Ágætis Byrjun

I’m sorry, I started listening in 2001, and dosed off at song 1, or 2. It’s hard to remember. I drifted in and out of consciousness at song 3-4, and never fully recovered.

Not my cup of tea

Ethereal, good production with a real atmosphere despite the language barrier. Bears many similarities to kid A. Very good.

An epic album.

Loved it 🥰

Had never heard of this album, nor band. Must admit I wasn't excited at all when I first saw it. I ended up LOVING it and will definitely go back to it. The ethereal post-rock vibes hits just right. Wish I had known about this sooner.

Quite a variety of sounds on this one. Ranging from Scandi Noir soundtrack styles to more uplifting music. Probably prefer Takk. 3

The album was really beutiful and I felt like I was in some sort of dream while listening to it. As if the dream took place in some icy winter country with a thick, brown fur lined jacket on and a green beanie and a scarf. Like i was just standing there with my gloved hands in my pocket while the wind blew and the snow fell and filled upp my jacket hood.

Hauntingly beautiful

Felt like the album cover

It’s okay for like studying or like reading maybe. Not my fav I appreciate lyrics!!!!!!!!!!!

Loved it !!! I vibed with it so much !! Masterclass Favourite - Svefn-g-englar

8/10 - solid Sigur Ros, doesn't have the highs of future albums like Takk but Olsen Olsen is incredible

I can understand how one can reject this, but I'm cold, it's almost Halloween, and it worked on me. The diversity in sounds of eeriness, the length of the songs that builds and builds, it feels like a journey through a glacier and I loved it. Atmospheric, strings, falsetto and sounds all over, very difficult to ignore.

I didn't understand the idea fully

An iconic Scandinavian release with the beautiful "Staralfur" and epic "Olsen Olsen." I remember when I discovered this record in high school. While the rest of the album pales in comparison to those monuments of post-rock brilliance, the atmosphere and majestic, sweeping arrangements keep investment high.

Yes, please. More of this! This is all completely new to me, but it was an entrancing listen. The ethereal music and Icelandic vocals combine for a wonderful, wintry experience. Some of the songs are even in a spacy made-up language. Why don't musicians do much of that anymore? It can be fun in the right quantities (and it's not like I understand any of the rest of this, anyway). This album is a vast, cosmic journey, and I am sure that I will come back again and again. Favorite track: "Svefn-g-englar"

Glorious, just such a lovely listen

Love this album so much. I can imagine this being quite polarising on the global poll as I don't think glacial falsetto is for everyone but it's a beautiful, warm piece of music and for once, something that I agree must be heard (even if it's not for you)

This was new to me and it was nice…too nice… One star, although among the very best of the one stars so far. Tom.

Between this and Bjork my opinion of Iceland has plummeted It’s not actively offensive; there’s some pretty intense swells in this one and when those hit it’s decently cool. There is absolutely worse stuff to listen to while working My biggest problems with this are 1) nothing interesting happens, like at all, for 95% of this one’s runtime and 2) the runtime for this one’s over an hour for literally no reason. Variety is beyond awful, where individual tracks go on for 9 minutes and do absolutely nothing and the difference between tracks is negligible. Vocals aren’t even good, which would be the kinda thing that saves an album like this I obviously can’t give this a 1 since it didn’t actively bother me, but this is absolutely in contention for most boring album we’ve had so far. I’d have a bit more leniency if this wasn’t a double, but I just wanted this to end so bad so I could listen to better music. At least it’s better than Bjork

Just long and boring, the worst combo of things to be

Boring, not bad but not my type

Chill

Dreamy.

Ļoti atšķirīgs, es biju dzirdējis tikai to populārāko dziesmu, bet šis ir vēl viens albums, ko nekad nebūtu noklausījies bez šī projekta

There was a time when listening to an album was an active solo experience. People would sit down in front of speakers or with headphones and just listen. If this album came out then, it would be a flop. Nowadays, as something to have on in the background while one focuses on other things... sure.

Very much enjoyed!

3.8/5

Mellow Icelandic music

Sigur Ros is magic.

First time i’ve skipped a little since starting this 1001 albums journey, probably will not come close to listening to this again. Although it gets better towards the end. An energetic song felt like cure after listening to it. Also couldn’t stand looking at the album cover. But it’s not bad music, just not for me. Some parts of it felt radiohead-ish but mainly it’s like songs you would hear in a documentary about the arctic sea or Antartica. You can easily tell this came from a Scandinavian country, which is Iceland. And if you were to listen to this album, i would advise you to listen to it when there is a cold, dark weather. Believe that is the appropriate weather for this album.

goated

Bastante prime

Very ambient; not much happening so far Only listened to maybe half of it there wasn’t really much of anything It’s not bad for what it is but it’s not much lol

I thought that this would be an easy 5, but revisiting it now, I’m rounding up to a 4.

