Ágætis Byrjun

Not sure which drug is required to enjoy this one

4.1 2x remember listening to this in my early 20s and always enjoying it

Ethereal, evocative and Icelandic. I didn’t understand a word of it but it felt moving - like a movie score.

Like radio head but not Zionist.

Bra ambient! Fyra

Sparse and beautiful

A surprising true gem!

Bad

War mir zu "abgespaced", wird sicherlich seine Fans finden oder gefunden haben, für mich ist das nichts. 2 Sterne

Schwer zu bewerten. Schön mal was anderes und neues zu hören, ein Sound der hier noch nicht war. Dafür macht man dieses Projekt. Allerdings kann ich trotzdem musikalisch keine 4 Sterne geben

Good god No. Making up a language is one thing, but making up a language and being obnoxious about it is another. As soon as the singer chimed in I got shivers and had to distract myself from the voice. There was a couple songs that started off genuinely beautiful, and I can see where the influence comes in, but that’s all I’ll give.

I remember liking Sigur Ros 15 years ago but I'm not sure I've listened to them since then ... I do know that evaluating or ranking this in any sort of comparison to nearly anything else on this list or elsewhere is a pointless/fruitless exercise. Even in their own words, they set out to "change music forever" which is just a little bold but not entirely wrong. Could definitely file under atmospheric / mood music, since it's not exactly a blasting down the highway or party album. It is great to work to and (perhaps only) great in isolation - i.e. it's an album (for me at least) to listen to alone and that's the only way it could work. i.e. I couldn't imagine a collective decision to listen to this unless you were playing games or cooking a complex meal or de-molding the basement. Could get annoying pretty quickly, I'll admit, but for what it is I do like it. Notable exception is "Hjartað hamast (bamm bamm bamm)" which actually is kind of cool but much of the first part of it fits awkwardly at best with the rest of the album... I might have to revisit their followup to this ("()") again. Anyways, how does one rank or simplify judging of this? I'll be grading on the Vonlenska scale here... 7/10 4 stars

Really weird but moving

9.5/10. Immense beauty. "1,001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die" should have featured way more post-rock.

A very pleasant surprise, I'd never heard of them before, I enjoyed almost everything on this album, but it is not perfect, there is nothing that I thought was truly great and most songs would have been better half as long. I will try to seek out more of this band and this genre.

Ethereal, dreamy, other-worldly. One of post-rock's 'Mount Rushmore' albums - an unapologetically authentic and unique voice and mood in such a broad space. I can't understand the song titles, or the vocals, but I can understand the beauty of the words being sung, and the uplifting power of the music. Best Tracks: - Svefn-g-englar - Flugufrelsarinn - Olsen Olsen Worst Tracks: N/A Rating: 9/10

Basically as close to icelandic trip hop as you can get - exceptional album.....

I have enjoyed tracks by this artist in the past amd I recognize that this is thier 'best' work. But it truly bored the balls of me

So beautiful and ethereal

ambient + reflective , reminded me of the parts of thievery corporation that i ilke (90s), thom yorke, air, etc....

I urge you, if you have the means, to one day find a secluded country road, preferably somewhere in the mountains, and wait until the stars are out. Make sure your car has a killer sound system. Crank ‘Viorar vel til Loftarasa’ to the max and drive. When that bowed guitar hits, be careful that you don’t launch into space. Be careful that if you become space, you stay on the road.

Distinto y para momentos tranquilos

I find the Sigur Ros sound a bit irritating after a while - the whole album became a bit of a struggle towards the end,

This grew on me through listen 2. There's some genuinely gorgeous sounds in this album, but other moments that let it down. The popular track, Svefn-g-englar was one I actually found the most annoying, funnily enough. Olsen Olsen was blissful. Really, I don't know how to feel, but this record is well produced, I have to give it that. 6.5/10

icelandic radiohead but thankfully not nearly as terrible. A lot of this reminds me of a kind of refined version of Kid A, funny how they came out within a year of each other. For reference, I did not like Kid A. But I like this. I wasn't even in the best mood for something so floaty and ambient today, but I still had a good time with this one. I definitely would have enjoyed this a lot more as just an instrumental version, it would even be possibly worthy of a 5. Nevertheless, this is still a very good record, and I enjoyed my listen - though, the vocals did get a bit annoying and Radiohead-ey at times.

A solid start with an incredible set of tracks towards the middle before losing a bit of steam towards the end. The strong ambience in some tracks reminded me of Phaedra though not nearly as otherworldly or sci-fi adjacent. The singing could be hit or miss for me, not necessarily due to an issue with the vocalist themselves but rather that in some spots the instrumentals were so good that I think they could speak for themselves. Also while Hjartað hamast was my favourite track on here I have to ask what the fuck was up with the ear rape at the end?

Music made for me to dislike (slow and sad). Gave it a go and found the earlier portion of the album to have a beautiful, somewhat haunting and ethereal quality which i quickly came to tire of when I realised the whole album is just more of the same. All Nordic languages sound like the Swedish chef muppet to me and this shit drags on way too long. Also upon finding out the vocalist was a man I immediately reassessed the above comment about the quality of the vocals as not beautiful but gay and retarded.

I thought it was good when I first listened but time has only jaded me further. I enjoy the low dense rumbles on some tracks, and when the album stops the auto play is always banging but that's where the true highlights stop. This album just can't avoid the folksy /mu/-core ass production. The back half of this album ends up sounding like a more Ambient version of neutral milk hotel or the Microphones, which doesn't suit the sound at all imo. I also just find the vocalist to be annoying. Definitely not a bad album tho, it's just aight. I'd reach for Eno, Aphex Twin or even the softer tracks of Nine Inch Nails over this any day 6/10

Post-rock is a weird genre for me. The title track honestly feels like someone took Radiohead and made it better, I can't lie. Maybe it's that I've been getting more into the genre recently with Low and Talk Talk's later albums, but I felt like this came at just the right time. The music here is played with intent and purpose, without frills or superfluous nonsense in it. I must admit that I am often very heavily swayed by a first impression, and the first three tracks of this album did not grab me very well. On the second half of Ný batterí was when I thought 'gee, this is great' and really every other track after that was better than that. The Icelandic vocals here work sometimes, when used sparingly on a more ambient track like Viðrar vel til loftárása, it works well but early on in the first half of the album when it they are more prominent it didn't land well with me. Viðrar vel til loftárása was the peak of this album and I found myself coming back to specifically this song multiple times inbetween listens. A moody and sweet album, this was a big surprise for me to enjoy. If the first three and a half tracks were stronger this would have been an easy 5. Highlights: Ný batterí, Hjartað hamast (bamm bamm bamm), Viðrar vel til loftárása, Avalon

Nah dawg, you’re gonna have to miss me with the ten minute long songs in a made up language with titles ripped from the pages of the IKEA catalog.

4.5 . ambiental, nórdico, emocionante-

I don't know whether i liked it or not, fell asleep at the first half

This album had a sense of sublime otherworldliness that gave me no choice but to stop be fully immersed.

What a journey. While I don’t see myself revisiting this album, I’m glad I took the trip. Tracks 2, 3, and 7 knocked my socks off. Those are definitely going into my regular rotation. Equal parts hopeful and heartbreaking. Beautiful.

Sigur Rós is a group I had heard of, but had never listened to, so I was excited to finally give them a listen. The first half of Ágætis Byrjun gives us complex, layered ambient soundscapes of evoke a sense of pensiveness and self-reflection. Heavy reverb on the vocals and some of the instruments contribute to a dream-like quality. A seamless flow from one track to another helps keep the listener in that mental space. Each track on the album builds in energy until we hit the climax near the end of Viðrar vel til loftárása. As the climax dissipates, we are left with a feeling of hope in the eponymous track Ágætis Byrjun. The final track of the album, Avalon, returns us to an inchoate soundscape that turns our minds towards the future and leads us to ask, "okay, what's next?" I'm sure I'm missing something in the lyrics with my complete lack of knowledge of the Icelandic language, but I really enjoyed the album in spite of that. Perhaps the meditative quality of the album would be inhibited by my understanding of the lyrics, and perhaps that's part of the point. Given that Sigur Rós makes use of a made-up language (Vonlenska) in many of their later songs, I can't help but think that the actual words of their albums are merely another instrument, an auditory vehicle for the mood they're trying to set, rather than bearing deep semantic significance. Favorite track: Flugufrelsarinn 4/5 stars

Wow. Maybe I was just in the right place at the right time when I started listening to the album on my morning walk/commute, but hearing Svefn-g-englar, it was like my eyes were opened and I was reminded that I am alive, aware of everything beautiful around me. As I walked, I was reminded of Koyaanisqatsi, the time-lapse film on civilization set to Philip Glass's music. I enjoy minimalist music, so its no surprise that I liked the long, atmospheric tones of Ágætis Byrjun. I'm glad I listened with headphones because the sounds in stereo really amplified my listening experience. Much of the album has the same atmospheric and ethereal sounds, so I was surprised by the variety of emotions that different tracks elicited. For example, Ný batterí was quite meditative, in a withdrawn sense. It made me focus on internal feelings the music brought forth. Quite differently, Svefn-g-englar brought out an awe-inspiring sense of awareness of those things external to myself. Other highlights included the funky kind of intro to Hjartað Hamast, and the climax of strings, horns, and voices in Olsen olsen. There was one point in Starálfur where I almost thought the big string sounds were a bit overdone, but overall I loved every second of this album.

