Sigur Ros: Hvarf/Heim

By Liem Vu
November 06, 2007

Imagine walking through the country side, untainted and unpopulated. The only sounds, other than your own footsteps, are the billowing winds, the swaying trees, and the sun casting its last shadow before giving way to the moon. The four senses are heightened and the mind becomes more self-aware and self-contemplating.

Hailing from Iceland comes Sigur Ros, a four piece band that is able to replicate this escapist, beautiful, and melancholic scenery with two guitars, a piano, drums, and an ambient keyboard synthesizer.

Today their fifth album, Hvarf/Heim hits North America as a double CD compilation of various songs from their past 4 albums. Hvarf not only titles the first CD, but when translated, also means "disappeared" - something that Sigur Ros admits "almost happened to this material." In Hvarf, three tracks were written for, but never included in, previous releases. The other two are significant re-workings of past arrangements.

One of the most notable unreleased tracks on Disc 1 is "I Gaer" (Yesterday). The track marks the beginning and the end of Sigur Ros's brief dabbling with progressive rock. The track begins with a music box melody that is reminiscent of the melodies composed by Yann Tiersen in the film Amelie. After a brief prelude, the electric kicks in with power and might, only to give way to lead singer Jonsi's soaring melodies. Ironically, fellow Icelander Bjork, had also used this type of music box motif in her album, Vespertine. Whether or not this was intentional is uncertain, but it is unfortunate that this experimental tone wasn't explored further.

On the same disc, is the track called "Von" (Hope). It was from their first released album that they subsequently mastered through live performances. The more delicate and serene live arrangement was originally passed on through peer to peer sharing programs. This was until Sigur Ros decided to master the track in the studio and include it in their latest release.

Whereas Hvarf is mostly electric, Heim (Home) finishes off this compilation with melodies driven by piano and strings, topped off with Jonsi's gliding falsetto voice. Lacking much of the experimental energy of the first CD, the disc's redeeming quality lies in the surprising fact that the final six tracks are, in fact, live recordings. "Home" is an apt title for the last CD mainly because it brings music back home to its roots - stripped of synthesized ambience, fancy production, and perfection.

Although they aren't as enigmatic as Bjork, the music is still very esoteric and eclectic, which may not be for everyone. You might have noticed that there has been no mention of the lyrics at all. Truth be told, the music and emotion is what drives each song... not words.

While other commercial compilations would simply re-release past tracks verbatim, Sigur Ros has re-worked many of their songs with acoustic arrangements and included many unreleased tracks. Whether you're brooding, self-contemplating, or simply craving a slice of non-convention, Sigur Ros is waiting to deliver and satisfy.

Original Release Date: November 06, 2007
Number of Discs: 2
Label: XI Recordings