Agaetis Byrjun | 
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| Artist: Sigur Ros
Label: Fat Cat
Category: Music
List Price: £10.99
Buy New: £4.98
You Save: £6.01 (55%)
New (27) Used (3) Collectible (3) from £4.98
Rating:  77 reviews
Sales Rank: 334
Media: Audio CD
Discs: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.1
Dimensions (in): 5.5 x 4.7 x 0.3
UPC: 766486265721
EAN: 0766486265721
ASIN: B00004W3MS
Release Date: August 14, 2000
Shipping: Eligible for Super Saver Shipping
Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours
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| Tracks:
| • | Intro | | • | Svefn-g-englar | | • | Staralfur | | • | Flugufrelsarinn | | • | Ny Batteri | | • | Hjartao Hamast (Bamm Bamm Bamm) | | • | Viorar Vel Til Loftarasa | | • | Olsen Olsen | | • | Agaetis Byrjun | | • | Avalon |
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| Editorial Reviews:
Amazon.co.uk Review
Reykjavík-based noise quartet Sigur Ros are the biggest band in their native Iceland, which should say much, much more about the collective insanity of that earthquake-ridden, blizzard-beaten crag of an island than anything to do with Sigur Ros' sound. But in their music, Sigur Ros reflect all the breathtaking glory of the Icelandic wastes--a fairy-tale explosion of unhinged elemental majesty that's finally crystalised here, their debut European release. Poised somewhere between the haunting soundscapes of Labradford and the lilting Celtic falsetto of Enya, Agaetis Byrjun is a truly breathtaking listen. Frontman Jon Por Birgisson sings in a language that Sigur Ros dub Hopelandic--an otherworldly mutation of Icelandic, sung in the falsetto cadence of angels; similarly, he plays his guitar with a violin bow, opening the floodgates for brilliant waves of feedback. And while it's the opening "Svefn-G-Englar" that's Sigur Ros' defining moment to date, there's far more that Agaetis Byrjun has to offer; the pomp and flourish of a full orchestra on "Flugufrelsarinn", or the awe-inspiring near-religious mantra of "Ny Batteri". --Louis Pattison
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| Customer Reviews: Read 72 more reviews...
 spectacular December 26, 2008
Rafael Lindsay (nottingham, england)
absolutely breathtaking one of the best albums ever made! emotive, challenging, ethereal, powerful and glowing, gleaming glistening with beauty. an album of revelatiion that penetrates the soul, fascinates the brain and sends electric pulses through your body so overwhelming you'll probably be reduced to tears! in short buy it, it'll probably be one of the best decisions you ever make one the best albums in the world made by one the best bands in the world sigur ros = god!!!!
 Not sure if I completely get this music?! August 25, 2008
Anonymous (UK)
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
I must admit that I don't know if I completely understand this music (yet?). It's kind of like new age Pink Floyd with an Icelandic twist. The reason I say that is because it has such a broad expanse of sound which I do like. I must admit the middle of the album is really worth buying it for - there is such a lot going on it's awesome. However on the down side I feel that some of the tracks are a bit long and seem to have these very strange endings where a load of odd unrelated sounds seem to be tagged on as an after thought. Apart from that it has really grown on me and I think if you like something a bit out of the norm then this may well be for you.
Genius July 15, 2008
Mr. A. Jaye
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Id never heard of this 4 piece band until recently and have since purchased 3 of there albums its so unique
Human music beamed in from a distant galaxy June 4, 2008
russell clarke (halifax, west yorks)
5 out of 5 found this review helpful
Hearing Sigur Ros for the first time , as most of us did when hearing Agaetis byrjun, is akin, i imagine , to not just hearing music beamed down from another planet but hearing music beamed across from the far side of a far distant galaxy. The sort of thing Star Trek "Voyager" might have heard on their sojourn through the delta quadrant.( the cover , featuring a ballpoint pen drawing by a friend of the band further ratifies the music's alien ambience) The nearest comparison, and i realise that i am being far from being original here, are The Cocteau Twins , though even their celestial otherworldliness does,nt really compare to the Icelandic quartet.
Agaetis byrjun (Icelandic for An alright start) was originally released in June 1999 and is actually the bands second album , though i was under the misconception for some considerable time that it was their debut. With reference to the Cocteau Twins comparison their actual debut "Von Brigoi" is actually more like them mixed in with ambient drifts not unlike certain Eno or Seefeel. This album though is virtually unique. The astonishing falsetto vocals of Jon Birgisson soar over his cello bowed guitars and the diffuse keyboards of Kjsrtan Sveinsson . Abyss plunging bass lines keep the whole anchored somewhere adjacent to terra firma.
Further enhancing the music's obtuse quality's are degrees of self-reference. The first track "Intro" is,nt listed on the packaging and while most of the songs are sung in Icelandic ( though , even in English they would be indecipherable i feel) "Olsen Olsen" is sung in the gibberish language Vonlenska- which the band used for the entire follow up album ( ). The band also pull off sly technical tricks like making the strings in "Staralfur" palindromic or the fact that "Avalon" is in fact the aforementioned tracked played at a quarter of it,s speed.
Putting all this clever muso mumbo jumbo to one side though the real glory of Sigur Ros is the breathtaking emotional clout of the songs. "Svefn-g- englar" ( It translates as sleepwalkers) is consummately spine tingling -the sort of track i never ever tire of hearing . "Staraflur" has lump in the throat panoramic strings while on "Flugufrelsarinn" ( The Fly Freer) they are more sombre and elegiac like a Morricone soundtrack.
Agaetis byrjun remains Sigur Ros,s finest achievement, certainly better than the sombre ( ) and while "Takk" was a return to form it never matches the grace and insidious alien textures of this album. Whatever planet, galaxy , cosmos Agaetis byrnum is beamed from it remains a vital thrilling human experience.
ethereal and dreamy... May 7, 2008
Telefunken (Mexico City)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
After debut album Von appeared domestically, this one was expected to be Sigur Ros' global take over and yes... it was; definitely a perfectly crafted piece, it placed the boys as best current artsy band. Close your eyes and loose yourself over it... pictures of Iceland will come to your head, sometimes as sweet as a lullaby (Svefn-g-englar), sometimes playfully explosive (Olsen-Olsen); a soundtrack for heaven?... I hope so, it would be great to ascend heavens with a score like this... If you are to start with Sigur Ros, get this one first and share it with as much people as possible, you will never regret and you will put some light into the darkness.
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