Was alright. Atmospheric. Mostly a made me want to listen to Radiohead.

Need to relisten

01) Intro - 7,0 02) Svefn-g-englar - 9,0 03) Starálfur - 8,5 04) Flugufrelsarinn - 8,5 05) Ný batterí - 8,0 06) Hjartað hamast (bamm bamm bamm) - 8,0 07) Viðrar vel til loftárása - 8,0 08) Olsen Olsen - 8,0 09) Ágætis byrjun - 8,0 10) Avalon - 7,0 TOTAL: 8,00 (80/100) Current ranking: 166/505

Absolutely love this album. Takes me back to a time that was pretty stressful in my life, but this album definitely helped me through that.

First song bangs but tbh the rest struck me as a bunch of whiny screeching. Maybe I'm missing something #imightbeabitch

This is a hard one for me to rate, on the one hand this is exactly the kind of thing I hoped to discover from doing this list. This is not likely something I would've ever listened to if not for this, and the highs were exceptional. Unfortunately I feel like it was just missing that, something extra, to really lift it up. I'm giving this a 3, but it's about as close as one could get to a 4 without being a 4.

nice atmo, but very boring overall

This is the 83rd album I’m rating. I hear the band is very experimental and the lyrics are absolute gibberish but I’ve never listened to them. Adding to my Playlist - Intro, Starálfur, Flugufrelsarinn, Hjartað Hamast (Bamm Bamm Bamm), Olsen Olsen, Ágætis Byrjun, and Avalon. Not Adding to my Playlist - Svefn-g-Englar, Ný Batterí, and Viðrar Vel Til Loftárása. Intro - I know this album is going to be great because usually intros are awful. Svefn-g-Englar - This is long and the entire thing sounds the same to me so I don’t know why it is so long. Ný Batterí - Something about this feels similar to The Anchor song by Björk but it isn’t as good. Olsen Olsen - Apparently this is all gibberish but I can’t tell the difference. All in all I liked 7/10 songs. They weren’t as experimental as I thought they would be but the album was still very interesting. One of Iceland’s best just behind Björk.

One of the best auditory experiences of my life.

Not the best of Sigur Ros but a damn fine start!

Man bestimmt ansich voll schön, aber ehrlich gesagt dafür gerade gar keine Aufmerksamkeit :(

I enjoyed this, although it is at times quite longwinded. It has some really special moments and build-ups, but other sections can feel a bit boring and repetitive (although I'm sure that is the point). 3.5

Very good. JUst have to be in the right mood for engagement so not something to put on very everyday listening. Of course as background it also works.

Gorgeous, atmospheric, feels like the soundtrack of exploring the world on a gray damp day. I didn’t know about “post rock” as a genre but it seems I’m a fan!

Hipster elevator music

What a surprise - I always dismissed Sigur Rós as being arty crap - kind of the slow moving and broody post rock - but this is a genuinely gorgeous record - at many times uplifting and special. Loved it and now I have to question my biases to other contemporary artists.. oh dear.

I feel like I need to be on a trip or out somewhere listening to this instead of in a room. Otherwise I didn't get the flow yet until Olsen Olsen (and the following tracks) which really restructured how I feel about the rest of it as kind of build up. May still drag a bit up till then but very nice, need to listen to more.

I first found this album through the movie The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou in which the track Starálfur is showcased. It has since become a very personal album to me, and while it may not be my favorite Sigur Rós record, that would be Valtari, I do not think I can give this less than a 5. I come back and listen to it very often and will continue to do so in the foreseeable future. 5/5

I feel like its an album to listen to and relax, but if you asked me to sing out loud I would struggle to sing along with it. Not that it is a bad quality per se.

[looks at iceland] I'll have what she's having!

Fleeting splendor in a deeply unfair world.

8/10 Pretty fantastic experience on first listen, I think I need to be in a clearer headspace in order to fully embrace these monumental soundscapes, but let it be known that this reaches a pretty cinematic borderline religious experience at points. It’s a shame Iceland isn’t a real country

ANOTHER album that I just don't know when people would choose to listen to it. Who is for???? 1hr 12 minutes of noise and someone whining unintelligibly

Very soothing and comforting.

Needs time, good headphones, an open mind, no interruptions, and ideally an epic landscape to walk across to enjoy properly, but still worth it with at least a couple of those things.

10/10 Beautiful as seeing the person you'll fall in love with for the very first time, then seeing them again 10 years later and realising you still love them like that. Tip: Right after Flugufrelsarinn, listen to "Catch the Rainbow" by Rainbow, with a 6-second fade in between.

I'm not all the way there with it yet, but I think I could be one day. 3.5/5

Eh.

Beautiful, majestic, scary.

Just a totally beautiful album from start to finish. So glad this was put back on my radar. Love this band and love this album.

Een van mijn all-time favorites. Betoverend mooi, over-the-top dramatisch, fantastisch gearrangeerd, en origineel

Very good apart from the annoyingly-repetitive vocals on the second track.

Some good parts, but nothing to justify listening to an hour and 10 minutes of it

9.5/10

Kinda cool vibes but got a bit bored.

The first full song (not the intro) took a while to get into but the rest of the album was beautiful

A new discovery for me. There are already many excellent reviews of this amazing album on this site, so I won't dive into the details. All I can add is my personal experience of listening to the first minute or so of Flugufrelsarinn while walking through Charing Cross station at rush hour. It was impossible to know which squeals and hums came from the trains, commuters, and coffee machines, and which came pre-packaged from Iceland. A bizarre and other-worldly layered audio experience. This isn't an album I'm going to put on repeat, but when I really need to be taken to a different place to focus intently then this will be on.

Lives up to the hype. Really inventive and unusual. They have a sense of melody that is lacking in a lot of other post-rock (or, let’s face it, rock in general). Intriguing.

This is one that just isn’t going to be my cup of tea. It’s one of those albums and one of those bands that people really rave about for some reason, but I just don’t get it.

Background music

I kind of get how people would like this. Especially if they're high out of their mind. Good music to chill and listen to. For that, they stay out of my 1 star rating. But, it's not my jam.

Sigur Ros are a band that felt like they were from another planet when they arrived on the scene. It's not that there isn't other post-rock and orchestral music or that other singers don't sing in languages other than English or in falsetto. However, the ethereal sound of Sigur Ros and the mix of all the elments they put together has still made them mostly a unique experience, and they've been able to replicate it without making the same album over and over. This album is the original that took off, and while it's not my favorite by them, at this point, it has at least a couple of their best songs, and the whole thing is just beautiful and still a classic.

