Hvarf - Heim - Sigur Ros Album Review

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Album Review

Iceland has always had an air of mystery about it. Maybe it's because of the huge mantle plume, an enormous seafloor heat-flow rising beneath the island. For the uninitiated, the band's penchant fusion of classical , experimental etheral sounscapes are textured by lead singer Jonsi's school boy falsetto. Best known for their minimalist approach found on Takk ( 2005), they now release a collection of previously unreleased studio material and acoustic live studio versions, called Hvarf /Heim ( roughly translated as Haven / Home), it shows a more expansive side to their work, occasionally wandering to grander efforts than previously revealed. Instrumentally they use bowed guitar, glockenspiel, organs, oboe, drums and array of others to create this mindblowing contemporary masterpiece. If you can slog it out with tracks running from four to nigh on ten minutes, you'll find a feast of music to really enjoy. Some might argue this is self-indulgeneca at its extreme. Maybe so, but nevertheless this a breathtaking sonic experience like no other, with a strong contender as one the best albums of 2007. This aloof and enigmatic quartet are refreshingly genuine songsmiths of the highest order - believe me CD 1 - Hvarf is an epic. It starts in typical laid back fashion with Jonsi's angelic larynx drifting sweetly with the understated ambience, making it an 'alertnative' Christmas option to the regular Xmas fodder. The pace and feel stays the same for Straralfur but rises in a kind of Coldplay harmonic template only to beefed up by some enormous stadium guitar work. A beautiful and gentle glockenspiel disguises he eventual wall of sound that follows, then dropping to a more melodic and ambling pace on the see-saw sonics of I Gaer. Again it's another angelic mood on Von with gradual restained dynamics streamed by a huge enveloping and haunting sound that supports Jonsi's glorious falsetto on this near 10 minute journey. For the close, you might think of Pink Floyd. In fact the entire album is 'slightly' reminiscent of Floyd's Echoes, possibly because of the duration.

Jonsi reaches his best moment, (and there are many to be savoured here) for yet another epic - Hafsol. It chumps along with string bursts and ghostly drums tinkling until it peaks with a massive crescendo that tails off quietly, which is how it all began. Unforgettable.

CD 2 - Heim kicks - in with piano and sumptuous instrumentation, which is their trademark style , it seems to drift aimlessly, but beautifully, succeeded by an understated and dreamy ballad called Staralfur that displays their classical influences with masses of swirling strings. Agaetis Byrjun, an oldie, is quite sensation. Another drifter with piano, and Jonsi's vocals really put to the test. Von, the title track to their 1997 debut is cleverly re-worked, boosted by a string quartet on top of their ambient game, allowing Jonsi to add his undisputable vocal magic once more. Lyrically, I have no idea what's going on here, but it reamins magical across both CDs. Outstanding.

File under: Learn Icelandic for extra pleasure / Headphone music.

Elly Roberts