The Elgar Sisters was an

Iceland Iceland ( is, Ísland; ) is a Nordic island country in the North Atlantic Ocean and in the Arctic Ocean. Iceland is the most sparsely populated country in Europe. Iceland's capital and largest city is Reykjavík, which (along with its ...

ic duo formed by singer

Björk Guðmundsdóttir Björk Guðmundsdóttir ( , ; born 21 November 1965), known mononymously as Björk, is an Icelandic singer, songwriter, composer, record producer, and actress. Noted for her distinct three-octave vocal range and eccentric persona, she has d ...

and composer

Guðlaugur Kristinn Óttarsson Guðlaugur Kristinn Óttarsson (born 11 December 1954) is an Icelandic musician. Music career Early bands Steinblóm (Stone Flowers) (1969) was his first group. It was a trio formed by Guðlaugur (electric and acoustic guitars), Haraldur Joha ...

in 1984. The Elgar Sisters coexisted with Kukl, another group they were part of. The origin of the duo’s name dates back to the recording sessions when engineer Mel Jefferson named the duo after English composer

Edward Elgar Sir Edward William Elgar, 1st Baronet, (; 2 June 1857 – 23 February 1934) was an English composer, many of whose works have entered the British and international classical concert repertoire. Among his best-known compositions are orchestr ...

.
From 1984 to 1986 the duo recorded 3 songs at Hjóðriti and 8 songs at Grettisgat studios (which later turned into Sýrland) which are known as The Elgar Sessions. Nine songs were composed by Guðlaugur, one by Björk and one by the band. Besides Guðlaugur on electric and acoustic guitars and Björk as vocalist, some of the songs featured other musicians:

Sigtryggur Baldursson Sigtryggur Baldursson (born 2 October 1962) is an Icelandic drummer and singer. Sigtryggur was born in Norway to Icelandic parents. He was a founding member of the Sugarcubes and has been a longtime fixture on the Icelandic punk and alternati ...

(drums),

Birgir Mogensen Kukl (often stylized as KUKL or K.U.K.L.) was an Icelandic post-punk group in the 1980s, most notable for being one of Björk's first bands. History Beginnings and first releases The band formed in August 1983 when Ásmundur Jónsson from Gra ...

(bass),

Einar Arnaldur Melax Kukl (often stylized as KUKL or K.U.K.L.) was an Icelandic post-punk group in the 1980s, most notable for being one of Björk's first bands. History Beginnings and first releases The band formed in August 1983 when Ásmundur Jónsson from Gra ...

(keyboards),

Hilmar Örn Hilmarsson Hilmar Örn Hilmarsson (; born 23 April 1958), also known as HÖH, is a musician, an art director, and '' allsherjargoði'' (''chief goði'') of Ásatrúarfélagið ("the Ásatrú Association"). Hilmar Örn Hilmarsson was a pioneer in the use ...

(keyboards, percussion), and

Þorsteinn Magnússon Þorsteinn is an Old Norse and Icelandic masculine given name. Notable people with the name include: *Þorsteinn Bachmann (born 1965), Icelandic actor * Þorsteinn Bjarnason (born 1957), Icelandic former professional footballer (goalkeeper) * Þors ...

(guitars).
Some of the lyrics were taken from ''Dauðaljóðin'' (''The Death Poems''), a poetry book written by guitarist

Þór Eldon Jónsson Thor (; from non, Þórr ) is a prominent god in Germanic paganism. In Norse mythology, he is a hammer-wielding god associated with lightning, thunder, storms, sacred groves and trees, strength, the protection of humankind, hallowing, ...

. With the break-up of Kukl by mid 1986, the Elgar Sisters project was suspended, or up until the solo careers of Björk and Guðlaugur commenced.

Recorded songs

Track notes:
1: Renamed as “Mass” when it was performed by KUKL in 1985 with Einar Örn.
2: Also known as “Zontal” when rerecorded in 2005 for the Dense Time album.

Alternate versions

*”Sue”, with drums. *”Síðasta Ég”, with drums and no vocals.

Featured On

*1993 - ''

Big Time Sensuality "Big Time Sensuality" is a song by Icelandic singer and songwriter Björk, released as the fourth single from her debut album, '' Debut'' (1993). Written by Björk and staple collaborator Nellee Hooper and produced by Hooper, "Big Time Sensualit ...

'' (

One Little Indian One Little Independent Records (formerly One Little Indian Records) is an English independent record label. It was set up in 1985 by members of various anarcho-punk bands, and managed by former Flux of Pink Indians bassist Derek Birkett. In ...

), single by Björk. *1993 - ''

Venus as a Boy "Venus as a Boy" is a song by Icelandic musician Björk, released as the second single from her 1993 album, ''Debut''. The song was written by Björk and was produced by Nellee Hooper, who produced the majority of her debut album. The single was ...

'' (

), single by Björk. *2002 - ''

Family Tree A family tree, also called a genealogy or a pedigree chart, is a chart representing family relationships in a conventional tree structure. More detailed family trees, used in medicine and social work, are known as genograms. Representations ...

'' (

), CD box by Björk. *2005 - ''

Dense Time Density (volumetric mass density or specific mass) is the substance's mass per unit of volume. The symbol most often used for density is ''ρ'' (the lower case Greek letter rho), although the Latin letter ''D'' can also be used. Mathematica ...

'' ( Academy of Industry and Arts), album by Guðlaugur K. Óttarsson.

External links

Björk.comOfficial site of Guðlaugur Kristinn ÓttarssonGKO's music at SoundcloudOfficial site of Einar Melax
*
Mel Jefferson's website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Elgar Sisters Björk Icelandic alternative rock groups