Beautiful

## In-Depth Review of *Ágætis Byrjun* by Sigur Rós Sigur Rós' *Ágætis Byrjun* (1999) is widely regarded as a landmark album in post-rock, blending ethereal soundscapes, orchestral arrangements, and Jónsi Birgisson's haunting falsetto to create a deeply emotive experience. This review explores its lyrics, music, production, themes, influence, and evaluates its strengths and weaknesses. --- ### **Lyrics** The lyrics on *Ágætis Byrjun* are primarily sung in Icelandic and Vonlenska (Hopelandic), a gibberish language invented by the band. This linguistic choice enhances the universality of the album by allowing listeners to focus on the emotional resonance of the vocals rather than literal meanings. Tracks like "Svefn-g-englar" ("Sleepwalking Angels") and "Viðrar vel til loftárása" ("Good Weather for Airstrikes") evoke dreamlike imagery that complements the atmospheric music[1][3][5]. While the lyrics are often unintelligible to most listeners, their emotive delivery transcends language barriers. For example, Jónsi’s falsetto in “Starálfur” ("Staring Elf") feels like an invocation of innocence and wonder. However, some translations reveal quirky themes—such as saving flies in "Flugufrelsarinn" ("Savior of the Fly")—which might detract from the album’s perceived profundity for those who delve deeper[5]. --- ### **Music** Musically, *Ágætis Byrjun* is a masterpiece of texture and mood. Sigur Rós employs unconventional techniques such as Jónsi’s cello-bowed guitar to create lush soundscapes. The album features orchestral arrangements performed by a double string octet, adding depth and grandeur to tracks like "Starálfur" and "Olsen Olsen"[2][3][7]. The compositions are sprawling and cinematic, often eschewing traditional song structures for organic progression. For instance: - **"Svefn-g-englar"** opens with ethereal drones before evolving into a celestial hymn. - **"Viðrar vel til loftárása"** builds over ten minutes with piano motifs and sweeping strings. - **"Hjartað hamast (bamm bamm bamm)"** introduces subtle grooves with harmonica and organ flourishes[1][3][7]. However, this expansive approach can occasionally feel indulgent. Some tracks, like "Ný batterí," feature extended build-ups that risk testing listeners' patience[1][4]. The minimalism of the intro (“Intro”) and outro (“Avalon”) also feels underwhelming compared to the richness of other songs[4]. --- ### **Production** The production by Ken Thomas is immaculate, balancing intricate layers of instrumentation with Jónsi’s delicate vocals. The album's sound is cosmic and otherworldly, with each element meticulously placed to evoke a sense of timelessness[3][7]. Highlights include: - The palindromic string arrangements on “Starálfur,” which create symmetry and intrigue[3]. - The communal climax of “Olsen Olsen,” where choral harmonies and brass flourishes elevate the track into a celebration of unity[2]. Despite its brilliance, some critics argue that the production lacks variety across its 71-minute runtime. The reliance on ambient textures can lead to moments of fatigue for listeners seeking dynamic shifts[1][4]. --- ### **Themes** Thematically, *Ágætis Byrjun* explores spirituality, reflection, and transcendence. Its title translates to "A Good Beginning," symbolizing optimism and renewal at the dawn of the millennium[2][3]. Tracks like “Viðrar vel til loftárása” evoke melancholy yet hopeful atmospheres, while “Olsen Olsen” radiates communal joy. The album’s artwork—a sketch of a fetus—further emphasizes themes of birth and beginnings. This imagery aligns with the music’s meditative qualities, inviting listeners to experience profound emotional introspection[3]. --- ### **Influence** *Ágætis Byrjun* marked a turning point for Sigur Rós and post-rock as a genre. Its release coincided with the decline of grunge and alternative rock in the late 1990s, offering a fresh direction for guitar-based music rooted in optimism rather than darkness[2]. The album garnered international acclaim following its UK release in 2000 and US release in 2001. It influenced contemporaries like Mogwai and Godspeed You! Black Emperor while attracting celebrity fans such as Thom Yorke and Brad Pitt[2][5]. Its universal appeal lies in its ability to evoke deeply human emotions without requiring linguistic comprehension. Moreover, *Ágætis Byrjun* paved the way for Sigur Rós’ subsequent works, including *( )*, which delved further into Vonlenska vocals. Its legacy persists as one of post-rock’s most inventive albums[5]. --- ### **Pros** 1. **Innovative Soundscapes**: The cello-bowed guitar technique and orchestral arrangements set new standards for post-rock. 2. **Emotional Resonance**: Jónsi’s falsetto transcends language barriers to connect deeply with listeners. 3. **Cinematic Quality**: Tracks like “Starálfur” feel like auditory fairy tales. 4. **Universal Themes**: The exploration of renewal and spirituality resonates across cultures. 5. **Production Excellence**: Ken Thomas’ meticulous layering creates an immersive listening experience. --- ### **Cons** 1. **Lengthy Build-ups**: Songs like "Ný batterí" test patience with excessive introspection. 2. **Lack of Variety**: The ambient textures can feel monotonous over 71 minutes. 3. **Minimalist Intro/Outro**: “Intro” and “Avalon” are underwhelming compared to other tracks. 4. **Quirky Lyrics**: Translations reveal mundane themes that may detract from perceived profundity. 5. **Accessibility Issues**: Its unconventional structure might alienate casual listeners. --- ### **Conclusion** Sigur Rós’ *Ágætis Byrjun* is an extraordinary achievement that redefined post-rock through its ethereal soundscapes, orchestral grandeur, and universal appeal. While its length and lack of variety may challenge some listeners, its emotional depth and innovative production make it a timeless classic.

Having bought this several years go. I confess I don’t listen to it often. It’s not an album to listen to casually, but warrants attention. My favorite song, Untitled #3, is reminiscent of Part 1 of Keith Jarrett’s Kahn concert. Much of the album floats by unnoticed.

I loved it ! Thank you Sigurd’ right up my street :))))

The strings coming in to the sonic explosion on Hjartað hamast was awesome. I looked at a few of the translated lyrics and wish I was home with my sound system instead of multi tasking at work. I get the bad Radiohead comparisons but I think Sigur Rós accomplishes a more focused sound - neither inherently better nor worse. Def think I need 5 more listens with English translations, a 3 hour YouTube video, and some time to digest this. Unfortunately, there are 1001 albums.... So for today, its a 4.

I found this extremely boring and difficult to listen to. Some lovely moments harmonically but overall didn’t really inspire any emotion in me

It would be good going to sleep but I wasn’t so it wasn’t as good. At specific moments this is a 10 but other than that it’s a a good 6-7 and the mood I was in was sitting around there. All sorta blended together well so that might be a reason it is highly rated. Good mix of shoegaze, ethereal guitars, vocals in the background and I love me some alt indie. Lowkey might need to re listen later on at night to get the full experience. 7.4/10 3.7/10

Странные и удивительные звуковые ландшафты. Но нужно настроение для такого длинного пути.

I hope Iceland realizes what a national treasure they have.

Is saw someone here say that this is what the northern lights would sound like if they made music and I could not agree more. The rich soundscapes take you to another place, and because of the Icelandic vocals it almost sounds alien-like (because I don’t understand Icelandic). I felt like the album grew on me while listening to it (usually the opposite happens) and I enjoyed the latter half more than the first half, with Olsen Olsen being the best of the album for me. Just a bit long and probably not fitting to listen to on every occasion. I feel like this is more for cold winter nights in your bed than for warm and sunny summer afternoons.

Not something I'd usually go for but it was very enjoyable. Much more relaxing than the kind of music that normally gets called "chill"

Woof. This album is a mood. My personal take is that it was a terrible, painful listen. It made me irrationally angry. I don't get this style of music. It's like Björk meets Radiohead in all the wrong ways. At times it's just noise. At best it's a dramatic movie score. Did I need to hear this before I died? Absolutely not. But, was it at least an interesting and horizon-broadening experience? Also no.

I felt like I just zoned out in a sauna on Jupiter. I enjoyed it a lot more than I thought I would. I think it’s humourous that Icelandic wasn’t foreign enough of a language for the lyric sheet of this album; they had to develop a new form of gibberish to complete the authentic feel of alien music.

Not bad by any stretch but I couldnt understand it so I likely wont be back.

Very chill and occasionally beautiful, a bit long and meandering though.

a very dreamy sounding icelandic album, the kind of album that makes you feel like you're floating on air. those of you that want to turn your mind off and be soothed to sleep, you'll absolutely love this album. it's a very pretty listen; many tracks feel more than just songs, rather the foundations of sound from the universe all coming together. some tracks are a little strange, but you'll soon learn to like a lot of what you hear.

Few albums sound as otherworldly as Ágætis Byrjun, a record that feels less like a collection of songs and more like a journey through some vast, uncharted dreamscape. Sigur Rós crafts an atmosphere that is both glacial and deeply emotional, with sweeping strings, ethereal falsetto vocals, and slow-building post-rock crescendos that unfold with an almost cinematic grandeur. Tracks like Svefn-g-englar and Flugufrelsarinn move at their own glacial pace, enveloping the listener in layers of shimmering guitars and soaring orchestration, while Olsen Olsen brings an unexpected warmth, carried by its lilting melody and triumphant brass section. The band’s use of bowed guitar, reverb-drenched soundscapes, and Jónsi’s otherworldly vocals—often unintelligible but undeniably evocative—creates a sense of mystery and wonder that few albums ever achieve. That said, Ágætis Byrjun isn’t an album for every mood. Its slow, drifting compositions require patience, and some may find the sheer length of certain tracks verging on indulgent. But for those willing to immerse themselves in its expansive world, the album offers a singular experience—one that feels both deeply intimate and cosmic in scale. It may not be the most immediate listen, but its beauty is undeniable, and its influence on post-rock and ambient music is impossible to ignore. Not quite perfect, but pretty close.

Not for me

An extraordinary album, and one I feel nostalgic about while listening, as I have hardly done since I was in high school. It's still deeply familiar and endlessly rich. A real treat to listen again. I will remember to add it to my instrumental-music-to-listen-to-when-I-need-to-get-written-work-done rotation.

Not bad. It's along the lines of Brian Eno and Aphex twin

I haven’t heard from Sigur Rós in years, but it felt like they were everywhere in the 2000s. This is a very pretty album, but does feel like a product of its time. Some real lush string work and vocal harmonising on this album throughout. I appreciate it more than enjoy it.

