Sigur Ros: "Hvorf/Heim"

It took 6 months, but I finally procured a copy of "Hvorf/Heim".

I don't want to say I'm "underwhelmed", because there are so many good performances here. But the fact is that I've heard pretty much all of it. The second disc is culled completely from the "Heima" soundtrack, so it shouldn't surprise you that I'm more than familiar with these versions. And they are very good...interesting...unique departures from the originals sonically if in no other way. But I've NEVER been a fan of what I call "Unplugged" projects. A couple of songs work very well in this format. "Heysatan" is great, the open soundscape giving the horn section more room to breathe. "Vaka" works well on the strength of the vulnerability in Jonsi's voice during the end section. On "()" it's padded with a beautiful counterpoint, but it's naked to the world here (it took me some time to get used to this rendition after I heard it on "Heima", but it really grows on you). Amiina, the string section, are integral to the overall feel of these acoustic versions. I've said it somewhere else, but I think it would be cool if Amiina and Sigur Ros simply merged into one mammoth 8-piece band (I guess that's more or less what's happened the last few years, but I don't want to see them split). The "chord organ" (I'll call it, since I don't know it's proper name and since it sounds just like those Magnum chord organs I used to play with when I was young) is a staple in these songs, and though it sounds pretty neat at first, it gets a little tiresome when it's used in so many songs.

One thing that truly disappoints me about the acoustic disc is that they did not include the song "Heima". I cannot, for the life of me, understand why not. It would have been the only "new" song in the lot...it would have upped the too-short duration of the disc by about 5 minutes (barely pushing it out of EP territory into a short LP)...and it would have tilted the scale of songs I really like, as opposed to songs I just KINDA like, 4/3. "Heima" is certainly as good as anything here, perhaps even better than most of these tracks.

As for the "Hvorf" disc, the songs are very good, at least as good as outtakes usually are in relation to released material. Most of it has been available for a long time as free downloads from the Sigur Ros website. In other words, there's very little, if any, new stuff here. It's the kind of disc that critics say is "essential for the fans but not a good place to start for those who are merely curious". And it is that, but as I said, it's been available for several years, so the hardcore devotee likely already has it. The only advantage in an official release is that the sound quality might be a tiny bit better.

That said, there are some stellar tracks on this "electric" disc (sidenote...when I surf the performances on "Heima" I seem to always gravitate, with a couple of exceptions, to the electric material). "Hljómalind" is wonderful, a very slight tweaking of the band's signature sound. "I Gaer" is kick ass heavy, a swirling mass of distortion that conceals the chordal structure. You have to dig through all the chaos to find the beauty. Sort of the same way you need to listen to My Bloody Valentine (though they sound nothing alike). All the folks who might complain about the glockenspiels and toy boxes that seemed to permeate "Takk" will find "I Gaer" most satisfying. It would have fit quite nicely on "()". Then there's the legendary "song where the bass player uses a drumstick", "Hafsól". That's another good 'un, but hey, I'd bet it's been one of the most popular downloads on the website...

I only wish there had been something NEW on "Hvorf/Heim".. Just one song on each disc, and we've already established that "Heima" should have been included on "Heim".

Don't get me wrong. I don't mean to come off as if I'm complaining. It doesn't bother me that neither of the discs last much longer than 35 minutes. I suspect that the brevity is beneficial to the overall concept. I don't so much mind the regurgitation of older material, seeing as how most of it is so good. Even "Sigur Ros Unplugged" sounds 100 times better to me than the typical "let's strip down our studio enhanced songs so we could play them in a boring coffee shop if we weren't so famous" routine.

But it isn't much of a teaser for the new album they're working on right now. An album, one can only hope, that will find them laying down the acoustic instruments to experiment with sound in the manner of which they have become so adept for so long. Their recording studio is a refurbished swimming pool, so perhaps it's ambiance, as opposed to the lush greenery of the Icelandic countryside, will provide the atmosphere for a more esoteric approach.