grunch

yeah they're good, but in a similar mould to a lot of other bands, and haven't done anything truly groundbreaking in the musical sphere. I love their stuff, but to call them influential is a bit glib, haven't seen many Sigur Rós take-offs coming around. And if they were, it's probably only thanks to Slint and earlier post-rockers.


EDIT: ugh, grunching on OOT is a bad idea, slint, tortoise, mogwai and godspeed you! already mentioned above. I fail.

SR also toured with Radiohead on the 2000 UK "big top" tour. That's how much Yorkie loved them.

I don't think they are that important in the music world but they are definately one of my top 3 favourite bands ever.

I suppose it's a not unreasonable assessment, but very erroneous.

I was the one and only bassist for Pussy Galore in the 80's (3 whole months), and the first live music I ever saw was the Clash in 1981.

I'd say the journey is pretty well begun.

I'm not that into the music 'scene', but I will say that Sigur Ros's sound is so distinctive and hard to duplicate that I can't imagine that they are that important. Anything that sounds like them would sound like a ripoff.

They are awesome, though.

Why are you using words like "important" and "influential" when you really just wanna say "good".

All I know about them is my ex-gf would never shut up about them, and all the music she liked sucked ass, and she's a dirty whore. So they are probably pretty ****ty.

Sigur Ros is a slightly original composition of a lot of stuff that was going on in music. They're very "soundtracky" which is a common movement these days. I think they actually are very similar to the old 70's "rock opera" stuff, for example I see a lot of Dark Side of the Moon.

Quite specifically they draw very heavily from the work of Icelandic composer Hilmar Orn Hilmarsson

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hilmar_%C3%96rn_Hilmarsson

who does very similar atmospheric dreamy stuff.

I think they're similar to Radiohead mainly in the sense that they both draw heavily from electronic music and bring it into rock. While Radiohead draws from more dancey electronica, Sigur Ros draws from the ambient electronica, you can hear a lot of Brian Eno and definitely Cocteau Twins.

Sigur Ros has given me more goosebumps than any band ever.

Explosions in the Sky ldo

I meant the specific track, Agaetis Byrjun. I guarantee that if you played that song for someone who was sort of, but not intimately, familiar with the work of both bands, you could tell them it was Radiohead and they'd be like "yeah ok that makes sense".

WTF does this have to do with anything? So the only way a band could ever sound like SR is if they sing in a made up language? Would it have to be that exact same language or would any one do?

wtf is your problem? Like Seabeast said, Thom has considered SR a pretty big influence, and there are definitely some real similarities in their music. I have no idea why you felt it necessary to be a dick.

I'm barely aware of Sigur Ros, and haven't heard a majority of the bands mentioned in this thread, but insinuating that someone who doesn't like Sigur Ros likes the trashy artists you mentioned is kind of silly.

I would agree with much of this sentiment a couple years ago... but they seem to be off the map recently.

I don't know how much longer they can milk their sound... and still have people say they're influential or 'important'.

Be calm. The falling down a well/being kicked by a mule is a National Lampoon's Vacation reference, not a serious insult to a complete stranger.

Sigur Ros and Radiohead still sound almost nothing alike.

I know you don't care for me, Dids. I understand your need to make me feel like an affected noob, but I'll answer your question anyway:

1.) Because I wanted to start a conversation that might actually provoke a response (because I was genuinely interested on peoples' opinions on the band), and folks generally respond to this sort of language. I think it has actually succeeded.

2.) If I actually started a thread that said "Sigur Ros--good?", then I might have been electronically assaulted by the mods for trying to start a worthless thread. And, of course, there is the aforementioned (I'm sorry--the "previously posited?" "earlier stated?" I don't want to type any words that might result in derogatory commentary from you) goal of actually having a response or two.

3.) Because to be perfectly honest, I believe that part of my question had to do with influence and importance, not merely quality.

If I have (yet again) managed to annoy thee, you have my most humble apologies.

I mean, "I'm sorry."

never heard of them, but I love GYBE so maybe ill check them out

btw did anybody buy Heima? is the dvd good?

They've toured together as well. When Sigur Ros was still pretty unknown they were opening for Radiohead on the Kid A tour. At least in Scandinavia.

I was fortunate enough to see both two nights in a row back in 2000.
Needless to say it was pretty amazing.

For some reason I don't listen much to Sigur Ros anymore though. Takk didn't really grab me but ( ) and AB I would say are still two of my favorite albums.

b/c there is a difference between influential and good.

(and this is coming from someone who is generally very confused by the concept of 'important' art)

Actually, I could side on the "for" that Treefingers off Kid A is kind of similar to the track Ágætis Byrjun.

The ending of "All I Need" when I first heard it immediately made me think of Sigur Ros.

Lastly, I'm sure you were able to infer from the use of quotes in the title of the OP that the word "important" is debatable and/or oblique enough to be of dubious value or denotation.

At least that was my intention. I'm sorry it was not explicit enough.

Lots of Sigur Rós songs are in Icelandic.

Although I guess that might as well be a made-up language.

You are correct and I am wrong. All of the tracks on () are in Hopelandish (Jonsi's made up language), but the other albums were sung in Icelandic.

Intelligent band, very well-spoken and opinionated.

http://www.npr.org/blogs/bryantpark/...ws_go_bad.html