#listeneveryday 3 Mar 2021
Sigur Rós is an Icelandic band formed in Reykjavík in 1994. Their name means 'victory rose' and is the name of front man Jón Pór "Jónsi" Birgisson's little sister, who was born not long before the group got together. Their style, often known as post rock, is experimental, incorporating unsual sounds, timbres and textures over a recognisable rock song structure.
Hoppípolla, which means 'Hopping into Puddles', was the second single from their 2005 album Takk ('Thanks') and their most successful single internationally, making number 24 in the UK charts in 2006. It is best known from its multiple uses in TV and film soundtracks, most memorably for the BBC Natural History productions of Planet Earth and Blue Planet as well as appearing in Slumdog Millionaire and in commercials for Oxfam.
The words are mainly Icelandic language, though there are a number of vocalisations which are in a made-up language the band call 'Vonlenska' or 'Hopelandic'. Sigur Rós continues to record and tour.
More to listen to
Here's the official video to Hoppípolla.
Another lovely Sigur Rós song, called Ára Bátur (Row Boat), performed at Abbey Road Studios in 2014.
A new #listeneveryday post is published every weekday! Comment below or tweet @SimonRushby with your suggestions for future music.