Sigur Rós Takk...
Sigur Rós's Takk... arrives as a luminous, cinematic statement that pares the band's inscrutable textures into clearer, melody-forward moments while retaining an otherworldly hush. Across 25 professional reviews the record earned an 81.28/100 consensus score, and critics repeatedly point to a handful of tracks as the a
The best song is "Sæglópur" because its climax is described as soul-filling and transformative.
Not all critics are unanimous: some reviews admire the album's seamless flow and emotional clarity but wish for occasional rawer edges, calling certain passages meandering.
Best for listeners looking for renewal and catharsis, starting with Hoppípolla and Glósóli.
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See where this record sits inside the full critic-ranked discography.
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Full consensus notes
Sigur Rós's Takk... arrives as a luminous, cinematic statement that pares the band's inscrutable textures into clearer, melody-forward moments while retaining an otherworldly hush. Across 25 professional reviews the record earned an 81.28/100 consensus score, and critics repeatedly point to a handful of tracks as the album's emotional and sonic anchors.
Reviewers agree that the best songs on Takk... balance orchestral grandeur with childlike wonder: “Hoppípolla” surfaces as the album's emblem of hopeful piano and uplift, while “Glósóli”, “Sæglópur” and “Svo hljótt” are praised for their slow-build climaxes, tectonic swells and cathartic payoff. Professional reviews note recurring themes of Icelandic atmosphere, glacial and cinematic soundscapes, orchestral warmth and dynamic contrasts - the record trades some of the band’s earlier opacity for greater melodic accessibility without losing its mythic, breathless intensity.
Not all critics are unanimous: some reviews admire the album's seamless flow and emotional clarity but wish for occasional rawer edges, calling certain passages meandering. Still, the prevailing critical consensus frames Takk... as a high point in Sigur Rós's catalog - a collection where orchestral textures and vocal distance create tactile atmospheres that reward immersion. For readers searching for a Takk... review, or wondering what the best songs on Takk... are, the consensus highlights “Hoppípolla”, “Glósóli”, “Sæglópur” and “Svo hljótt” as the standout moments that make the album worth seeking out.
Critics' Top Tracks
The standout songs that made critics take notice
Hoppípolla
5 mentions
"Hoppipolla sighs with the inquisitiveness of childhood, Jonsi Birgisson's falsetto enhancing the wonder."— The Guardian
Glósóli
5 mentions
"The epic, eerie music of Sigur Ros carries the listener to strange and fathomless places."— Hot Press
Svo hljótt
2 mentions
"Svo hljótt" is a moving, emotional piece."— Sputnik Music
Hoppipolla sighs with the inquisitiveness of childhood, Jonsi Birgisson's falsetto enhancing the wonder.
Track Ratings
How critics rated each track, relative to this album (0-100). Only tracks that made critics feel something are rated.
Takk...
Glósóli
Hoppípolla
Með Blóðnasir
Sé lest
Sæglópur
Mílanó
Gong
Andvari
Svo hljótt
Heysátan
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What Critics Are Saying
Deep insights from 25 critics who reviewed this album
Critic's Take
In this ecstatic appraisal the reviewer frames Sigur Rós's Takk... as a restorative rite, singling out “Sæglópur” and “Hoppípolla” as the record's emotional fulcrums. The prose is reverent and personal - the climax of “Sæglópur” "filled the very confines of my soul" and “Hoppípolla” supplies the hopeful piano resonance that makes these the best tracks on Takk.... The reviewer praises the band's slow-build to explosive catharsis and calls the album a cleansing, life-affirming experience that repeatedly restores them.
Key Points
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The best song is "Sæglópur" because its climax is described as soul-filling and transformative.
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The album's core strength is its slow-build to cathartic climaxes that produce emotional cleansing and renewal.
Themes
Ir
Critic's Take
Sigur Rós's Takk... feels like the band returned to strange, spooky praise, with songs that swell into orchestral grandeur. The reviewer's ecstatic voice singles out the album's sweeping, ineffably beautiful moments, notably “Hoppípolla” as emblematic of that blissful lift. Language about glaciers, geysers and Jónsi's unearthly falsetto frames why fans search for the best songs on Takk... - the record's best tracks are its cinematic, hymn-like peaks. The tone is hyperbolic and delighted, insisting these are among Sigur Rós's most mesmeric moments.
Key Points
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Hoppípolla best encapsulates the album's soaring, hymn-like orchestral beauty.
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The album's core strengths are its unearthly falsetto, grand orchestration and evocative Icelandic imagery.
