell released their album Zigaexperentia back in 2013 iirc. People pointed the song Journey's End was a homage to Hoppipola. So I checked it out and as soon as the song started, I was suddenly overcome with indescribable feelings. Pretty much stuck with me every since.

[@kyrill19]

Thank you for this, I absolutely love it. I love this band my favourite band together with the National. Viorar Vel til Loftarasa is one of the most beautiful songs I ever listend to. And have been listening to it for years. I like your video's and learning new stuff from it

[@ieroen]

Nicely made video! I would have to point out that the pedal highlighted @ 4:02 is not a reverb unit. It's a Boss RC-30 Loop Station. The reverb comes from a TC Electronic M350 rack unit, set to the cathedral setting. Also, an important element of the sound of Sigur Ros comes from a small toy keyboard that gives the sampled sounds a digital 8 bit lo-fi quality. You can hear it on almost every song of the Takk album and a lot of the () album. Jonsi said that the little keyboard was his "main instrument" besides the guitar.

[@ThoughtWord]

Touche, good sir. I had to fudge there a bit for illustrative purposes. A rack unit just doesn't play on screen as well as a pedal board. ;-) I hope that doesn't come off as disingenuous.

[@JasonMcGarva]

Wow, incredibly thoughtful and well-made video. I love Sigur Ros. And it was at the ending of Vanilla Sky that I first heard that song, and it made me want to seek them out.

[@DangerousKittenFangs]

I totally forgot where I first heard this song. Such an amazing moment in that movie because of this music. It's so haunting.

[@franklinkaufman5929]

I think I'm crying.

[@gavart4509]

4:30 I’ve never seen such a badass thing that has confused me to such a large extent

[@TempusViator]

Truly awesome video essay. I adore Sigur Rós

[@ElohAraphel]

You just described the whole post-rock genre

[@Yussa26]

This is so well done. Great perspectives and insights

[@mikemandel5775]

Fantastic!

[@Legionere]

I also think it should be said how much this band is missing Kjartan. A lot of what is said here about Sigur Ros was his influence.

[@ThoughtWord]

Couldn't agree more. He's masterful when it comes to musical arrangement. The orchestral complexity and nuance hasn't been the same since he departed the band.

[@Oh_I_Will]

And now Orri

[@Reziner]

Super!

[@Lifeofiction]

I feel the same exact way about that scene

[@WingRaidCoach]

year late to this video... but amazing job on my favorite band of all-time and top 5 movies of all-time!

[@gkukreti]

Man, I really love your thoughts and words. Subscribed!

[@jacobday1794]

I love the video! :)

[@avedic]

5:56 Ok.......now you're just showing off. ;P

[@ThoughtWord]

I had to work so hard to get those Icelandic pronunciations right! After repeating after recordings of native speakers to learn to say each word or phrase correctly, I'd say them again about five times in a row to get it stuck in my mouth l, then hit record. It was a doozy!

[@avedic]

@@ThoughtWord The fact you put that work in...shows in the final result. I'm so happy I stumbled across this video again...months after first seeing it. This is so well made. At the most basic level...these sort of super well made video essays about something very specific...like a band...make me realize that the idiosyncratic strangeness that is my perception of reality...is in fact shared by others. I was honestly kinda vibing off the fact you not only love Sigur Ros as much as I do....but you love their music for very similar reasons to me. And it's just really cool to hear another human being express my own exact thoughts...but in their own words.

[@lovelydr32010]

Same as you

[@caleb1031]

3:20 Me a metal enthusiast. twitches.

[@kugelsprechen]

2:20 what song?

[@ThoughtWord]

Ára bátur

[@Finkardop]

I really like them for their sound but the repetitive lyric lines in some of their songs gets old sometimes. Just gotta be honest

[@benfriedl2578]

The film as a whole itself is meh. But the soundtrack might just be the best of any film. And that last scene weighs heavy on me and brings out unexplicable emotions. I guess that's just what Sigur Ros does best

[@nicholasguzman5231]

You should end your videos by saying; “And as always, thanks for watching.” And while your at it just change the channel name to Vsauce4. Lol

[@ThoughtWord]

I'm pretty sure I'd get slammed for copyright infringement. I want to stay on good terms with Michael Stevens. He's a cool dude.

[@curly_wyn]

Hearing you call The Edge innovative and groundbreaking is cringey as hell.

[@ThoughtWord]

Because it's true? The Edge may not be a technical virtuoso, but the dude definitely pioneered some sounds and effects that have been imitated for decades since.

[@curly_wyn]

@@ThoughtWord he’s not the first one to do it tho, he’s just the one who popularized it. Eh, doesn’t matter that much really, since everyone knows U2 sucks. Sigur Ròs on the other hand…