Ágætis Byrjun
by Sigur Rós
User Score
8.9

Universal acclaim- based on 215 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 198 out of 215
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 215
  3. Negative: 14 out of 215

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  1. TrevorT.
    Oct 21, 2001
    10
    Absolutely mesmerising. You will stop what you're doing and listen. You have no choice.
  2. FanMorgan
    Jul 9, 2002
    10
    Jesus, I've had this album for a few months now. I don't usually write this kind of thing. Perfect. Like nothing else in the world. Indescribable.
  3. JohnF
    Jan 7, 2005
    10
    The first album i've ever listened to, that made me realise maybe music wasn't just entertainment, maybe there was something more at work. This album changed my life!
  4. Mikeh
    Dec 30, 2006
    10
    this is a ridiculously good album. anyone looking for a breath taking direction on rock and shoegaze need look no further, sigur ros have forged one of the most beautiful sounds in modern music history, and even though it feels pretentious to say that, one listen of Svefn-G-Englar justifies any foolish overblown statements. definitely one of my favorite albums of this decade so far.
  5. BobR
    Jun 29, 2007
    10
    Gah... this album's making me stay up late - -;;;... but yeah, it's awesome stuff... Catches your attention right from Svefn-g-Englar. Recommended for Radiohead fans. Now i'm attempting to sing along :(..
  6. TylerB.
    May 11, 2002
    10
    i love this album! any idiot would know that this is a must have.
  7. JasonL
    Sep 8, 2002
    10
    Myself being an american, I could never imagine anything this amazingly original and breathtaking ever coming from the U.S. Astonishing!
  8. tato
    Jul 30, 2005
    10
    awesome
  9. TalkingHead
    Sep 16, 2005
    10
    I HATE IT! I just can't stop listening to it!
  10. DANIELP
    Jun 2, 2006
    10
    better than anyone on this music style, this cant be compared with radiohead this is pure!!!
  11. SebastianS.
    Jul 25, 2001
    10
    If only you could pronounce the title, you'd tell everyone you know to buy this album now. An uncommonly excellent recording.
  12. JakeM.
    Sep 12, 2001
    10
    This album is a stunning counterpart to its 10 year elder MBV's Loveless. Refined, beautiful, and thoroughly inventive.
  13. JeremyG
    Jan 10, 2004
    10
    This album, more than any other, will evoke spontaneous bursts of emotion in me. For example, I'll just break out in goosebumps at one point, or laugh aloud at another. Not to sound *too* stoner-turned-music-critic... but sometimes it feels very much *above* music. I love wading through it.
  14. JohnM
    Jan 7, 2004
    10
    One of those albums where you remember exactly where you were and what you were doing the first time you heard it. Quite astonishing.
  15. RobertD
    Nov 13, 2005
    10
    There are no exceptions, Sigur Rós' "Àgætis Byrjun" is unlike anything I have ever heard before: it is beautiful, mystical, sensetive and down right excellent! There's noe one like Sigur Rós.
  16. NunoA
    Oct 13, 2005
    10
    Dazzling. Perfect for soundtracking a stary night at the seaside.
  17. DevynM
    Apr 11, 2007
    10
    this is one of my favorite and probablly will always be because of its beauty and original sound that sigur ros created. The use of the bow makes this album so much different then von or () because of its mellow and sleek noise it gives off. This album deserves its rating
  18. aldom
    Oct 12, 2005
    10
    so much depends in your status of "ego or humor" but however it´s kind a dramatic and pured emotions are discribe in this album.. pretty cool. i love it!
  19. SamF
    Jul 27, 2005
    10
    A stunning, beautiful fusion of electronica, orchestral, rock and raw emotional singing. Highly recommended for anyone who loves music.
  20. KrisS
    Dec 31, 2006
    10
    To all who posted "0"s, NO, Nickelback is NOT the greatest band in the world... XP~
  21. TomB
    Apr 22, 2006
    10
    Life changing
  22. mr.hankey
    May 12, 2006
    10
    This is by far Sigur Ros' best record. It is inspiring, optimistic, pessimistic and most of all beautiful. Reaching at great lengths to draw you in with it lush sound Agaetis Byrjun is a masterpiece that is already an ambient classic. A dreamy soundscape is thrown into you and the first mental objective you have is to fall asleep because the music has so much potential and it delivers it.
  23. theenemyamongus
    Aug 22, 2010
    10
    im glad it was given the reviews it deserves. definitely one of my top 5 favorite albums of all time
  24. muzziklover
    Jun 16, 2011
    10
    Complete and utterly sublime from beginning to end. No other band can capture an atmospheric, mesmerizing, haunting yet beautiful sound like Sigur Ros has done with this album. It's not an easy listen but to the most patient, it is one of the most unique musical experiences you will ever have.
  25. nathan46
    Oct 21, 2011
    10
    I think that many people may wonder how come a band from Iceland singing in Icelandic, a language that about 300.000 people around the world speak, instead of singing in English, the lingua franca of music nowadays, and made such a breakthrough in countries such as the United States and the United Kingdom. This album answers how they have done it. It is perhaps one of the greatest musicI think that many people may wonder how come a band from Iceland singing in Icelandic, a language that about 300.000 people around the world speak, instead of singing in English, the lingua franca of music nowadays, and made such a breakthrough in countries such as the United States and the United Kingdom. This album answers how they have done it. It is perhaps one of the greatest music albums that have been released in the last 15 years.… Expand
  26. YFinnau
    May 6, 2011
    10
    It's scary how drawn you get to the music. The enchanting feel of the strings along with Jonsi's eerie falsetto creates a musical beauty that will be near impossible for other bands to attempt. If you liked Kid A or Since I Left You, or In Rainbows this album is for you.
  27. Jutashi
    Jun 22, 2011
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Definitivamente el mejor álbum de su tiempo. Los sonidos tan extravagantes y bizarros en algunas de sus canciones es encantador. Este es el verdadero arte.… Expand
  28. DP922
    Mar 18, 2012
    10
    Although Sigur Rós isn't for those who is accustomed to popular radio stations, their second studio album Ã
  29. FeatherBlade
    Jun 18, 2012
    10
    Since 'Svefn-g-englar' to 'Avalon', these masters of post-rock can express hundreds of emotions every second of his songs, and although in some songs the words are incomprehensible due to its pronounce in Vonlenska, the musical and expressive quality of this album make it a work that should be heard by all people.
  30. EddieHokie
    Jun 28, 2013
    10
    This is an amazing album. The intro and the closer (Avalon) are excess fat but the meat in the middle is something to sink your teeth into. It is an experience unlike any other.