Themes
Ob
Ar
Sp
En
Co
Critic's Take
Sigur Rós have stitched something near-religious into Takk..., and the best songs - notably “Svo hljótt” and “Glósóli” - embody that monumental, breathless passion. The reviewer’s tone is half-wry, half-awed, likening “Svo hljótt” to Gandalf’s death scene as reimagined by operatic beasts, while “Glósóli” delivers nervous, system-shaving shivers. This is not idle praise - ordinary listeners meet extraordinary songs here, the record sounding satisfyingly yearning across its 65 minutes. Read as a whole, Takk... feels like a mythic, glacial triumph that rewards immersion.
Key Points
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The best song, “Svo hljótt”, is singled out as a 'choice cut' with epic, operatic grandeur.
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The album's strength is its mythic, glacial atmosphere and emotionally overwhelming arrangements.
Themes
Critic's Take
Sigur Rós's Takk... finds the band softened without surrendering mystery, and the review zeroes in on three best tracks as proof. The title track “Takk...” shimmers like shards of light, giving the album its luminous opening and making it one of the best songs on Takk.... “Glósóli” is described as wrenching the listener from a glorious dream, a driving best track that contrasts the gentler moments. “Hoppípolla” sighs with childhood inquisitiveness, and that sense of wonder helps explain why these are the best tracks on the record.
Key Points
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The title track “Takk...” is the album's most luminous moment and anchors the record.
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The album's strengths are its lush string-and-piano arrangements and a newfound accessibility that deepens the band's mystique.
Themes
Critic's Take
Sigur Rós return on Takk... with an unexpectedly accessible set of songs that trade their usual opacity for radio-sized emotional surges. Jonathan Keefe writes that the band often resembles the outsized pop of Radiohead's The Bends and Coldplay, and he singles out “Sé lest” and “Mílanó” as examples of tracks where the music "threatens to disappear into the ether" then "roars back". The result is music that is beautiful simply for the sake of being beautiful, which makes the best tracks on Takk... feel like unqualified successes. This is a review that frames the album's best songs as moments of orchestral payoff and emotional clarity rather than lyrical profundity.
Key Points
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The best song is best because its ebb-and-flow structure produces powerful emotional payoffs.
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The album's core strength is its orchestral swells and sheer beauty, making songs more accessible.
Themes
Critic's Take
Andy Kellman notes that on Takk... the band leans into active arrangements while retaining those otherworldly vocals; the review highlights “Sæglópur” and “Sé Lest” as the album's best songs, with “Sæglópur” delivering a cathartic blast and “Sé Lest” serving as a fragile, fluttering lullaby briefly crashed by gleeful brass. Kellman's tone is measured and descriptive, emphasizing extended cresting and sudden bursts of action as reasons these tracks stand out. For queries about best tracks on Takk..., his pick is clear: the dramatic momentum of “Sæglópur” and the delicate charm of “Sé Lest” make them the album's top moments.
Key Points
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The best song is “Sæglópur” for its cathartic eruption and representative active arrangements.
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The album's core strengths are dynamic contrasts, otherworldly vocals, and tactile, orchestral textures.
Themes
mu
Ne
Ti
Q
Critic's Take
In Amanda Petrusich’s view, Sigur Rós’s Takk... returns to the sticky melodies of earlier work while sounding warmer and more orchestral. She singles out “Glósóli” as the record’s shining center, a rapturous, tinkling swirl that bursts into a deafening, distorted climax, and praises “Sæglópur” for its breathtaking vocal harmony and ominous swell. Petrusich is frank where the band falters too, calling tracks like “Sé lest” and “Mílanó” vaguely hollow or meandering, but overall she finds Takk... ecstatic and more accessible, perfect for late summer listening.
Key Points
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The best song is “Glósóli” because its slow build and explosive climax make it the album’s emotional center.
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Takk... succeeds by trading gloom for warmer orchestration, clearer melodies, and more immediate songcraft.
Themes
Critic's Take
Sigur Rós's Takk... mostly succeeds as a hushed, cinematic record, and the best songs on Takk... Even when she likens “Sé lest” to Coldplay in a dream world, the tone remains admiring but mildly bemused, noting the music's devotion to atmosphere over overt hooks. Overall the album is praised for its seamless flow and filmic quality, while the critic still wishes the band would occasionally let loose and rock out a little.
Key Points
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The album's core strength is its cinematic, atmospheric flow that blends songs into a seamless soundscape.