Sigur Rós slowly and softly embraced the world with the glacial cinematic soundscapes of this ecstatic orchestral escalation. The group had formed in Reykjavík, Iceland in 1994 with Jón Þór "Jónsi" Birgisson on guitar and vocals, Georg Hólm on bass, and Ágúst Ævar Gunnarsson on drums. Although the band's name translates roughly to "Victory Rose"; it was actually inspired by Jónsi's newborn sister Sigurrós. They were signed to the Sugarcubes' Bad Taste label and released 'Von' (translated "hope") in 1997 and then 'Von Brigði' ("variations on Von") in 1998. That same year the band welcomed Kjartan Sveinsson on keyboards.
'Ágætis Byrjun' ("a good beginning") was recorded with producer Ken Thomas during the summer of 1998 and spring of 1999. The sound of the band had developed into a neo-classical swoon with the addition of Sveinsson and the adoption by Jónsi of using a cello bow on his guitar. The strings in 'Starálfur' are palindromic; they are the same forwards and backwards and the album's 'Intro' is a chapter from the title track, 'Ágætis byrjun', reversed. 'Avalon' is a chapter from 'Starálfur', slowed down.
'Ágætis Byrjun' climbed to the top of the Icelandic album chart and was praised by critics around the world. It finally saw release in the UK in 2000 and in the US in 2001 on Fat Cat Records. The album charted at sixty-five in France, fifty-two in the UK, thirty-eight in Ireland, seventeen in Norway, and number one in Iceland.
Sveinsson considers: "If it's a question about space, it is my question. In Iceland there's plenty of open space and the sky is very big and you can drive only minutes out of Reykjavik and be surrounded by lava and black deserts - it is very creative. It's rough and violent, and I think the environment definitely influences us in an unconscious way."
Hólm says: "It's different with books, for example, because writers are very good at explaining, but musicians deal with music, so we can't explain, except through our music. So, you must listen to the music and then you will find out everything. Our album is like a little book and it should be listened to as a whole...Maybe as individuals we aren't that special, but our music is definitely special. Music has to sound real and it has to be sincere. It has to come from you, not from some idea you might have of what sounds cool. Its something you hear inside your head and you want to make the music sound like that because it describes your feelings."
Birgisson reveals: "The first year of Sigur Rós, we were playing kind of slow, grand rock, or something — yeah, maybe more rock than, like, some ambient stuff. After that we slowly found our groove...When you're in Iceland, you're just so isolated. At that time, we didn't have Internet or anything like that. We didn't travel that much outside of Iceland. So there were never any dreams of becoming famous. That kind of stuff just happens. But it was a really good time to grow up and play in a band. The only thing you did was just play with your friends and have fun. If you do that and are honest, then probably good things come to you ... When I am writing music, it is magical...I don't know why I write songs, I don't know where it comes from and I don't know why we four are really good at doing it. It happens unconsciously, but reporters want to know why I sing like this, why do I use a bow on my guitar...I really don't know. and I can't make something up about it, I can only speak the truth. How can I make someone understand things that I don't understand myself?...It is all unconscious. Everything that Sigur Rós does has to flow; it is like good karma - if you do honest things, then everything is as it should be."
http://www.sigur-ros.co.uk/
"Svefn-g-englar" "Sleep(walk)ing Angels"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xow2gnVTUjs
"Viðrar vel til loftárása" "Good Weather for an Airstrike"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=akYuy2FMQk4
"Olson Olson"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8LeQN249Jqw
"Ágætis byrjun" "A Good Beginning"
'Ágætis Byrjun'
full album:
1. Intro (0:00 - 1:37)
2. Svefn-g-englar (1:37 - 11:41)
3. Starálfur (11:41 - 18:27)
4. Flugufrelsarinn (18:27 - 26:16)
5. Ný batterí (26:16 - 34:26)
6. Hjartað hamast (bamm bamm bamm) (34:26 - 41:36)
7. Viðrar vel til loftárása (41:36 - 51:54)
8. Olsen Olsen (51:54 - 59:57)
9. Ágætis byrjun (59:57 - 1:07:53)
10. Avalon (1:07:53 - 1:11:57)
1. "Intro" 1:36
2. "Svefn-g-englar" "Sleep(walk)ing Angels" 10:04
3. "Starálfur" "Staring Elf" 6:46
4. "Flugufrelsarinn" "The Fly's Savior" 7:48
5. "Ný batterí" "New Batteries" 8:06
6. "Hjartað hamast (bamm bamm bamm)" "The Heart Pounds (boom boom boom)" 7:08
7. "Viðrar vel til loftárása" "Good Weather for an Airstrike" 10:13
8. "Olsen Olsen" 8:03
9. "Ágætis byrjun" "A Good Beginning" 7:39
10. "Avalon" 4:01
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