ÁGÆTIS BYRJUN

I made the mistajke (sorry, mistake) of trying to listen to this album in the car - it's lost in it, however good - or bad - your car's sound system may be. You need to take the time to listen through headphones to appreciate the soundscapes these guys produce. Very atmospheric music; layers of instruments but over quite simple themes. Some, like Svefn-G- Englar, are haunting melodies that stay in the memory. All credit to Sigur Ros for creating a distinctive sound, but I do feel it is more ambient, than progressive. It is different to listen to, yes; not easy to categorise, yes; but it only takes a couple of plays to get the idea - there's not much hidden complexity in here. Not that there's anything wrong with that - just that for this listener, I'd prefer something a little more substantial.

I can understand some of the references in other reviews to their music sounding like Pink Floyd as there are certain sounds - timbres - that are like 'Floyd, but little similarity to the structures of their songs. Of course we all reach for similarities to what has gone before - doesn't the conclusion of Viõrar Vel Til Loftárasa sound like part of the orchestral climax to "A Day in the Life"? The other band I was reminded of was - honest - their Scandanavian cousins, A-Ha - no, really, - the vocals, and some of the song structures have similarities.

Production qualities are 1st class, and as an aside, I do think the CD packaging is excellent - simple, stylish, oozes quality.

3 stars is not meant as faint praise; this is a good, just not great, album; certainly well worth a listen.

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