The record seemingly is filled with infinite layers, coalescing into something more than the sum of its parts. The album took almost a year to record, and itвЂ™s easy to see why. Jonsi Birgisson found is voice, and the band behind him found the inspiration to create something profound. ГЃgГ¦tis byrjun marked an immense change in the bandвЂ™s sound, as it largely did away with the electro-dream pop influences, and embraced cold, ethereal ambience and lush post-rock sounds capes.

With the internet at this time becoming a hotbed for musical discovery, the album found its way into blogs and websites, and eventually into international success. Thus, ГЃgГ¦tis byrjun floated about for some months until some impressive radio play helped boost record sales. Hand-gluing the cases themselves (much to the behest of those receiving copies destroyed by said glue), and playing wherever they possibly could, Sigur Ros were just barely getting by. Hailing from Iceland, a miniscule, cold, island nation miles away from any bustling mainland, Sigur Ros didnвЂ™t quite have the necessary tools to make an impression on the international scene. Two years removed from their debut album, Von, Sigur Ros were still an unknown act, bordering on the fringe of breakthrough and fading into obscurity. You see, ГЃgГ¦tis byrjun is more than just a picturesque image of вЂњprettyвЂќ and вЂњbeautiful,вЂќ but rather, a maelstrom of many different kinds of sounds.ДЄt the time of itвЂ™s release, the album didnвЂ™t exactly make waves. And вЂњgorgeousвЂќ is what this album truly has in spades, and is oddly what detracts from everything else at hand. It turns post-rock conventions on their heads, and warps them into what Sigur Ros see fit, which in this case, is undeniably gorgeous. In this sense, it feels wholly organic, and in some instances, like a living, breathing work. It feels accidental, really, as if Sigur Ros somehow stumbled upon these notes and these sounds, all converging into what is found on the album. ГЃgГ¦tis byrjun, an album understandable to few, and in some cases, only one, can still be felt by anyone, simply on the basis of how it presents itself. To this reviewer, ГЃgГ¦tis byrjun is one such work. This is what makes the idea, the presence that is music such a wonderfully part of life, and why some pieces can transcend language, social, and cultural barriers. Music can speak without saying anything, and be felt without actually being physical. Music can affect people the world over, and universally become more than anything tangibly describable. Music can cover a wide spectrum of thoughts, ideals, and emotions, become more than mere sounds fluttering in open space, and more than the dashes and lines upon a score. Review Summary: 1999 Sigur Ros broke down doors we didnвЂ™t even really know existed, and in the vast expanse that is the landscape of music, that is a truly revolutionary accomplishment.

Sigur ros agaetis byrjun