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Sigur Rós – ( )

Tracklist ?

Credits?

• Artwork By [Uncredited] – Alex Torrance, D.C., Sigur Rós
• Bass [Uncredited], Keyboards [Uncredited], Glockenspiel [Uncredited] – Georg Hólm
• Cello [Uncredited] – Sólrún Sumarliðadóttir
• Co-producer [Uncredited], Engineer [Uncredited], Mixed By [Uncredited] – Kenneth Vaughan Thomas*
• Drums [Uncredited], Keyboards [Uncredited] – Orri Páll Dýrason
• Engineer [Uncredited Assistant] – Marco Migliari
• Keyboards [Uncredited], Guitar [Uncredited] – Kjartan Sveinsson
• Mastered By – Mandy*
• Strings [Uncredited], Arranged By [Uncredited Strings Arrangements] – Amina*
• Viola [Uncredited] – Ólöf Júlía Kjartansdóttir
• Violin [Uncredited] – Edda Rún Ólafsdóttir, María Huld Markan*
• Vocals [Uncredited], Guitar [Uncredited], Keyboards [Uncredited] – Jón Þór Birgisson
• Written-by [Uncredited], Producer [Uncredited], Performer [Uncredited] – Sigur Rós

Notes?

Recorded at Sundlaugin, Álafoss, Iceland.
Mastered at The Exchange.
Pressed at MPO Averton.

The titles the band has for the otherwise officially untitled songs themselves:
track A1 - Vaka
track A2 - Fyrsta
track A3 - Samskeyti
track B1 - Njósnavélin
track B2 - Álafoss
track C1 - E-bow
track C2 - Dauðalagið
track D - Popplagið

Credits, notes and timings taken from the band's official homepage.

Comes in a die-cut sleeve with printed inner sleeves.

Catalog# on labels "fatlp22", and 946.0122.012.
Additional catalog# on sticker piasv122dlp

? & © 2002 fatcat records ltd. under exclusive licence to play it again sam [pias]

Named in part after a sister of one of the bandmembers, Reykjavik, Iceland's Sigur Rós (Victory Rose) was formed by guitarist and vocalist Jon Thor Birgisson (who later went by the name Jónsi), bassist Georg Holm, and drummer Agust. Formed in early 1994 while the members were teenagers, the trio's first recorded song earned them a deal with Iceland's 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 1999's 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 NME's 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 band's break-out 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 Tomorrow's Parties festival, and they also opened several dates of Radiohead's European tour before year's 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 world-wide 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 Iceland's Best Album of the Century.

( ), Sigur Rós' third album, was released in 2002. The majority of the material was honed on the road prior to being recorded at Alafoss, the group's 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 issued 2005's Takk..., featuring some tighter arrangements and brighter tones. In 2007 they released the documentary film Heima, which chronicled the band's tour of Iceland the previous year alongside an intimate acoustic show at a coffee shop in the small town of Borg.

Released in 2008, Med Sud I Eyrum Vid Spilum Endalaust found the group adding fairly straightforward pop songs to its sound alongside the traditionally epic soundscapes. After Sigur Rós completed touring for the album (the final weekend of shows recorded and captured on film and then released in 2011 as Inni), they headed back to the studio but scrapped the results and went on a hiatus. During this time, Jónsi launched a solo career, first collaborating with boyfriend Alex Somers (as Jónsi & Alex) on 2009's Riceboy Sleeps, then releasing 2010's Go under his own name. His main claim to fame, though, was recording "Sticks and Stones" for the soundtrack of How to Train Your Dragon. The group ended its hiatus in April of 2010, playing a set at the Coachella Festival. In October of 2011, they released their first live album, Inni, a document of their 2008 tour.

Set the controls for the heart of the sun: Sigur Rós had another baby and they named it ( ). It's just as excessive in length as its elder siblings, it's just as precious and almost as over-the-top sounding, and it's artfully packaged with next to no information provided -- no photo collage from the triumphant world tour, no acknowledgments of the supportive Reykjavik massive. No track titles are present, either -- the band has made them known, but obviously not through the traditional route. Whatever the issues with this record, musical or not, ( ) will only further repel the detractors. Despite the fact that it arrives three years after Ágaetis Byrjun's original release, there are only adjustments -- no significant developments -- in the group's sound. The relentlessly funereal tempos, the elegant arrangements, and the high-pitched warbling/cooing remain in abundance. The overall mood of the album is subdued in relation to its predecessor. This is particularly true for the second half of the album, which is cleaved by a half-minute gap of silence. The sudden stratospheric crescendos resorted to previously are smoothed out, riding subtle gradients that allow for somber, elongated passages of drones and minimal instrumental interplay. The orchestral nuances, contributed by the string quartet Amina, take on a more background role. The fact that the emotional extremes are few and far between makes the album difficult to wade through -- its impact would've been tripled with about half an hour lopped off, but where to begin? None of these eight songs deserve to be left on the cutting-room floor. So perhaps it's most effective when digested in halves. Are Sigur Rós pretentious somnambulists bearing gimmicks, or are they Nordic gods bearing musical bliss? Regardless of the side you're on, ( ) is further proof that this group does what it does very well.

Jacket is VG++ and the LP's are M-

Shipping and handling is $5 for media mail for this double LP set via USPS in the USA and ships fully insured. Please contact me for international shipping rates. If you have any questions please email me. Record ships the same week payment is received. Records are from my personal collection and are from a smoke free home.

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SS: means Still Sealed, any defects such as "cut-out" marks will be noted in the description

NM : means "Near Mint" - maybe played once, no surface marks, "like new" and still in shrinkwrap

M- : means "Mint Minus" - No scratches or wear if not mentioned in description

VG+ :  means "very good plus" - a nice copy. Some signs of light wear and possible surface noise in spots    

VG : means "Very Good"  - marks on vinyl and surface noise between tracks or during quieter passages. A copy to buy until a better one comes along

VG- : Very Good Minus - wear and marks and surface noise, a copy to buy until a better one comes along. 

G : means "good". In record grading terminology, "Good" is not good. Guaranteed only not to skip.

Insurance required and included with shipping.

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