( ) consists of eight tracks divided in half by thirty-six seconds of silence which, in concept, replicates the separation of two sides of a gramophone record. The band 'just let them 'jam' in the studio until everybody was happy', according to Jónsi. Because of this, the string parts required less preparation prior to recording. In addition, the former was performed by the Iceland Symphony Orchestra, while the latter was done by Amiina. He characterized the record as being 'much more bare and alive and there are far fewer little slick things and much less sweet stuff.' The strings of Ágætis byrjun were recorded in just two days, while two weeks were given for their recording on ( ). ( ) was given more production and recording time than Ágætis byrjun, although lead singer Jónsi considers the ( ) album 'less polished' than its predecessor. ( ) includes the work of the string quartet Amiina.

The band refers to the studio as 'Sundlaugin', or 'The Pool'. This is the first album Sigur Rós recorded at their studio based in Álafoss, Mosfellsbær, a small rural town outside Reykjavík, Iceland. ( ) was co-produced and engineered by Ken Thomas, who also worked with the band on their previous album, Ágætis byrjun. A limited edition version of ( ) released in Spain includes a 94-page book of contemporary art. There are no liner notes or production credits included, although packaged with the album is a booklet of twelve blank pages, on which listeners are invited to write or draw their own interpretations of the album's music. In 2011, Yang's daughter, Naomi Yang, of the band Galaxie 500, said that the band used the image without permission or payment to her father.

The back of the packaging shows an image of a sleepwalking boy, adapted from a photograph by John Yang. In Iceland, all four cover designs are sold. There are four versions of this cover art, which consist of modified photographs of nature around the band's Mosfellsbær studio, sold in four parts of the world: Europe, the United States, Australia, and Japan. The outside packaging of ( ) consists of a plastic protective sleeve with two parentheses cut out, revealing the image printed on the CD case underneath. In the credits of the film Heima, it is referred to as The Untitled Album. Members of the band have referred to ( ) as Svigaplatan, which translates to 'The Bracket Album'. The album's title consists of two opposing parentheses, representing either the album's two-halves, or the idea that the album has no title, leaving the listener free to determine it.

Sigur ros full album