Bleep

While Sigur Ros’ second LP Ágætis byrjun (A Good Beginning) was released in 1999, the record has rightly gone on to be regarded as one of the more important indie releases of the 21st Century. After the modest success of 1997’s Von, Ágætis byrjun brought the band a global audience and ended up in several ‘Album Of The Year’ lists - and a few ‘Album Of The Decade’ ones, too.

Ágætis byrjun retains its power two decades on. While many bands have taken from (or wholesale ripped off) the sonic aesthetic of this album, the unique blend of sounds that the Icelandic group pioneered here has rarely been bettered since. Combining traditional rock instrumentation with chamber music, ambient techniques, dream-pop and contemporary classical composition, Sigur Ros create a style of music that is at once immediate and ethereal. To modern ears one can see how this record provides a crucial link between fellow Icelandic acts like Múm and Björk and international artists such as Radiohead and Arcade Fire. In short, the contemporary musical landscape would be rather different if it wasn’t for Ágætis byrjun.

To celebrate Ágætis byrjun’s twentieth birthday the album has been reissued with a veritable treasure-trove of bonus material. Live versions from a range of concerts throughout the late 90’s and early 00’s, demos and alternate mixes all appear here to shed further light on how the Sigur Ros sound developed around this time. Boxsets also include a book filled with information about the album and band.

A bumper reissue of Sigur Ros’ Ágætis byrjun is no less than this seminal record deserves.