Tuesday 1 June 2010

237. Von - Sigur Rós



"Von" ("Hope")

Vonlenska is a term used to describe the unintelligible lyrics sung by the band.
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”.