I did not give this album a very close listen, but that said, it definitely intrigued me. I generally like orchestral ambient sorts of things, and this seemed well put together.

Interesting. I’m glad that I spent the time to listen to this and learn about this artist

2.75

Classic. Such amazing atmosphere. Have listened to this one a ton over my lifetime. 5/5

..

I was debating between 4 and 5 for this but then I realised that if the lyrics were English I would be rating it 5 because the instrumentation moved me and I really like the singer's voice. I don't want to rate something down just because I don't understand the language of the music, so it's a 5.

This feels like you need expensive headphones to really appreciate but I still enjoyed. It was dreamy and atmospheric. Stand-out: Flugufrelsarinn

This album is the soundtrack for coming out of a long, cold winter and feeling the sunshine for the first time in months. It's dark, yet uplifting. A beautiful, sad lullaby.

really hard to make it through the whole album but by golly we did it, sort of gave a more annoying evanescence vibe. i struggle to enjoy droning rock but had some cool moments in the beginning

Wild fake language mumbling and vibey post rock crescendos, could kinda listen to this all day

Nice to have something a bit different in here. Very pleasant in places and easy to listen to in the background. Some tracks went on a bit too long but others seemed to suit the longer length.

The type of music you want to listen to when sitting on a glacier, whale watching! Very chilled in places and anthemic in others, but every song was too long. There was a couple I really liked and good to have something a bit different on the list.

Elf sex music. Feels very much of its time as it had me feeling vibes of some contemporaries like Air, Zero 7 and the Polyphonic Spree. It’s definitely at the more accessible end of post-rock, and I feel it has just as much in common with a euphoric pop/chill out record. Anyway, it’s pleasant with a consistent and atmospheric vibe, and a couple of highlights. Solid but not spectacular. I’ll add it to the music while working playlist. I did see them once headlining at a festival but didn’t bother to watch much, gave up to go watch Dinosaur Jr instead.

Didn’t understand a word but unexpectedly good

All I want to do is go to Iceland and tour the country while listening to this record. A beautiful, singular album that transports the listener.

This album gives me such a sense of mystery. Its one of those that is so layered and different that I want so badly to understand it. I swear it sounds different every time I hear it. Its just SO cool, and I'm so intrugued by it - like I don't quite get it and I want to keep listening it until I do.

Have never heard this album before. Initially ( given that I have no Icelandic!) it reminded me of shades of the Cocteau Twins. With its ambient soundscapes. Really enjoyable listen. Will turn lyrics on next time!

Pretty solid but idk

Some somber and pretty post-rock, but I am not going to bother trying to get translations of their Icelandic lyrics into English, so who knows what the hell is coming into being by the end of the album? Hard not to fall asleep with this album, though it is clear what the ambition of the band was, and I appreciate that they swung for the fences. I certainly felt the album drag by track 7 of 10. Unfortunately, I had more fun reading about how the album songs were created than I did while actually listening to the songs themselves, and I'm not sure what to make of that.

Fine album.

One of those rare albums that without a doubt needs to be on this last that I can’t really stand. I dunno I’m not in the mood for this. Maybe in 10 years when I’m depressed that the world is ending or something and some new Tower of Babel-esque disaster occurred that led to all language being lost I can do it. I dunno whatever

Do you remember when you saw your first Jaguar Shark? I do. It was in college and it blew my mind.

Moving album and beautiful language. 'Svefn-g-englar' and 'Hjartao hamast (bamm bamm bamm)' blow me away each time. First 5 I'm giving to an album I hadn't heard before.

I enjoyed most of the tracks, but I wish they would lean more into their ambient sound

boooo

Icelandic alien music and it’s not even Bjork. What a treat. Just a big ol angel alien fetus on the cover. Or possibly, just a normal guy with a big head. The oversized cranium community is seething at my betrayal. His head is TOO big guys. He looks extraterrestrial. That doesn’t mean he looks MORE terrestrial either. Moving swiftly on, I have no earthly idea (or otherwise) what this is. Spin us a yarn oh alien jesus and may we climb aboard your intestinal spaceship to the cosmos. Ambient. This could be cool. Just a wee intro to start, but not hating it. Is it too late to say I’m not qualified for this in any way? Listen, this thing is long and I was hoping for more ambient, less of this voice. I don’t hate it, but I’m not all that interested and the vocal hook is dreadful. I don’t care about this. I think this is for production nerds. It’s not the melancholy that speaks to me. It sounds like the background of a video that precedes a TedTalk of dubious merit. There are elements of intrigue, sure, but there is also a pomp that I’m not into. Intellectual music for Disney adults. Besides that caustic jab, I’m liking the outro to each song more than the content of the tracks so far. This is a cool instrument. Played in an interesting way to start. Oh my god is this the Linkin Park singer? It’s horrible. Chester Beddingsòn. I’VE BECOME SO NUMB. This is so incredibly bland. I would love to hear this album without vocals. These are truly painful. Outro?? It’s once again very cool. Use this stuff!! Stop singing. Genuinely my favourite 2:30 of the entire album. Beautiful, haunting, cold. Alright. I was really mad when the vocals came in, but they stayed in that super high register which continued to expand this song. This one is bursting at the seams. Raise the doors. The wind Beckons me into the desolate cold. With that beautiful aberration out of the way, we can return to the needlessly grandiose feat Reykjavik Park. Get away from the mic sir/ma’am/singer. Too close. You’re trying to be all meaningful. Another cool outro. These song closes are the true star(s) of the show. If this list has taught me anything, it’s that I really don’t like piano in rock music. This is hold music. This brings to mind a vaguely dilapidated hotel that was once considered upscale. Not my aesthetic. I just don’t care about this. It didn’t even have vocals for most of it and it still sucked. The end was better again, but still couldn’t save this one. This high range vocal is the best thing going on the album. Where does this even come from? Why are they jerking me around with horrible piano ballads and lousy singing to them produce a melody and atmosphere like this? That almost makes me more mad. This is a beautiful song. Until the last 3 minutes or so. Sounds like the end of a children’s Christmas movie. Way to ruin it. This sucks. An interesting note or two from the vocalist, but I’d like to see this piano dropped off of a roof. Maybe it’d hit a cartoon rabbit or something and he’d come up with piano keys for teeth. Solid closer. Very cool instrumental. Thank you for not singing. Your contributions will be noted and are most certainly, appreciated. Before anything, I want to say that intellectualism is important. I don’t want to dismiss the pursuit of expanding your mind, or learning the past. Smart people should be celebrated; however, smart people are more rare than we are led to believe, and like anything, intellectualism has been packaged and sold to a populace dying to feel like they’re special. Why mention this? I think people consume art with the objective of wanting to feel smart. Sure, some albums scratch that intellectual itch, but this album?It’s slowed down pop music. Very little on it is abrasive and it’s rarely challenging. Not that music has to be challenging and intellectual all the time, but when this album is stripped of it’s cult status, and the Icelandic, the music is just… there. That’s it. The word “meh” comes to mind. In fairness, I wasn’t bored, I wasn’t begging for the end, but I found the vocals and piano to be so poorly done. I was able to mine more inspiration in the quiet moments that surrounded the crater left by the vocals in most cases. One absolute 5 star song amongst a field of mediocrity. At times, the mediocrity was grating. Back in the spaceship. No intelligent life detected. 2 HIGHLIGHTS: Ný Batterí, Avalon

|Headphones on.

Not a fan..

Very good. I think my favourite album of theirs is () but this is one of three of their albums that I put on, inspired by them appearing here. Not listened to them for ages and very much enjoyed it!

Beautiful album, amazing band. 5 stars!

I hear Nordic noir set in Portishead

Riktigt bra, en skiva jag tidigare aldrig lyssnat genom.

A deeply emotive and compelling piece of music. The album flows as a single piece effortlessly and each track has a baseline amount of quality and atmosphere that is excellent. I haven’t read a translation of the lyrics so the review is missing a bit of context but the music is good enough that for the sake of this review it doesn’t matter. Although I will go back to it with a translation. The ambience is lush, sonically dense and invokes an almost cosmic and ethereal atmosphere. That being said I do think some of the songs are a bit over indulgent in their runtimes, and outside of a couple of tracks I’m unlikely to listen to any of them on their own or as part of a playlist. Overall very soothing and enjoyable album. 4/5 Who knew eating fermented shark led to musical talent?

It has its moments even after finishing, but I don't connect with it as a whole. It feels long and drawn out, and I don't feel engaged with the record throughout the listen. It has moments that bring so much of it together, but those moments don't connect with songs for me. This must be that bliss hidden in another review for another day for the hard four and hard five crowds. Interestingly, an engineer on this record did work on the Judas Priest record Stained Class, which is a record I truly connect with, and Halford, well, he is another time. I would give this a 2.75 out of 3. So, for the list, it's a 3, but it does feel uneven; I will return and update, but I don't see myself calling this essential unless it hits that bliss throughout.

