Sigur Rós

Sigur Rós (Icelandic pronunciation: [ˈsɪːɣʏr ˈroːus] ( listen)) is an Icelandic band known for its ethereal sound, frontman Jónsi Birgisson's falsetto vocals, the use of bowed guitar and the noticeable incorporation of classical and minimalist aesthetic elements into their music. "Sigur Rós" is Icelandic for "Victory Rose". The band was named after Birgisson's sister.. Vonlenska is a term used to describe the unintelligible lyrics sung by the band, in particular by Jónsi. It is also commonly known by the English translation of its name, Hopelandic. It takes its name from "Von", a song on Sigur Rós’s debut album Von where it was first used.. Vonlenska is a non-literal language, without fixed syntax, and differs from constructed languages that can be used for communication. It focuses entirely on the sounds of language; lacking grammar, meaning, and even distinct words. Instead, it consists of emotive non-lexical vocables and phonemes; in effect, Vonlenska uses the melodic and rhythmic elements of singing without the conceptual content of language. In this way, it is similar to the use of scat singing in vocal jazz. The band’s website describes it as "a form of gibberish vocals that fits to the music"; it is similar in concept to the 'nonsense' language often used by Cocteau Twins singer Elizabeth Fraser in the 1980s and 1990s. Most of the syllable strings sung by Jónsi are repeated many times throughout each song, and in the case of ( ), throughout the whole album....
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