    If you are a fan of the 3 minute 30 second crafted pop song this probably isn't the thing your looking for. Possible turn offs for some people may be the voice of Jonsi and the "on the surface" plodding these    This is an amazing album. The intro and the closer (Avalon) are excess fat but the meat in the middle is something to sink your teeth into. It is an experience unlike any other.

    If you are a fan of the 3 minute 30 second crafted pop song this probably isn't the thing your looking for.

    Possible turn offs for some people may be the voice of Jonsi and the "on the surface" plodding these songs can seem like they are doing if you aren't looking for subtle changes and shifts.

    One of my all time favorite albums    … Expand
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Awards & Rankings

13
#13 Best Album of 2001
19
#19 Most Discussed Album of 2001
39
#39 Most Shared Album of 2001

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
87

Universal acclaim - based on 14 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 14 out of 14
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 14
  3. Negative: 0 out of 14
  1. Rolling Stone
    80
    They evoke folks as diverse as Led Zeppelin and My Bloody Valentine, but the gently woozy Sigur Ros don't sound like anything or anyone else so much as a classic-rock band bewitched by white magic.
    Read full review
  2. New Musical Express (NME)
    70
    Waves of unidentifiable noise, dulcet vibraphone pulses and singer/guitarist Jonsi's ethereal singing (more like some ghostly instrument than any conventional vocal, borne out by Jonsi's fictional 'language', Hopelandish, which he often sings in) mesh to create an elegant, grand music that's equally ambient and epic.
    Read full review
  3. Armchair DJ
    90
    Each song drifts in and out of focus like snatches of street noise on a half-awake Sunday morning - no need to get up, just lie there and listen quietly.
    Read full review
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