2025-02-22

It won't always be the vibe you're looking for but if it is...easy five, this album has been looping for a few hours and I haven't minded one bit

Calm, cozy, original. People compare Low Roar to Sigur Ros a lot, i still think Low Roar is the obvious choice in my playlists, but this also had the same originality.

I think this is one of the most enjoyable Post-Rock albums, which it's one genre I find hard to enjoy.

Apart from the rather discordant endings to some of the tracks, I liked this album a lot. Not one for my collection, but I will give it four stars.

I told myself we wouldn't give this a nostalgia 5 just because Viðrar vel... was my introduction to a band I absolutely love, but damn if it didn't come close. The highs are spectacular, but it could do with being tighter and more focused. Still, more than an alright start.

Yayyyyyyy! Listening to this after Hounds Of Love is quite a lot for one morning. And now I want to watch Heima again.

Still as lovely as the first time I heard it, those boys can sure put together a warbly tune or two! Vidrar Vil Tel Loftarasa was my introduction to Sigur Ros, and it still holds up today - each track here takes it's time to build up to something amazing, and is well worth the time to sit and listen to properly.

A very pleasant surprise Lots of interesting sounds and songs that take you on a journey. Wasn’t expecting anything from this album and really really enjoyed listening to it

Not for me

Easy, peaceful and relaxing aura from this soundscape of an album. What seems like an M83 band but who are Icelandic, they don’t miss. 7.4/10.

There were some great moments — the intro and following track most notably. Some felt a bit too theatrical for my taste, but a good album overall. 3 stars.

This is so ethereal, as if I'm entering a trance. It's unfortunate that I don't understand Icelandic because I'm sure their lyrics are good, too.

Ambient music at best. There's nothing to indicate why it should be included in such a list. Failed to engage. One wonders whether people who think this stuff is "worthy" ever step outside the limited musical world of Rock and Pop. Broaden your horizons a bit, listen to some contemporary "classical music" (although I mislike the term). 1/5.

необычайной красоты оркестровая эмбиент музыка - все как я люблю) а любовь моя к таким штукам выражается в единичке

It was okay....

Quite nice but quite weird. Sounds almost like English but it’s clearly not 6/10

Very nice

Heard it before. In general it's not my vibe but I can appreciate the calmness of the album 2/5

Was not expecting the harmonica to show up over halfway through. What a lovely listen on a cold February morning commute.

Das ist definitiv Kunst und interessant. Aber keine einfache Kost ;)

So so so gorg. Love.

Ethereal, beautiful and a delightful listen

Sigur Ros is one of few bands where the live experience far surpasses the recorded experience. That's not to say that this album, or any of the others, aren't good; it's more that the songs take on new dimensions live

Alright ambient electronic. Nothing stood out to me though

Suprisingly touching and really good Ambient, instrumental music If you want to relax of rethink your life. Songs all sounded a Bit Similar though and im Not the biggest Fan of the singer

Every song feels like I’m transcending, the ambience at the end of some songs with everyday noises really puts you back into reality for a bit, it’s like it has to remind you your still there

I thought I had the wrong album after reading the reviews. This is not the least bit interesting to me. I didn’t absolutely hate it, but 2 stars is generous.

1 hour lo fi pretentiousness to fall asleep to

Not a fan

I remember when these guys came out - big props to inventing their own language to sing in?! Very ambient, background film scorey, I liked it

That was a great album. It's so ethereal and light but doesn't get lost in the background. It's one of those that marks a moment in time. You remember the feeling down to your core.

I spent a few weeks in Kauai, HI in the spring of '01. A lifetime ago in so many ways. But the memories of that trip to one of the most singularly beautiful places I have ever remain vivid. And one the primary soundtracks to that trip - and the one that still resonates today - is this album. Listening - I am transported back to that place and time. Perhaps strange that is meshed so well with music that was created half a world away amidst the and ice and clouds. Maybe it's the volcanos. Cut to today - listening to this album while running on freshly snow covered trails. Turns out it works pretty well in that environment as well. I know the violin bowed guitar can hedge a little close to Spinal Tap territory. And they definitely let these songs unfold. While theres no Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds or Paranoid Android - there are elements of the Beatles (that outro on Olsen Olsen) and Radiohead and obviously the Cocteau Twins. Take those ingredients and a sprinkle in some Pink Floyd put it all in a blendara (Icelandic for "blender") and this is what you get. I do like this album but I'm going to kick it up a notch because of the nature of this list. If you haven't heard this you should. Like it or hate it - it's one of those singular voice albums. 5 stars. Now - could I also be talked into writing a review that asks the question " what would it sound like if you added some random horns to a (insert name of any 2nd rate showgaze band here - I'm going with Chapterhouse) album and slowed it down to a speed that whales could comprehend. 1 star." I could - potentially - but not today. Cause the snow. And the volcanos. And Olsen Olsen. And even the violin bow. Maybe especially the violin bow. 5 stars

Post rock is a weird genre, at least from my experience. Its more about the emotion the music evokes than anything else, and sometimes it works very well. This album is no exception, it works very well as a complete experience, blending influences from different genres.

So I'm not sure if I should be pondering my lifes choices with a glass of red wine, or reminiscing about days past with a hot chocolate infront of a campfire.

After the disappointment that was Neneh Cherry, this was more than a breath of fresh air. It is one of many records which prove why Scandinavians are the greatest musicians out there. The production, the melodies, incorporations of instruments in the right place at the right time, the power of breaking language barriers, both real and fictional, through music - this one is a gem I am glad to have found!

3/4

Heard this when it came out walking into a record store and started to ask what it was and the cute girl behind the counters just went shhh and sold it to me.

This was a nice surprise. Some would dismiss this as background music but I feel there is more going on. While I don't understand the lyrics, the music still comes together and is still an enjoyable and worthwhile listen.

Chill

Icelandic folksy Enigma is not my kind of groove.

Really cool. I knew the one song from the vanilla sky soundtrack. I really liked the album as a whole it flowed well and ambient art rock style was really relaxing.

I don't know if I "got" this album. It was a nice soothing listen, with cool ambient music that was relaxing. But that's all it was for 70 minutes. Nothing else on the album, just the same ambient music without much variance. Which is fine, but not that great or memorable

Would have given 3.5 in comparison to similar things I like, however, I'll let it have a 4 because I didn't turn it off

A bit weird! Listening to at least 25% of each track, and some of the actual musical elements were OK, but not for me!

ew

Æðisleg plata. Brautryðjandi verk. Þetta er náttúrulega bara furðulegt ævintýri sem maður stígur inn í. Aldrei vitað jafn stutt 10 mínútna lög og Svefn-g-englar og viðrar vel til loftárásar. 6/5.

Meistaraverk sem ég fæ aldrei leið á. Svo miklu meira en bara ágætis byrjun á frábærum ferlli Sigur Rós. 10/5

Wasn’t sure when I read the write up but was hooked from the first song absolutely brilliant album they could just be reading their grocery list

This album gets off to a strong start with the powerfully slow and dense "Svefn-g-englar" but lets up a bit, dissolving into fragments that sometimes sound more like a film score than a collection of songs. No accident these guys opened for Radiohead. I'm listening to it on a warm spring day and it's making me want to take a nap. But I could see putting this on in a certain nocturnal, creative, dark-night-of-the-soul mood.

This sounds like the music my Sim would listen to while crashing out. This is the music that plays during the emotional climax of the sad indie movie. It came out THE DAY after I was born. I like to imagine I’m the little homunculus on the cover

A relaxing and enjoyable listen

Unexpected awesomeness. When I saw an hour and a half of 8 minute long Icelandic music I did not expect it to be the best thing I’ve listened to in a while.

Reminds me of Radiohead in the worst ways. After track 3 I was intrigued. Somewhat intriguing and cinematic- vocals were just grating though.

Relaxing.

Slow and agonizing almost painful. Not my genre at all. Felt more like noise than music.

Hey, Opium dens need to play something too. I admit there is a lot of creativity and uniqueness on display, but its just not for me. I just can't imagine the circumstance in which I would want to spin this again.

This album “gave me hope that was a disappointment” An alright start to a terribly boring album. Dollar store Enya. I fought so hard to stay awake thru incredibly long boring, sound alike songs. 1001 album worthy: No - 37/65

It mostly holds up, though my rating is largely based on warm ‘member-berries from when this album was in constant rotation.

I have no idea what they are singing about but the tunes are pretty uplifting

Really interesting sounding. I liked parts but can’t say i loved it overall

Whoa, what a triumph! This is bordering on five stars. Top notch artistry, yo 👏👏👏

in the years since i've discovered this album i could have come up with so many things to say about how much i love it, but really i'll just say it's complete and utter perfection and leave it at that.

