Ágætis byrjun (Icelandic for "A good beginning"; pronounced [au̯ɣai̯tʰɪs pɪrjʏn]) is the second album by the Icelandic post-rock band Sigur Rós, which was released in 1999. Ágætis byrjun was recorded between the summer of 1998 to the spring of 1999 with producer Ken Thomas, and became Sigur Rós's breakthrough album, both critically and commercially. Ágætis byrjun represented a substantial departure from the band's previous album Von, with that al...
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Ágætis byrjun (Icelandic for "A good beginning"; pronounced [au̯ɣai̯tʰɪs pɪrjʏn]) is the second album by the Icelandic post-rock band Sigur Rós, which was released in 1999. Ágætis byrjun was recorded between the summer of 1998 to the spring of 1999 with producer Ken Thomas, and became Sigur Rós's breakthrough album, both critically and commercially. Ágætis byrjun represented a substantial departure from the band's previous album Von, with that album's Cocteau Twins-esque dream pop and extended ambient soundscapes replaced by Jónsi Birgisson's now signature cello-bowed guitarwork and lush orchestration (using a double string octet amongst other orchestral elements).
The album's title came from a friend hearing the first song they had written for the album; what would become the title track. After hearing the song, he said it was "a good beginning"; the name stuck. The name has also been translated as "An alright start."
Sigur Rós won an Island Music Award and the 2001 Shortlist Music...
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