Yeah this is pretty exemplary of the type of originality that should flood this list. Really pretty stuff, favorite song is Flugufrelsarinn

algo denso

didn't listen to it, but probably not my style

Classic, so good. A million stars. Listened to on a cloudy, chilly autumn walk to work and while pretending to work at my desk. Not exactly an energetic start to the day, but hard to complain too much. Still rolling on the high of seeing them live in Edmonton last winter.

chill

1999 dream pop Svefn-g-englar Sleepwalking angels baam baam

I thought this album would eventually clear the hurdles to bring into its realm, but Agaetis byrjun never consistently entranced me. It got close towards the end of the record with “Olsen, Olsen” and I’ll just call it the song before “Olsen.” They had interesting string use and an overall atmosphere that asked for further inquiry. However, when the vocals entered it fell flat. Thinking hard in musical terms, some range appears in the singing. I do not care about switching up and down octaves. 21st century singers often are devoid of varying their voice to deliver emotion. Subtle changes can provide substantial tension, drama, anger and despair. Sigur Ros sings like many others in a quiet voice, flattened as if the dose of anti-depressant need adjusting. I am hoping to find a record on this list in a similar style that hits me.

muy buena

Про Sigur Rós я знал только в контексте "Ещё одни талантливые чуваки из Исландии помимо Бьорк" Блин, открывающий трек прям сходу напомнил God Is An Astronaut который я в юности слушал, вот эта вот пост-роковая пространственность и всё такое, прикольно. Атмосферно, интересно, под определенное настроение и состояние, но понял что в какой-то момент дослушивать это становится утомительно, словно вся "фишка" альбома разгадана ещё на первых двух-трёх треках.

Enthralling

All the post- genres suck, but this was pretty

It’s just beautiful music. It just manages to evoke moods with music perfectly. 4

Music to cure insomnia

Disgusting album cover, I really hate it. For an icelandic album, its pretty good. This album NEEDS to be played at full volume. Playing this with the windows down at midnight driving around has got to be absolute peak. Otherwise its just alot of noise, it really does not work well with headphones. There were times where I had to close my eyes and listen to the sounds. Best Song: Viõrar vel til Loftárása. Worst Song: Olsen Olsen.

Only on the cool water, illuminated by the gentle moonlight, under the sparkling stars, with the wind lightly passing through, can this album be heard playing softly in the distance. The essence of ethereal serenity is found in the atmospheric, cosmic sound.

One of my favourite albums in high school. Beautiful. Ethereal. I borrowed a copy of this and ( ) off of a friend and it cemented Sigur Ros as one of my all timers. Changed the way I listened to music.

🫤

Wow -- this album is a trip. While in many ways this is unlike anything else I have listened to, there are familiar elements that make this eminently accessible. At times cinematic, it was not surprising to read that music from this group has been used in movies. At times the vocalist sounds like he's channeling Radiohead's Thom Yorke, making it fascinating that they were invited to tour with Radiohead. Wild.

Wow, this is so bizarre and so cool. This Icelandic band pushes boundaries while still offering many sounds, passages, and melodies that are more comfortable and immediately gratifying. The techniques used to create the ambient environments are fascinating, such as a cello bow used on the electric guitar. The falsetto lead vocals are both haunting and entrancing as well. This is a record that truly is an experience like nothing else I’ve heard. 1 listen Favorite Tracks: Olsen olsen, Starálfur, Svefn-g-englar, Ný batterí, Hjartað Hamast

I find most atmospheric/ambient musical styles somewhat appealing and this is no exception.

okay just really long,

★★½

If I wanted to listen to Radiohead, I’d just listen to Radiohead

Breathtakingly beautiful album.

This listen was a strain for me to go through. In general, I am not a fan of albums with long tracks, especially when the pacing of said tracks is on the slower side of things. The orchestration was nice, and the ambience was otherworldly at times, but I didn't really feel drawn in by it much. The singer's voice also pushed me away - it didn't really land well on my ears. I'd give this a 2.5, but I'd prefer to round down due to overall album length.

dnf... just not to my taste

redelijk

Classic Icelandic music being ethereal. Cool tho.

I used this to sleep in college.