I quite like Sigur Ros, and I quite like this album. It’s definitely mood music, I couldn’t listen to it every day, but for what it is, it is amongst the best.

Sigur Ros я узнала еще в подростковом возрасте и думала - боже, какая унылая музыка. Прошли годы, я думала, раз я люблю ambient, может и атмосферный sigur ros мне зайдет для длинных неспешных вечеров... Но нет. Все еще уныло. Мои длинные вечера проходят совсем в другом вайбе, все-таки.. Музыка все-таки очень красивая местами, прям хочется послушать, но вокал и общий флоу - кошмар. Поэтому при большом уважении, все таки - такая оценка

If this is the music they play in heaven then send me to hell where all the good blues is. Anyway, if I wanted to listen to trippy music I'd put on Pink Floyd. If I want to hear some great music in a language I don't understand then I will put on the Hu Band.

Pretty good. Good enough to listen to twice

This was pretty interesting... I prefer this Icelandic music to Björk, that's for sure

Ethereal and haunting in a similar way to Explosions in the Sky. The Icelandic almost makes it feel more instrumental.

Fine

9.3/10. More amazing music from Ros

svefn g englar sent me places.

Icelandic mellow rock. Svefn-g-englar was painfully redundant with just the lyrics that sound like "it's you" over and over again. Very dreamy and mellow. It was okay.

this was beautiful, i loved it and would definitely go back to it

Throw back to my Junior High days!!

by FAR one of the best albums on this list i haven’t heard yet. holy god. where has this album been my whole life. insane 4, working it’s way to a 5 on the relistens (almost every song was a little too sad and it made me kinda sad). just crazy work

Pre-listening thoughts: the cover is making me wildly uncomfortable and that is the sole reason I have put this album off for so long. Post/during listening thoughts: what the hell am I listening to? It’s not bad, but are they trying to lull me to sleep? This is just ambience. The instrumentals are beautiful but not engaging. Every song is unnecessarily long. Somebody wake me up in an hour and 11 mins. 4/10 DID I NEED TO HEAR THIS BEFORE I DIE: this is probably what the kiss of death sounds like but no Fav tracks: idk man I liked some moments but every song was just way longer than I wanted it to be Least fav tracks: Avalon

It's good music to listen to while trying to fall asleep, but that's not exactly a compliment.

2 out of 5. Some nice moments throughout.

Starting quite good but the end was a drag

Yeah

I don't know if it's just in my particular circle, but this was one of THE albums when it came out and still has legendary mystique. It might not be my favorite of theirs - I think that honor goes to the followup () - but it defines their sound and no one else quite does it like them in post rock. Dreamy, ethereal, otherworldly... whatever adjectives you want to use are probably a good start. Svefn-g-englar has that majesty and atmosphere... I was impressed this time with the power of the keyboards on Flugufrelsarinn, and the almost-bluesy bass riff on Hjartaoð hamast, before the wall of noise kicks in. There's really no bad songs, and everything flows together like one long performance, so just put it on and let yourself float away. Essential.

Nice background music. Dark, nordic, soundscapey rather than fun listenable tunes.

One of the more interesting albums from this list so far. Enjoyed it but wasnt the biggest fan. Reminds me of a spacey icelandic radiohead.

A good album, the music was really interesting. I liked the songs sveng-g-engler and Staralfur the most.

wow

Love this album

I did not expect to like this as much as I did. I remember hearing Sigur Ros in the early 00s and thinking they sucked or were boring or something. Maybe I've just grown into them, or maybe I didn't give them enough of a chance back then, but either way, this is an immediate favorite now.

Yesterday may have been one of the only days I could resonate with the album, as I lay in the darkness, too sick and too sensitive to light to do anything besides that, and insert some headphones and listen to the album. The melancholic tracks stream over me, sometimes evoking senses of early Pink Floyd, and even a softer, Piano-heavy Coldplay...Icelandic versions of course. The songs are peaceful and intriguing, but is it an album you have to hear before you die? That's debatable. However, if I take it for what it is, an Icelandic post-rock album, perhaps it is a groundbreaking album. For that, I give it 3 stars

ethereal. beautiful. demands your full attention.

beautiful album, some of the best post-rock i’ve had the pleasure of listening to

Imagination music. Utterly unique. Universally understood.

I liked parts a lot but I could not care to listen through the ambient parts that lasted way too long. Similar to radiohead I just don’t get it

Instrumental Icelandic

thought it would be better and i would enjoy it. glad i listened tho and experienced something new.

Well that was odd

A bit weird, but good background music

Despite me not knowing the contents of the lyrics (Icelandic/Hopelandic), the instrumentation is absolutely soothing. It's like riding home and letting the stress and uneasiness of life coast away behind you.

Reminds me of a more electronic version of Pink Floyd in their golden era. Tracks like Flugufrelsarinn have surprisingly similar textures to those of 70s prog, including slow, smooth basslines, thick synth soundscapes, and music that isn't primarily focused on vocals. The drumming also reminds me of 90s alt-rock in places. There are a variety of influences here, and they work pretty darn well together. Also present are many seamless shifts in mood within tracks, and some The Wall-esque track transitions that really glue together the album into a singular piece of art. The little melodies in the synths, guitars, and winds are fun. The strongest melodies are in Svefn-g-englar (it didn't get annoying, surprisingly!) and Olsen Olsen (the little flute coda is such a fun way to end the track). There isn't much to criticise about the album. Maybe the production could be a little more sharp, particularly in the instruments with varied frequency (vocals and percussion). Somebody might also argue that the album commits to a specific fantasy-winter theme (supported in part by the lyrics) and refuses to deviate from that, though I think that's a strength rather than a downfall. With Ágætis Byrjun, Sigur Rós have nearly perfected this strange, wonderful genre that, in my opinion, is one of the better ones. It's certainly some of the best 90s output I've heard. 5/5 Key tracks: Svefn-g-englar, Starálfur, Olsen Olsen

I had been wanting to listen to Sigur for years, but never got around to it. I didn't miss much.

La portada del álbum es muy apropiada, ya que al escuchar este álbum te sientes como un feto dentro del vientre de tu madre. Música atmosférica, muy bien producida y muy, pero que muy, lenta. No es que tenga nada en contra del post-rock o de la música atmosférica en general, al contrario, me relaja. Además, nunca le había prestado a Sigur Rós la atención que se merecen. Entiendo la fama, aunque, aparte de la buena producción y la calidad musical, este álbum tampoco me ha dicho gran cosa. 3.5 por su significancia dentro de su contexto histórico, y por su calidad en general.

I don't hate it, it's pretty relaxing, except for the section of Svefn-G-Englar where he's repeating "It's you" or whatever over and over which just grates.

Was a god listen. And of godspeed-y vibes that I can get behind. Grew on me as the album played.

Grandiose, dreamlike, ethereal, cinematic, inscrutable, demanding, boring, Hopelandic gibberish. Favorite track: Svefn-g-englar. Least favorite track: Hjartað hamast (bamm bamm bamm)

IGEN imádtam minden percet, kicsit se untam, szerintem nagyon izgalmas zeneileg, tetszettek a népi vonások es a nyersebb, de visszhangos hangzás rögtön a radiohead jutott eszembe meg aphex twin (ő főleg az utcsó tracknél). az egész ének full thom yorkeos, rá is kerestem amúgy és redditen azt olvastam, hogy a 2000-es évek legelején előzenekara is volt radioheadnek a sigur rós, meg, hogy dolgoztak együtt vlmi táncos projekten. meg hogy inspirálta egymást a két zenekar meg, hogy csipázzák egymást. na mindegy tetszett, hogy nem tudok izlandiul ezért kizárólag a zenére figyeltem mielőtt megnéztem pár angol fordítást, ilyen lowkey simlish de nem zavaró módon. imádtam, hogy a dalok összefolytak, nagyon megfogott, az egész egy kerek dolog, sztem egy deepdive jön most ebbe a bandába:) kedvencek: flugufrelsarinn; ný batterí; hjartað hamast (bamm bamm bamm) hármas 10/9

Kedvenc/Favourite: Olsen olsen Egy utazás volt, ennél pontosabban nem tudnám leírni. Szinte észre sem vettem mennyire közel került hozzám a zene. Mindenképp újra és újra meg fogom még hallgatni. It was a journey, I couldn't describe it better. I almost didn't realize how close the music had gotten to me. I will definitely listen to it again and again.

Icelandic atmospheric music. Meh.

A perfect album.

Really didn’t like very ethereal, thought to listen to

From the album, my four favorite songs were Starálfur, Flugufrelsarinn, Viðrar vel til loftárása, and Olsen Olsen.

Man, I dunno. People seem to love SR but I can't get into them. Probably good background for studying or zoning out or waxing my handlebar mustache or something, but I can't get there.

