Released on 28 October 2002, and also referred to as ‘Svigaplatan’ (‘The Bracket Album‘), ( ) is one of Sigur Rós’s most conceptually ambitious albums, featuring eight untitled tracks sung by lead singer Jón Þór Birgisson (“Jónsi”) entirely in “Hopelandic”, a made-up language consisting of gibberish words, used for its musicality. In the credits of the film Heima, it is referred to as ‘The Untitled Album’. This is the first album Sigur Rós recorded at their studio ‘Mosfellsbær’ based in Álafoss, a small rural town outside Reykjavík, Iceland. ( ) includes the work of the string quartet Amiina as well as strings performed by the Iceland Symphony Orchestra. The album is split into two halves: the first four tracks are lighter and more optimistic, while the latter four are bleaker and more melancholic. The two-halves are divided by a 36-second silence, and the album opens and closes with a click of distortion. This minimalist, introspective work has become a cult favorite: it reached #51 on the Billboard 200, still resonates deeply with Sigur Rós fans, and received acclaim from music critics, although some reviewers found the album weaker than the band’s previous album Ágætis byrjun. This is the first album to feature drummer Orri Páll Dýrason who joined the band in 1999, replacing Ágúst Ævar Gunnarsson.
Liste to ‘( )’ on Spotify
