Sigur Rós
By All Music Guide
By All Music Guide
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.
