Ágætis byrjun

As an instrumental, I would have liked this album much more. The vocals are grating to me. Since they're in a language I don't speak and that hits my ear in an assaulting way, I just can't get by it.

Things picked up for me in the last 3rd of the album

⭐⭐.5

Ethereal

Wtf is this

I went through a post-rock phase late in high school and every once in a while I like to dip my toes back in those waters. That said, I never really got into Sigur Ros back then. I knew of them, but I liked the more punk rock aesthetics of bands like Do Make Say Think, A Silver Mt Zion, and Godspeed You! Black Emperor. I'm genuinely surprised there's not a Godspeed album on this list.

Ágætis Byrjun is a great album. Standout tracks for me are Ný batterí and Hjartað Hamast (Bamm Bamm Bamm). The only thing that might hold it back from full points for me is that I need to be in the right mood to listen to an hour plus of ethereal, ambient, and atmospheric post-rock.

Es ist ein atmosphärisches Meisterwerk des Post-Rock, das mit sphärischen Klanglandschaften, isländischer Lyrik und der einzigartigen Stimme von Jónsi eine träumerische Welt erschafft.

interesting.

pior que eu nunca tinha escutado mais de uma música deles.

calmim, bem atmosférico, gostoso demais.
tudo muito bem produzido, colocado de maneira bonitinha pra dar textura pra musica. não eh um album pra todo dia, mas hoje achei lindo lindo lindo.
(achei melhor que radiohead, até o momento)

A very beautiful album, but just a bit too long for my liking!

Also didn't realise this was the band that sang hoppipolla, love that song

3 ⭐️

Very aesthetic and ethereal, I actually like this quite a bit.

I like the idea of this band and album more than the actualities. I'm happy they exist and understand why they are lauded. It, for me, is like a soundtrack to a dense indie movie that I also did not relate to or particularly enjoy.

Very cool soundscape.

Lots of interesting and inspirational sounds for a budding producer.

Good songs too.

Wow. This was... This was incredible. I felt teary-eyed even when I didn't understand the lyrics, there's so much emotion and feeling behind the vocals. I think I can 100% confidently say this album is beautiful.

expected a kinda pretentious sonic soundscape thing, and it delivered that, with some moments of beauty. but it all wore kind of thin. kind of annoying. it's an hour-plus soundtrack to luxury cars on winding autumnal roads. a soft-focus tribute to the lexus december to remember sales event.

Yes, I tried to learn icelandic because of my obsession with Sigur Rós when I was a teenager. What can I say, I was a weird teenager.

Maybe not the most "palatable" album, but so good.

Da je neko komponovao album iz čiste namjere da mene namuči do granice ludila, to bi bilo nešto ovakvo. Svaka pjesma kao da traje godinu dana. Sve zvuči identično. Živne jednom u 20 minuta a i tad je iritantno. A tek ovaj glas. Jedan od najmanje podnošljivih albuma dosad.

Super ambient chill music

Favorite songs: Flugufrelsarinn, Ny Batteri, Hjartad Hamast, Svefn-g-englar

Least favorite songs: Vidrar Vel Til Loftarasa

3/5

when it's good it'really good but most of the time it isn't for me.

It was pretty slow to get going. It did grow on me a bit as I listened but generally kind of boring for me. Too sophisticated for my tastes I guess.

Praise be. The great thing about the random album model is that just when you start to think "my god... will I ever enjoy an album again?!" they give you a classic like this. Thank you, website. Not loving the album cover, but everything else is a go. Apparently, this too is "dream pop". And unlike their later stuff, it's in Icelandic (mostly)! Ring-a-ding-ding.

I remember in the early 2000s 'Svefn-g-englar' was everywhere, and I didn't really appreciate it then, I just thought it was sad, weird, and kind of boring. Now I'm grown and I think it's sad, weird, and kind of captivating. Or maybe it's just a nostalgia boost. Either way, I like this album. Strings, piano, hardly any unpleasant electric guitar. Definitely mood music.

Highlights: 'Starálfur', 'Viðrar vel til loftárása', 'Olsen Olsen'

Until today, I hadn’t really listened to Sigur Rós. But with tickets booked to see them at the Royal Albert Hall later this year, it felt like the perfect time to finally dive in — and Ágætis Byrjun seemed the ideal place to start.

This is not a typical album, nor is it like anything else I usually listen to. It demands — and deserves — your full attention. After two or three focused listens, the album’s true character begins to emerge. It’s not background music; it's an experience to surrender to. And once you do, the rewards are undeniable.

There are moments of real beauty here. Viðrar Vel Til Loftárasa stands out — the piano work is stunning, delicate yet powerful, and the production is immaculate. Olsen Olsen is another highlight, feeling almost cinematic, like the soaring conclusion of an epic film. And then there’s Svefn-G-Englar — a brilliant, otherworldly piece that lingers long after it ends.

Favourite track: There are so many to choose from, but Svefn-G-Englar just edges it for me. It's wonderful — haunting, immersive, and deeply moving.

Least favourite track: Intro felt a little unnecessary. It didn’t add much to the album and could easily have been omitted — but everything else is so superb that I’m really just nitpicking.

Album artwork: Honestly, not my favourite. It doesn’t quite capture the depth, scope, or beauty of the music inside.