Takk...

i should mention that agaetis byrjun wasnt my cup of tea either. i first was introduced into sigur ros with () which i enjoyed, but was completly blown away by the heavily atmospheric(& at times very abstract) von, which i can easily say is my favorite album from the band.

the only ones i ever enjoyed were von,(),& the babatikidido ep because i absolutely loved what seemed like a great direction that they were heading in but after agaetis byrjun, i started to have my doubts.

i'm sure alot of people will disagree simply because sigur ros became more recognized around agaetis byrjun (which is what i consider their first attemp at pop) than followed by takk, which just sounds like another radiohead rip-off. these two albums, i felt, were very different from the band's other albums, which were based on being very unconvential as opposed to their two late & so convential its mediocre albums. the lead singer's vocals progressed downward as well. in the earlier albums he used it more as another instrument instead of "singing" away from the band. his voice was alright on agaetis byrjun, perfect with (), but in takk it was hard to listen to combined altogether with the band, just not an enjoyable attempt on my part.

if you are into agaetis byrjun than definately give this a listen, but if you prefer their less mediocre, more "out there" atmospheric music than definately check out von, sad to say, probably their least listen to album.

This album is a delight - something rare for a foreign-language album that I can't even understand what is said! But the sound is so full of passion and emotion - while still ranging from rock to soft pop. Sigur Ros is one of those rare bands that can communicate in almost any language because the sound is one that seems universal. This album is unique and is an excellent choice for a night of relaxation - it's worth checking out for sure.

All of their albums have been gold, takk is no different great album.

it was agaetis byrjun that got me into the sigur ros style of music and that one is still better than this album...dont get me wrong but if someone wanted to get into sigur ros i would highly recommend starting with agaetis or ()...this is still a great album but it sounds a bit more pop-ish than id like...i grew accustomed to the long and "nothing else like it" sound of the untitled album as well...it is a bit of a sleeping pill like others mention but this one is more likely to keep u awake and listening to that beautiful music that sigor ros produces. i bought it on expectations of it being an extention of () but was only slightly dissapointed...still worth every penny

Sigur Ros are one of our very best and most special bands, and this album is no different. Some detractors had said that after () they looked like they may have been caught in the same sort of trap that many post-rock bands get caught in, the loud-soft-loud syndrome. Takk answers this charge by containing, to my ears at least, a fair deal more diversity. Though that really seems almost meaningless when the songs are as beautiful as they are. Takk/Glosoli exemplifies this. I was shocked the first time I heard the crescendo and explosion towards the end of this track, and knew great things awaited. What makes the album so great is that it contains so many extremes. Glosoli contains a subtle sense of innocence and joy (indeed one of the most striking images from its music video is that of a small girl kissing a small boy on the cheek), and the sense of grandeur that is so often invoked on the album (Saeglopur), and also the sorrow and longing (the 10+ minute Milano-that never seems to drag-and the amazing Andvari) just here create a total experience. It is music not for life, but rather it illuminates life. They, in their most profound moments, allow you to view and identify with all that is beautiful, and sorrowful, and terrible and majestic, making their music in my mind far from "weird" as many put it, but rather intensely human.

After many repeat listenings, the song that stands out as perhaps the greatest achievement on the album is Heysatan. I once read the following:
"Kjartan (Sigur ros' drummer) said concerning haysatan, 'With Heysátan my idea of it after we wrote it, was that there was an old man looking over his field, a big view over the sea or something, and he is dying. He is going to die. He is just lying on the grass, and he is going to die, but that is fine because he has had a good life. He is quite happy dying, actually. And that is what the song is to me. It's kind of that emotion.'"
listen to the song again after reading that. The song is a phenomenal end to this tremendous album, because it is filled with contentment, not unrestrained joy, nor the somberness of some of the preceeding songs. It's sitting on the front porch on a balmy summer night as the crickets just begin to wake for the night, and the sun slowly, but surely, sinks inexorably out of sight.
Very Highly Recommended


As an addendum, you NEED to see this band live. I saw them play in chicago and shelling out $150 for a pair of front row tickets felt like the greatest bargain of my life. Their music live is just on another plane. The song "Hafsol" performed (and the show as a whole) is one of the greatest things I've even been able to see.