Ágætis byrjun
While released to little fanfare, the album quickly gained radio exposure in Iceland, and spent the autumn of 1999 climbing the Icelandic album charts, finally resting at the top for a number of weeks. After surprising success in Iceland, the album subsequently gained strong international buzz with numerous articles in many prominent publications, hype from internet message boards and blogs, as well as often exuberant critical praise. "Ágætis byrjun" was released in the United Kingdom in 2000, and in the North American market in 2001 by Fat Cat Records. In 2001, "Ágætis byrjun" won the inaugural Shortlist Music Prize.