Sigur Rós

Experimental post-rock outfit Sigur Rós is one of Iceland’s most successful bands, earning a trio of Platinum albums and six chart-toppers in their home country and critical acclaim abroad. ∙ Ágætis Byrjun, their 1999 breakout, was the first album ever to win the prestigious Shortlist Music Prize, which was launched to honor independent releases. ∙ All the songs on 2002’s Grammy-nominated ( ) are sung in a made-up language the band calls Vonlenska (or Hopelandic, in English), leaving their meanings up to listeners’ interpretation. ∙ Their signature track, “Hoppípolla,” and their sole No. 1, “Glósóli,” appeared on 2005’s Takk…, which won a trio of Icelandic Music Awards. ∙ “Gobbledigook,” from 2008’s Með Suð Í Eyrum Við Spilum Endalaust, was a Top 10 hit in Iceland and landed on year-end best-of lists from Pitchfork and Rolling Stone. ∙ Director Cameron Crowe asked frontman Jónsi to score 2011’s We Bought a Zoo, and said that the film was inspired by his solo album, Go, and the band documentary Heima. ∙ In 2014, they portrayed a group of minstrels in an episode of Game of Thrones, performing a version of “The Rains of Castamere,” a key song that recurred throughout the series.