VON BRIGÐI

"Von Brigði" is an album featuring remixes of songs from Icelandic post-rock act Sigur Rós 1997 debut album "Von". The album was released through Smekkleysa Records in 1998. It has yet (up until 2022) not seen an international release and has only been released on Iceland or through the band´s online store. A green-coloured vinyl version exists but was only pressed in 100 copies.

It´s interesting how different the remix versions of the songs sound from the original ambient, noisy, and droning post-rock versions from "Von" (1997). Most have been given a shot of electronica or at least some programmed drum beats, so while this is still ambient and atmospheric music, the material have become a much more rhythmically awarding listen. The tracks have been cut up and put together again and if I didn´t know it, I wouldn´t necessarily have guessed that these were remixes of the material from "Von" (1997). That´s how different this sounds to the original.

"Von Brigði" is a well produced release. You hear all details, and some of the minimalistic droning tracks from "Von" (1997) come to life in a whole new way in these remix versions. Overall I´ve been pleasantly surprised by "Von Brigði" and much prefer this album to the original. There´s power and bite here and also an air of accessibility that the uncompromising drone of "Von" (1997) does not offer, and it´s deliberating. A 3 star (60%) rating is warranted.