Music ReviewsRock

CD Review: Agaetis Byrjun by Sigur Ros

[review]

Icelandic experimental group Sigur Ros created something quite special in their second album. Using an amalgamation of analogue and digital techniques and instruments, Agaetis Byrjun kneads at the boundaries of what music can accomplish. Not entirely smashing them, but gently pushing them with pulsating waves of echoes and reverberation. Despite the enormous scope of the album, it’s surprisingly simple in its production, with rarely any more than 3 or 4 layers of sound happening at any one time. Instead its size comes from the treatment of the individual tracks of howling guitars and simple synth melodies, which create an atmosphere which is simultaneously energizing and tranquilizing. The whole record sounds like a journey through space, and it’s hard not to close your eyes and let your imagination drift while listening to it. Agaetis Byrjun is as enchanting as it is simple, proving that less is more with its careful balance of calculated subtlety and barbaric noise.

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Dane Pavitt
As a university fresher in the big world, curiosity brought me to the local rock & metal bar, where for the first time I heard the likes of Metallica, Iron Maiden, Motorhead, Pantera and Slayer. Since then I’ve played as a rock DJ across the midlands, hosted my own radio show, seen dozens of bands at concerts and festivals, and become an entirely better person because of the influence of music, as my library continues to expand and diversify. Other favourites include Black Sabbath, Dio, Queen, David Bowie, The Clash, Sex Pistols, Led Zeppelin, ZZ Top, The Who, Nine Inch Nails, Rammstein, Depeche Mode, The Prodigy, Nightwish, Danzig, Brendon Small, Devin Townsend, Testament, Emperor, Morbid Angel, Napalm Death, Frankie Goes To Hollywood, Neil Diamond and countless others, though I’ll listen to anything that sparks an opinion. Cheers and horns up!
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