This album is such a vibe. Who cares if you don't understand the words, the vocals are an *instrument*, man. It soars, it dips, it glides across foreign countrysides. There's a freaking starchild on the cover.

Could you even imagine seeing Sigur Rós play live in Reykjavik in 1998? My brain would have melted.

A surprise. Really great.

Forever intertwined with the appearance of the magnificent Jaguar shark. And that's OK.

creeps...

I love this album a lot; I only listened to it once. "Svefn-g-Engler" is magical beyond most other songs. It's unbelievable that it was made in 1999. The other tracks have a similar feel. I don't know a single word of Icelandic, but it was still mesmerising. 4 stars for "Ágætis Byrjun".

Dreamlike, boreal, pretty unique 4.6

I've only ever listened to Taak before but this is very good too. Sigur Rós songs often have a fragile beauty to them and, in not knowing what they're saying, it's easy to let the music and emotions wash over you. That said, while I think this is very good. I barely ever get the urge to listen to Sigur Rós. Perhaps it's a me problem, because when I do, I like it, but it just doesn't get to the 5 star point for me.

I figured I'd be in for something unusual based on the name's weird characters and accents, but was kind of let down by the blah-ness of the album. Yeah it is not English words, but I've had fun with those in the past. This is a snoozer. I'm glad I wasn't driving today or else I'd fall asleep. On the other hand, I could be saying it was a nice and peaceful trance of an album, but I literally think the the singer is yawning during the title track. That actually is an interesting technique for a album to make you sleepy --just yawn while singing. Anyways, not for me. I'm going to go take a nap now. It's noon on New Year's Eve 2024. I want to make sure I'm awake to see the light leave this horrible year. Favorite track: I guess the title track 1/5

High threes, Sigur Ros just sound like something completely different.

My kind of music. Lots of ambient soundscapes. I recognise the chorus of the 2nd song, Svedberg-g-englar. I quite like the 4th song Flugufrelsarinn and 6th Hjarto hamast I really like the 7th, Viorar vel til loftarasa I quite like the 8th and 9th song I would listen to again

its like meditation music kinda... its ok? i'd never go out of my way to listen to this.

Fine but didn't engage me enough to buy the album.

I knew that song from The Life Aquatic is from Sigur Ros, but I didn’t realize it was this album. I do love that song from the memory it gives me of the movie (I’m a huge Wes Anderson fan). Overall as an album this was pleasant and interesting, but nothing I’d seek out or likely listen to again. Still good, though.

All albums will be 1, 3 or 5 stars, with no further commentary or explanation given.

I don’t think I’ve heard Sigur Ros’s before. Their name had always been somewhat on my radar, more so after my visit to Iceland and my delve into Icelandic culture, yet I’d somehow never gotten round to listening to an album. This was bliss. I had this playing while working at my computer, and it just made for a very warm, cosy experience. The soundscape makes a warm blanket for your mind, and leaves you helplessly comfortable. I’ll definitely be searching out more after this.

It’s probably not really for me, but I liked the artistic qualities. It made for an unusual background to winter driving.

Listened to Takk a lot back in the day, but never branched out into the rest of Sigur Ros' extensive discography, so this was fun. Of course the whole album is very cohesive and feels more like a single experience than a collection of tracks. That said, a couple stood out upon first casual listen: Flugufreslarinn is a mellow groove. Hijartao Hamast shakes up the flow of the album (in a good way) with an upbeat and repetitive synth beat and choral background vocals. In fact, that track seems to mark a pivot in the album, away from the orchestral epics that characterize most of Sigur Ros, into sparer piano-driven arrangements. Looking forward to exploring more Sigur Ros.

Muzak, but good

Favorite Track: Svefn-g-englar

Haven't listened to this in probably 20 years, during my big post-rock/ambient phase. A lot of that stuff I find pretty boring now, one reason that I burned out on it and had no real need to listen to it again and another because I wasn't doing things that needed hour long albums of three tones blasting disappearing into the sonic ether. Like a lot of post rock, this demands a kind of specific headspace and is helped by place. 4 hours of daylight and dry-ass snow blowing across a barren waste while you wait for nothing but more nothing sounds like Iceland and also my college experience. Surprised by how late-90s it sounds, since it seemed so different when it first came out. The radiohead influence in some of the smaller moments seems clear in retrospect. Big, operatic, and still intimate, it's a great album.

8/10 album It’s hard to find anything to dislike, and it’s an earlier exploration of tonalities that I like in other bands like Radiohead, but overall it was a bit too slow for my tastes. It was good to revisit it.

Wow been a while since this one. Majorly into during this album during college in art school. Surprisingly still very good and it brought back some feelings. Don’t know that I would still continue to listen to it.

(Drunk) fairy music but I fairly enjoyed it!;)

It's an amazing album, but ngl, I listened to this a ton in my stoned and depressed college days, so it's bringing back many memories and feelings from that era that I would rather not explore.

beautiful

Strange music

Everything about this was novel to me. The record is touching, even if you can't understand a single word. And once you search for the translated lyrics, you understand that they are as beautiful as the music. This is timeless and transcendental.

The sound of a long abandoned cathedral collapsing off an eroded cliff. In slow motion.

This album certainly has its moments, particularly the Air-like Sfven-g-englar, but not really sustained across all the tracks.

One of the most influential albums of post-rock, which has been one of my favorite genres, since before starting listening to this list. If you're unfamiliar or unprepared for what this might sound like, it'll probably catch you off guard and might even take a while to get used to. First impressions mean a lot, too, so I can understand why some people might not like this. But if you know what you're getting into and can sit in this, man it's a great album. Atmospheric and full of development. It set the standard for post-rock. I think I would like the album more if I understood it (or if there weren't any words at all), but that's a minor complaint (if it is really a complaint at all). Favorite Song(s): Svefn-g-englar, Flugufrelsarinn, Ny batteri, Agaetis Byrjun Sorry for the butchered spelling

The generator gave me the wrong album on the wrong day. I am feeling under the weather and have zero patience for this level of dreary ambient nothing.

I didn't like this album at all.

I only know Sigur Ros from the Game of Thrones soundtrack where they did a version of Rains of Castamere. Kind of cool hearing a full album. Obviously I didn’t understand a word but it was cool background music to work to. Haunting and melodic is a great mix, and I actually fuck with music in other languages. It’s great to work to like I said and because I don’t speak Swedish my brain wants to match the speech patterns regardless so you end up having thought provoking music that is not too distracting. Saving it for a future work sesh where I don’t want silence but can’t devote too much headspace to the music. I dig the vibes. If Aretha Franklin was a high 3 this is a low 3. Hers was a better album but I can’t say I disliked this album at all so a 2 is out for me.

as far as our weird albums go... this one honestly isn't too bad. it is a lovely sound, and it is quite pleasant to have playing in the background. I happened to listen to this album as I was flying home from Cali and I felt like there was a soundtrack for a portion of my ride. that being said... it's a 2 stars. probably never going to play this album again. it wasn't awful, but giving it a middling 3 stars seems unfair because of other 3 stars that i have ranked.

I like the vibes. It feels like the soundtrack to a a fantastic movie filled with nature, love, tragedy. There were a lot of moments that surprised me with their beauty. I don’t feel it deserves a 5-star, but I’m finding it hard to justify anything worse than a 4.

Idk how to rate this. It isn’t as much just straight noise as similar albums on the list were, but I hesitate to even really call it an album in the traditional sense. With that in mind, I enjoyed it. There were some pretty high highs actually and some pretty catchy tunes built into the atmosphere of the album. I definitely felt a build up that lasted through multiple songs into somewhat of a climax. Almost like a movie soundtrack. Fun and cool album to be on the list.

