Von

I've been listening to Von, the first Sigur Ros album quite a bit in the last couple of days. It's an interesting listen, because their subsequent albums went further and further in defining their sound. Von is looser, less defined. You aren't assured of hearing the familiar textures of ambient keyboards and arpeggiated guitar parts that define their subsequent output. Von floats about you, darker, more alien, less predictable. It was impossible to find this album for a couple years, but now that it's been rereleased you can find it all over. It's worth checking out, even - or perhaps especially - if the rest of the Sigur Ros catalogue does nothing for you.