Sigur R?s - ?g?tis Byrjun
List Price:
Our Price: $12.99
You Save: $0.99 (7%)
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
Buy Used: from $8.25 (click here)
Category: Music CD
See more new music releases
Buy this Music CD at online store in your country
Canadian Music Store
Canadian Music Store
Music CD Cover
Artist: Sigur R?sEdition: Music CD
Format: Original recording reissued
CD Release Date: 2001-05-22
Music Label: Play It Again Sam
Soundtracks:
- Intro
- Svefn g englar
- Staralfur
- Flugufrelsarinn
- Ny batteri
- Hjartad hamast
- Vidrar vel til loftarasa
- Olsen olsen
- Agaetis byrjun
- Avalon
Free Music Notes for ?g?tis Byrjun
Free Music Review: Through an album darkly
Hit: 3 Stars
I see from many other reviews here that the "pretentious" part of the discussion has been covered in (occasionally cutthroat) detail. I'll skip it and go straight to the album.
I freely admit that I'm a music nerd. Obscure languages don't put me off. Long tracks with no discernible structure? No problem. And yet I _still_ had to work in earnest to figure out anything on this album other than "Staralfur." This is thick, opaque, inscrutable stuff. It doesn't stand up well at all to casual listening.
If you can give the album several close listens, however -- and if the unsettling edge to the preteen-sounding, sunlight-deprived vocals doesn't put you off completely -- it's worth investing the time to get to know the music better. While the tracks divide up the album in traditional rock style, _Agaetis Byrjun_ more closely resembles a classical symphony. There are some gorgeous passages buried in the second half of the album (sometimes several minutes into single tracks). Once these spots become recognizable, the rest of the album will begin to fall into place. It's not a small effort on the listener's part, but the reward is considerable.
My three-star rating would be much higher on the music's quality alone. I wish that the artists had shared even a sliver of information about the album's lyrics, though. They're sung with such sincerity and feeling that it's a shame to be shut out of their poetry due to a language gap. While I respect the artists' desire to make a statement through their choice of language (and through their creativity in making up their own), the vocal lines are too structurally important to be ignored in the liner notes. Come on, Sigur Ros. Won't you give us non-Hopelandic speakers just a few hints?
Other than that, this is a dense and satisfying album that's worth the study time. Great way to find out what Sigur Ros is all about.
?g?tis Byrjun Poster
Reykjav?k-based noise quartet Sigur R?s 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 R?s's sound. But in their music, Sigur R?s reflect all the breathtaking glory of the Icelandic wastes--a fairy-tale explosion of unhinged elemental majesty that's finally crystallized 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 R?s 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 R?s' moment to date, there's far more that they have to offer; listen to the pomp and flourish of a full orchestra on "Flugufrelsarinn," or the awe-inspiring near-religious mantra of "Ny Batteri." --Amazon.co.ukUK version of the Icelandic experimental/alternative act's international debut (their third album overall). Originally released in 1999, 'Agaetis Bryjun' is multi-platinum in their homeland. Includes the singles, 'Svefn-G-Englar' and 'Ny Batteri'. Single disc packaged in a very cool envelope style digipak. 2000 release.
UK version of the Icelandic experimental/alternative act's international debut (their third album overall). Originally released in 1999, 'Agaetis Bryjun' is multi-platinum in their homeland. Includes the singles, 'Svefn-G-Englar' and 'Ny Batteri'. A brilliant record packaged in a digipak.
Alternative Rock Music CDs
Music Genres
Top music charts in Timeless, Groundbreaking albums
Ween - QuebecRelease date: 2003-08-05; Music CD
Best price: $6.98
Price in other shops:
Tool - LateralusRelease date: 2006-01-31; Published: 2001; Music CD
Best price: $49.99
Tom Waits - Bone MachineRelease date: 1992-09-08; Music CD
Best price: $9.46
Price in other shops:
Tom Waits - Nighthawks at the DinerRelease date: 1990-10-25; Music CD
Best price: $7.82
Price in other shops:
Tom Waits - The Heart of Saturday NightRelease date: 1990-10-25; Music CD
Best price: $5.97
Price in other shops:
Tom Waits - AliceRelease date: 2002-05-07; Music CD
Best price: $8.95
Price in other shops:
Sufjan Stevens - IllinoisRelease date: 2005-07-05; Music CD
Best price: $10.47
Price in other shops:
Sparklehorse - It's a Wonderful LifeRelease date: 2001-08-28; Music CD
Best price: $9.47
Price in other shops:
Sigur R?s - Takk...Release date: 2005-09-13; Music CD
Best price: $6.84
Price in other shops:
Sigur R?s - ?g?tis ByrjunRelease date: 2001-05-22; Music CD
Best price: $11.29
Price in other shops:
Top Rated Albums
Bjork, Sigur Ros - Screaming MasterpieceRelease date: 2005-11-15; Music CD
Best price: $11.48
Price in other shops:
Explosions in the Sky - The Earth Is Not a Cold Dead PlaceRelease date: 2003-11-04; Music CD
Best price: $9.97
Price in other shops:
Godspeed You Black Emperor - Lift Your Skinny Fists Like Antennas to HeavenRelease date: 2007-01-08; Music CD
Best price: $11.19
Price in other shops:
Radiohead - In RainbowsRelease date: 2008-01-01; Music CD
Best price: $6.99
Price in other shops:
Mum - Finally We Are No OneRelease date: 2002-05-28; Music CD
Best price: $10.38
Price in other shops:
Sigur R?s - Med Sud I Eyrum Vid Spilum EndalaustRelease date: 2008-06-24; Music CD
Best price: $6.99
Price in other shops:
HeimaSIGUR ROS; Release date: 2007-12-04; DVD
Best price: $14.60
Price in other shops:
Sigur R?s - Hvarf/ HeimRelease date: 2007-11-06; Music CD
Best price: $9.50
Price in other shops:
Sigur R?s - Takk...Release date: 2005-09-13; Music CD
Best price: $6.84
Price in other shops:
Sigur R?s - ( )Release date: 2002-10-29; Music CD
Best price: $9.86
Price in other shops: