Sigur Ros ( ) (20th Anniversary Remaster) 2LP

( ), Sigur Rós's celebrated third album, and for many the most quintessentially "Sigur Rós" record, hits its 20th anniversary on October 28th, 2022. The album has been remastered by legendary mastering engineer Ted Jenson at Sterling Sound.

( ) is the only album where Jónsi sings entirely in the wordless lyrics of Hopelandic. A desire to elide meaning and allow the listener to bring their own interpretation to the music extends to each of the album's eight songs, all of which are nameless. The record is broadly divided into two halves, divided by a critical 36 seconds of silence. The first half of the album is light and optimistic, the second half bleak and melancholic, culminating in the thundering climax of "Untitled #8" – the closing song of every Sigur Rós show since it was written in 2000.

( ) was recorded at the band's own studio Sundlaugin, in Mosfellsbær outside Reykjavik, in 2002, co-produced by the band with Ken Thomas, who also helmed their breakthrough second album, Agætis Byrjun.

Atmospheric sonic experimentations

Quintessentially Sigur Rós, these avant-garde hymns demand, and reward, time and attention

Sigur Rós' music has all the depth, resonance and humanity of a Brueghel landscape, and is best appreciated at loud volumes in open spaces, as a soundtrack for scenery, real or imagined.