The diverse and often epic soundscapes of avant-garde rockers Sigur Rós teeter between being simply music to be heard and something of more grandeur — musical expression to be experienced. Dreamlike sonic landscapes are rendered by strokes of muffled lyrics, splashes of melodic color and swathes of cacophony. The Icelandic quartet even discards its native language for the grammarless and wordless "Hopelandic," a made-up language characteristic of its vocal works. Sigur Rós makes beautiful music like nobody else. And for a band of such caliber, convention can still be charming, artistic and challenging to the ear. While Sigur Rós' newest albums — the jointly released Hvarf and Heim — may not take adventurous new steps, they are just as unique and stunning as those of the band's early career.
Scheduled to release in tandem with Sigur Rós' new concert DVD (which has been delayed until Nov. 20) "Heima," Hvarf and Heim are both cohesive EPs featuring both newly written material and new versions of older songs. Both clock in at less than 40 minutes and keep the band's often ambient compositions from dragging or blending together too much.
Hvarf is comprised of electronic pieces traditional for the band and features three previously unreleased recordings — "Salka," "Hljómalind" and "í Gaer." Each is haunting in its own way — "Salka" layering and then exposing a pulsing yet delicate repetitive rift, "Hljómalind" highlighting mountains of fuzzy sound with soaring voices and "í Gaer" mixing the twinkling melody of fairytale soundtracks with the dark tones of chamber metal. Sigur Rós has always had a knack for creating music that embodies emotion, creating sounds so full of expression they can practically be seen and touched. This is no small triumph, and fortunately the new material is no different from its predecessors.
Even more interesting than Hvarf is the acoustic album Heim. The EP's surprisingly full and room-filling reinterpretations of early Sigur Rós staples are quite beautiful, stripping away the layers of reverb and polish for something more organic. Guitarist and vocalist Jón ?ór Birgisson hones his alternative playing techniques by abandoning the equipment and tools of his band's distinct craft. He blends each of the four musicians' parts together by using a cello bow on his strings (the innovative mark of Sigur Rós' orchestral sound), but the absence of distortion and amplification exposes every pluck of the guitar, groan of the accordion and subtle striking of each piano key. Longtime fans of the band will rejoice in these new versions of old favorites that shed new light on the band's artistic vision.
As a whole Sigur Rós creates undeniably beautiful music, tender and emotional if not awe-inspiring. But their lack of decipherable lyrics, ambient style and refusal to abide by traditional song structures could bore or confuse some listeners. Hvarf and Heim both are perfect examples of what alternative music can be, but can be just as foreign to the unsuspecting listener as Sigur Rós' classic Agaetis Byrjun or recent Takk… These two new dreamy releases will likely resonate with many, but if they don't, at least you'll have the super-cool artwork.
4 stars out of 5
