Von - Sigur Rós
Metascore
68 out of 100

Generally favorable reviews - based on 12 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 6 out of 12
  2. Negative: 0 out of 12
  1. 100
    When layers of choir-boy vocals are added to the group's singing ("Hun Joro"), when feeble, naturalistic sounds are used in questing improvisations ("Sigur Ros"), or when acoustic instruments coalesce with a swath of electronics ("Dogun"), you'll find your jaw on the floor, too, stunned as ever.
  2. Based on pure sound, Von is just as much of a treat as the acclaimed follow-up.
  3. It's a long, occasionally ponderous listen... but it's an impressive and rewarding journey that moves between prog, space-rock and subdural transmissions in ancient alien tongues.
  4. Young, earnest, eerie, and overzealous, Von is a unique, almost belligerently unaffiliated piece of music that unsubtly blazons its idiosyncrasies.
  5. 68
    While [Von] doesn't possess the astonishing complexity of what was to follow, it does evince the same sort of raw, visceral honesty and passion for perception-jarring experimentation. [#14, p.103]
  6. The beauteous wash of sound, an otherworldly choir; a dystopian aural experience, both blissfully narcotic and nightmarishly grounding.
  7. Von is neither that bad nor that good. It is definitely not a clunker, and despite its rough-edged and misplaced ambition it succeeds quite grandly at times.
  8. Von is, in a sense, an ultrasound view of the unborn Sigur Rós - it’s almost fetal, an abstracted and vague representation of what would come later.
  9. Hints at future sonic depths: swirling patterns, impressive musicianship and ambitious ideologies.
  10. What it lacks is Agaetis’ singularity of purpose, as well as its understanding that atmosphere should be an aesthetic by-product of songcraft and not the other way around.
  11. They failed handily on this effort, but as we all know by now, it was only a matter of time before they got it right. [#8, p.112]
  12. 40
    Slower into its stride, with tune-free twittering and dull homages to FX-pedal rock making up the first half. [Jan/Feb 2005, p.123]
User Score

Generally favorable reviews- based on 12 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 4 out of 5
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 5
  3. Negative: 1 out of 5
  1. A magnificient work! I can't give it anything better than 8 because I can hardly give bonus point for lyrics and music. Their alternative style is awesome but it would be unfair of me to rate it better. Whatever, go and listen to 'Von', it's absolutely stunning! The title-giving track is so unbelievably chilling - it's just awesome! So much feeling without many words (and I didn't even understand them) or melodies. But it's no 9 or 10, because I know that they can do much better. Full Review »
  2. JuliaA
    7
    The energy in this record is still raw,but unfortunately they didn't have the plan of what would they do with this one...but I still like 'Dogun','Hun Jord' and 'Syndir Guds (Opinberun Frelsarans)'.luckily they got things right with their albums after this one. Full Review »
  3. TomBiswrong
    10
    Umm, Tom B, you are wrong about this being a "later" album from Sigur Rós, in fact this is actually their first album. I just though I would make that clear. Full Review »