ÁGÆTIS BYRJUN

I never thought that post rock from Iceland could be this uplifting while still maintaining a decent level of challenge! Ágætis Byrjun features many stand-out compositions like the wonderful 10-minute chill-out anthem Svefn-G-Englar and my personal favorite Ný Batterí which, just like UMUR pointed out in his review, starts off with a definite nod at Talk Talk's two final studio albums.

The best thing about this release is that its incredibly smooth and by that I mean it offers a great feeling of the overall theme without a single lesser or dull moment. This 70+ minute album of music just flows by and it's easy to get absorbed by the who experience.

If you haven't heard it then please do because it's not often you'll get to to hear such a solid album! My only possible reason for not going all the way and rating it as essential is quite personal. Simply put it's not an album I can pick on just any day and listen to without being in a certain relaxed state of mind to begin with. So Ágætis Byrjun gets a definite 4+ from me and I hope to hear more from this exciting band!

***** star songs: Svefn-G-Englar (10:04) Starálfur (6:46) Ný Batterí (8:10) Olsen Olsen (8:03)

**** star songs: Intro (1:36) Flugufrelsarinn (7:48) Hjartaõ Hamast (7:10) Viõrar Vel Til Loftárasa (10:17) Ágaetis Byrjun (7:55) Avalon (4:02)