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Let me say outright that this album is far from Sigur Ros' finest. To me this album seems a bit uninspired, given the fabulous 'Agaetis Byrjun' (a 5 star album to say the least), and their quirkier album 'Von'. This album qualifies more in the 'Ambient' music category rather than Experimental/Post-rock. There seems to be very little experimenting going on musically. To me, the songs seem to run together and not differ much from beginning to end (which is saying a great deal, i think, coming from a so-called 'Post-rock Specialist'). This is in contrast to the strong melodies and variant dynamics of the AB and Takk... albums.

The one major progressive point on this record (which has been pointed out before) is that the lyrics are in a made up language, with the intention of the listener coming up with his/her own interpretation of the song. This is a great idea on paper. But being the ignorant American I am, I don't know a word of what they're saying when they're actually singing in real Icelandic, so I end up doing the same thing. However, this fact truly speaks to Sigur Ros' abilities as composers, and the singer's emotive capabilities. When I listen to them I haven't a clue what they're saying, but I know EXACTLY what they're feeling.

In the end, this is not the Sigur Ros album to start out with. Get their masterpiece Agaetis Byrjun' or the more accessible 'Takk...'. This album is not bad by any stretch, but this band is capable of so much more.