3/5 Enjoyable listen if a little rushed

me encanta...dreamy...podria ser de una película preciosa todo The sound of midnight in the wintertime, being alone without being lonely, a calm darkness with nothing insidious hiding in it. Absolutely marvelous. copio esta review pq....cute

Absolutely love this haven’t heard any of the songs from this album before

Not for me

It didn't fully grip me. Some songs were good but it was a bit too slow for me (thats the point of prog rock I know)

мне ОЧЕНЬ нравится

weird vibes

I can pick put no point of criticism other then it isn't really for me. I liked that the electronic element was complemented with a more traditional band, and I did enjoy 'Ágætis Byrjun', but I won't revisit.

This was 1st listen and really liked it.

Atmospheric ambience. Way too long and slow. Nothing happens. Bored. 2/5

I do like Sigur, but it is also kind of exhausting to listen to. You have to be in the right state of mind

4.15. Like it.

Spa music meets a dream pop atmosphere attempting to achieve an artistic “wow”. All it achieved was an hour and eleven minutes of angst.

this was a weird one bc it was kinda just background music but for a few songs i got absolutely sucked in. a good time!!

This band defies classification. Always thought of them as a ‘marmite’ band. I’ve always been partial to a spot of Marmite myself. Music that always relaxes me.

Lovely album from start to finish. A great sound.

Truly an experience like no other.

What a lovely discovery!

favourite: flugufrelsarrin | least favourite: svefn-g-englar I love sigur rós but this is one of my less enjoyable albums. its alright but some of it just misses for me. beautifully experimental though with a soft soundscape. ಄ albums remaining: 936 ಄ albums I agree with being on the list: 67 ಄ albums I would consider for my list: 33 ಄ albums I would not include on my list: 121

Fun stuff. Iceland produces some cool tunes.

Too boring. Sorry. 2/5

very cool album to relax too. Worth a listen

I genuinely enjoyed this album! From the composition, to the instrumentation, to the production - it is excellent. It hinges between classical, video game music, and ethereal rock. It's very interesting, captivating, and each track feels unique. I obviously cannot understand the Icelandic lyrics, but the music speaks in a way that does not make me feel I need a translator to understand. And that, is something special.

Holy shit. I don’t know a single word they’re saying, yes I somehow understand it. It was perfect. This might be the fist time I’ve heard a long album and didn’t think omg this should be over soon. It’s the perfect length, perfect emotion, perfect sound. A true perfect album.

Wowzers! What a beautiful album, really enjoyed.

Ambient music that works its way up to soundtrack level music, in a foreign language. I am sure there is a reason this album is "must listen" but I don't know what that reason is. I give it two stars because I am sure someone somewhere loves this album. It has merit. Just not a whole lot of interest in my book.

A rival to 'Kid A' for best album of 2000 apparently and its status as the key work in the development of of 'Post rock' gives a critical reputation to this day. I associate the soundscapes and slow burning atmospheres of the tracks as reminiscent of a credits sequence for a programme in the (soon to burgeoning) Scandi Noir TV genre. I noted that the second track appeared in the Vanilla Sky film which figured. Based on my response to a large percentage of this album I would note that the term 'Post rock' suggests that rock is an exceptionally important, and preferable, genre..............I like tracks 2 and 9.

Nothing special, good to fall asleep to

Nice vocals, musically to elevator for me, but maybe if I understood the lyrics?

Mellow sounds, easy laidback listening

This album was a bit hit or miss, some songs were really pretty and beautiful while others felt a bit bloated and overlong. Glad I listened but will probably be a while before I listen again

damn beautiful

Very nice record. Some songs, however, feature the lead singer’s voice too clearly and it gets a bit too much

A satisfyingly melancholy album. Haunting at times, with a strange ethereal sound. That I am surprised to find myself enjoying, usually I can’t take this amount of artsiness but these guys are experimental in a great way. It makes me think of the interstellar score. Now I can pretend to have an artsy taste in music. This album has relaxed me

I bought into the hype when this was released and purchased the cd when it came out here in the US. I was really into the whole ambient meets post-rock thing at the time. If it came out on Kranky Records, I was all over it. So reading about this band from Iceland that mixes the two genres and the guitarist uses a violin bite on his guitar, I ran to get it. I listened to it over and over trying to get into it but there’s something about the vocals that just make it unlistenable for me. It’s like they hit this certain frequency that gives me the ick. Drive my dog up the wall as well. I gotta say, if this was an instrumental album, it would be gorgeous.