7. Von (1997)

It feels awkward even calling 1997’s Von a Sigur Rós album. The cover features a chiaroscuro image of Birgisson’s baby sister, Inga; which is fitting — this is the band in its primitive infancy, testing the boundaries of the recording studio, often with little idea where they’re headed. The context of the album is more intriguing than much of the music: The band, then a trio — Birgisson, Holm, and original drummer Ágúst Ævar Gunnarsson — labored on the album for a number of months, painting their recording space in exchange for studio time. The results are overlong (72 minutes that could easily have been trimmed to 30), sonically muddled, and slightly derivative of the ’90s shoegaze scene. Still, there are striking moments of clarity: The 12-minute “Hafssól” remains one of the band’s iconic moments, particularly on-stage, with Holm assaulting his bass strings with a drum stick.