Ágætis byrjun ( ,
A good beginning) is the second album by Icelandic
post-rock band
Sigur Rós, released on 12 June 1999.
Ágætis byrjun was recorded between the summer of 1998 and the spring of 1999 with producer Ken Thomas and became the band's breakthrough album, both critically and commercially.
Ágætis byrjun represented a substantial departure from the band's previous album
Von, with that album's
Cocteau Twins-esque
dream pop and extended
ambient soundscapes replaced by
Jónsi Birgisson's now signature cello-bowed guitarwork and lush
orchestration, using a double string octet amongst other orchestral elements.