882. Agaetis Byrjun - Sigur Ros

This album was not really supposed to make it. An Icelandic duo, singing in a made-up language, names after one of their sisters, was never supposed to capture a global audience. The band's manager expected to sell about 1500 copies of the record; he was slightly out.

What stood out to me about this album was the complex simplicity of it all. The melody is almost lullaby-like in most songs, with a vocal delivery that is as much elf as human, yet the array of sounds produced by simple instrumentation is quite stunning. To take Svefn-g-englar as an example, the use of cello bow on guitar creates an utterly entrancing atmosphere. They sound like nothing else, which is particularly impressive given the sheer enormity of different musical genres that preceded them. 

Chloe wasn't sure about the album, as she felt it was a bit too "chillout". Whilst I see her point, I think the variety of soundscapes and textures take it far beyond that oft-lazy genre. It is an album I've enjoyed whilst concentrating on it, and simply as a pleasant background to my day. Tracks like Staralfur can drift away, before the strings cut through and grab your attention, before the acoustic guitar strips everything back.

Sigur Ros are a band I'd always thought I'd like, but had never bothered to invest the time to found out if I actually did. It turns out that I do, very much. They are much more than just a great band for adverts; they are an advert for great bands being different.

Chloe's album rating: 6
Chloe's favourite track: 2. Svefn-g-englar
Olly's album rating: 8
Olly's favourite track: 5. Ny batteri

Next week's album is 763. G Love & Special Sauce by G Love & Special Sauce.