I don’t know how I feel about this one. There were times I was really vibing with it, but there were other times that it felt like listening to ambient noise for longer than I wanted to. Between the length and the language gap, I’m gonna go with a two.

~~~~WARNING~~~~ Do not listen to while driving or operating heavy machinery!!! I was listening to this album for the first time on a rainy morning drive to work. I did not realize the danger that I had put myself into. As the ambient Icelandic sounds of Agaetis Byrjun washed over me, I began to zone out. My thoughts drifted in the rain. I was becoming one with the world around me. It was only once my subconscious fought through the wall of dreamy synth and foreign words that I realize I had been slowly drifting into the other lane and was about to collide with another car. I quickly snapped back to attention and corrected my mistake, but I didn't dare change the music. The only thing keeping me from the reality of another week of work were these mesmerizing songs. They have come to me, these songs. They shall be an heirloom of my kingdom. All those who follow in my bloodline shall be bound to their fate for I will risk no hurt to these songs. They are.... precious to me, though I buy them with great pain. ~~~~WARNING~~~~

I didn't look up the translation, because I don't roll this way. Good music is good wether I understand what's being said or not. And this was good. The type of music that makes you feel like youre walking in a dream, or as a character in a movie when you walk through the familiar streets of your hometown. Music that gives you goosebumps because it just hits the right way. That's all you really need. Only complaint is that it dragged on a little too long.

It is not (completely) Sigur Ros’s fault that they are advert music. I think I’ve heard every one of these tracks in adverts for banks or insurance companies trying to convince their prospective victims they’re folksy and authentic, and I’m too much of a cynic to not feel pandered to by that. I knew that Sigur Ros has released tracks in a made up language that isn’t Icelandic, which I always thought was quite funny (especially for people who do speak Icelandic) but a quick google said only Olsen Olsen and the end of the title track are the only two not in Icelandic. I did actually like Olsen Olsen for being a little bit different, but the language is essentially indistinguishable to me- I wonder if they manage to sing the “correct” lyrics to the jibberish songs live. Overall I basically can’t draw individual songs out of this- I guess what’s nice about it is the ambient experience, and that’s what makes it so good for advertising too- the lyrics are non specific if you’re non Icelandic (and even sometimes if you are) and the music sounds fundamentally quite hopeful and calming, like something about the eternality of the soul or something I dunno. I can imagine myself putting this on only to ironically soundtrack bits of life that seem like they’d appear in a montage- slow motion footage of holding a baby or something. It’s probably sad for Sigur Ros that people sort of can’t take their music seriously anymore, or maybe that’s just me? Not bad, but for something which tries to be so heavily imbued in meaning it’s quite sad it basically means capitalism to me now.

It is atmospheric, ambient, sometime ethereal music that sounds like it's that moment 3/4 of a way through a romantic comedy film when something has gone wrong and a character needs a scene to be seen thinking very hard about what they have done wrong and then probably go run towards the love of their life they obviously nearly let slip through their fingers (actually I could genuinely here this moment of them getting up and started to run through the christmassy streets looking for their love at about 4:30 of Staralfur.) I guess that's quite a good thing if this music can provoke an image in my head but also by me conjuring that image is not one that is emotional to me but sadly just makes me think, generic. I don't know if this is because Sigur Ros were the first to do it in 1999 and therefore, congrats, as that means a lot of others have followed suit or if this kind of music has just been around us all in various ways and so inevitably blurs into eachother. At times it reminds me of Moby, but I think I prefer Moby.

Vibes

Eh

Beetje eentonig maar wel mooi, IJslandse vocals vet ook, een nummertje die wel nice was en playlist materiaal, verder zou ik dit alleen tijdens een lange roadtrip snachts in de Flixbus oid aanzetten om bij in slaap te vallen

This would be good to listen to super high. Not really my thing, but I did like the vibe.

Not my taste.

Cool album

Album, na którym moja przygoda z tą listą się wykoleiła. Po tym, jak w końcu do niego usiadłem zatrzymałem się na dwa tygodnie ze słuchaniem czegokolwiek nowego i myślę, że Agaetis Byrjun było częściowo za to odpowiedzialne. Najpierw disclaimer - to jest cholernie dobry album. Wybitny nawet, bez cienia wątpliwości. Jego rozmach, niesamowita muzyczna dojrzałość, soniczne pejzaże (soundscapes), które maluje zapierają dech w piersiach. Rzadko muzyka tak sugestywnie tworzy obrazy. Mam wrażenie, jakbym latał nad islandzkimi górami, wulkanami i czarnymi plażami Reynisfjara. A mimo to spodziewałem się więcej. Nawet nie po samym albumie, ale po moim odbiorze. Po zachwytach Cichego i Bojskiego byłem niemal przekonany, że mnie też całkowicie porwie i stanie się takim "insta-klasykiem" w moim prywatnym kanonie. Dlatego tak długo odkładałem jego przesłuchanie - nie chciałem go słuchać jako podkładu do innej czynności. A jednak moje doświadczenie zatrzymało się o krok przed wrotami nieba i nie zdołało ich otworzyć. Jestem pod olbrzymim wrażeniem tego albumu, bez cienia wątpliwości doceniam jego geniusz, ale mimo naprawdę wielu pełnych przesłuchań (myślę, że około dziesięciu, może nawet ponad to) nie udało mi się osiągnąć pełni zachwytu i tego magicznego uczucia obcowania z czymś bliskim sercu. I odbieram to jako zawód. Zawód, za który nie winię samego albumu, ale mimo wszystko zawód. Rozczarowanie na tyle mocne, że na dłuższy czas odciągnęło mnie od całej listy. 4,5/5

What a ride. It's hard for me to describe what i expierienced during this album. But i felt like someone was weaving a story about a place that they heard from their grandmother and somehow I ended in this idylic made-up field lying in the grass as I undesrtood the nostalgia, the longing and sadness through the realization that this place isn't real.

OH. MY. FUCKING. GOD. To jest dla mnie zdecydowanie najlepszy album wylosowamy na tej liście i jeden z najlepszych, jakie słyszałem w życiu. To jest jak dotyk Boga, w którego przecież nie wierzę. Całość to dla mnie muzyczna i emocjonalna podróż, jakiej nie spodziewałem się doświadczyć, a której doświadczam przy każdym kolejnym przesłuchaniu. Odczuwan przy słuchaniu czyste wzruszenie, serio, łzy same cisną się do oczu. Coś pięknego, niesamowitego, trudnego do zdefiniowania. Muzyczna perfekcja, wyprawa do sedna człowieczeństwa, odnalezienie ludzkiej duszy. Nie rozumiem przy tym w sumie SŁOWA, a w niczym mi to nie przeszkadza... tak jakbym rozumiał mimo wszystko, czuł, o co chodzi (?!). Pomyślałem sobie, cholera, nauczę się islandzkiego, poczuję lepiej... tylko że płyta okazuje się być napisana w fikcyjnym JĘZYKU NADZIEI, jakby islandzki nie był dostatecznie tajemniczy i melodyjny :O Coś pięknego, czegoś takiego szukałem od początku przygody z 1001 albumów i życzę sobie, żeby znaleźć jeszcze coś choćby zbliżonego. Szok po prostu, kocham ten album całym sercem. 6/5

"Ágætis Byrjun", to dzieło przełomowe, które nie tylko umocniło pozycję zespołu na światowej scenie, ale także zmieniło sposób, w jaki postrzegana jest muzyka post-rockowa. Islandzka grupa stworzyła album, który brzmi jak coś spoza tego świata – hipnotyzujący, emocjonalny i nieziemsko piękny. Każdy utwór na "Ágætis Byrjun" to odrębny pejzaż dźwiękowy – od ambientowego spokoju po wzniosłe, niemal symfoniczne kulminacje. Utwór tytułowy, balansuje między delikatnością a epickością, opowiadając historię, której słowa nie są konieczne, by ją zrozumieć. Wystarczy wsłuchać się w dźwięki, by poczuć emocjonalne głębie. Sercem albumu jest jego wyjątkowa atmosfera – islandzka surowość połączona z mistycznym ciepłem. Sigur Rós używa nie tylko tradycyjnych instrumentów, ale także głosu Jónsiego (kocham jego wokal), śpiewającego częściowo w wymyślonym języku Hopelandic, jako dodatkowego instrumentu. To sprawia, że muzyka nabiera uniwersalnego charakteru – przemawia do serca, niezależnie od języka. To podróż przez emocje, krajobrazy i stany umysłu, które trudno opisać słowami. Nie ma w nim ani jednej zbędnej nuty, a całość składa się na jeden z najbardziej inspirujących, wzruszających i transcendentnych albumów w historii współczesnej muzyki. Absolutne arcydzieło. Mocne 5

non ci ho capito niente ma a momenti piango. che bella cosa la musica.

Ágætis Byrjun hits me with atmospheric beauty and a proper relaxing vibe, but it misses me with a real lasting impact or something that compels me to want to listen to it again. I didn't pay attention to a track listing much, so I dunno where it all starts and ends, but the first 10/15 mins or so are really quite sad and emotional (I talk about music making me feel, this bit made me feel pretty shit, although that may also have overlapped with a shitty start to my day), then we work our way through to more uplifting sounds (with a crescendo in Olsen Olsen, one I looked up as it was such a change in mood), obviously they're taking us on a journey through all of that and it's very obvious, it's just not very me. It's an interesting listen, good in places, dreamy instrumental stuff hasn't ever really been my thing as I've said every time we've had something like this, although I can recognise this is among the better efforts we've had from that genre. Call it a respectful 3.

I do like this sort of thing in relatively small doses, dreamy soundscapes with haunting vocals, but I'm not sure I need a whole one (and definitely not 71 minutes worth). Despite not understanding a word of it, it's not that hard to connect with it, definitely a great one to listen to whilst working or relaxing. 3/5.

It’s nice to hear another Icelandic artist besides Björk. Truly spooky and ethereal.