Music : Agaetis Byrjun

Rating: - Excellent
This album is really, really good. It is just beautiful and a joy to listen to.
The highlights are definetely 'Staralfur', 'Ny Baterri' and 'Viorar Vel Til Loftarasa'.
However, be warned. This album takes a few listens before it hits you (I was actually laughing at the guy's voice in some parts when I first heard it), but once it does you will love it.

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Rating: - A Masterpiece in Progressive Music
Lent to me while I was in Akureyri earlier this year, I listened to it to help me sleep. Having always liked Radiohead and especially their more recent experimental albums, I found this to be a definite expansion to what Kid A was going for.

On giving it a full listen, it became less of an experimental album and more of a total mind encapsulation. The term "soundscape" doesn't quite cover it. It becomes another world of music, with each little noise adding to the atmosphere. The resounding word in these reviews is haunting. What is special about this is that it is haunting without being overtly emphatic. The haunting element shines through subtly, and leaves this amazing visualisation.

This album is disturbing in what it achieves, and is immensely enjoyable along the way.

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Rating: - one word; exquisite!
Totally bowled over by this album. the affects of the guitar played with a bow and haunting angelic vocals of the lead singer creating a mystical and atmospheric sound which will tame the wildest of souls. Sven-f-englar and Viorar Vel Til Loftarasa (track 7) are the standout tracks but it doesnt matter because it blends together as a wonderful 70 minute piece of music. This is proper chill-out music, none of that Ibiza chill-out junk which is constantly bombarded on the music buying public on TV ads.

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Rating: - Stara what now?
I have no idea what this instrumentally-voiced man is singing about, however I really could not care less. Every now and then I hear something close to an english word: breathe, it's you and north to name but a few. But these really do not matter - only the fantastic ambience of a reverb ridden group of instruments and a soft ethereal voice are important when listening to sigur ros.

In my opinion, STARALFUR is the standout track of this album by a very very long way. The heartbeat like drums and the simple guitar melody twisting it's way between perfectly written strings create a beautiful, enchanting sound that weaves it's way into your heart strings.

Other standout tracks include Svefn-G-Englar and the album's harshest piece, Ny Batteri.

If you are so ignorant as to say - "well I don't like it because I don't understand what he's singing" then please, please - give this album to someone who will appreciate the visual landscapes that this CD manages to create in one's mind...

(And you thought Jimmy Page was the best person to use a bow on their guitar, PAH!)

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Rating: - .!.^/o\^.!.
The title makes about as much sense as Sigur Ros' music.

You can almost imagine the scene, as they try to pitch their sound to record companies...

"Well, what do you sound like?"
"What if space had a soundtrack?"
"You sound like a vacuous hole?"
"No, we're just...unexplored..."
"Goodbye."

Short meeting. The fact is, until you hear their music there is no way of describing it. I hesitate to use the phrase "Icelandic Experimentalists" because people often seem to get an image of five naked men dancing around geysers with microphones and ocarinas.

That couldn't be further from the truth. The fact that Sigur Ros manage to produce this incredible, beautiful sound is almost unbelievable. The key word in all of these reviews is haunting. Yes, this album sounds like the feeling of a ghost passing through you. It sounds like everything you've heard but nothing you've ever listened to.

Doesn't make sense? Good, then you're almost there...