Hvarf/Heim

Here is a short piece I wrote for this site

SUCH is the immediacy of the age we live in, with rolling news, podcasts and entertainment on demand, the allure of slow-release pieces of art is in decline.

Not only do we want ever improving standards of music, TV and film but we want it now, we want it fast and we want it short. After all, we’re busy people.

There are some artists, however, who simply do not fit in with this ethos. Iceland’s Sigur Rós, whose music you will know from countless scenes of rolling hills and spectacular landscapes on BBC TV, demand that the listener takes time out to appreciate their work.

The band’s new double album, 'Hvarf-Heim', is a near-perfect introduction for the uninitiated. Comprised of re-worked acoustic versions of songs from their first album, 'Ágætis Byrjun', and new recordings of unreleased songs, this will also serve as the perfect stocking filler for die-hard fans.

The old songs are stipped down and Jónsi Birgisson’s fragile voice is brought to the fore to heartbreaking effect, and the previously unheard tracks just serve as a reminder of the band’s glorious operatic power.

Birgisson once commented that listening to a 30-second snippet of a Sigur Rós song is like only looking at one corner of a painting. The band try to avoid licensing their tracks out for use on screen, but their growing popularity means it is harder to control.

With so much music simply blending into the background these days, Hvarf-Heim is a welcome treasure trove of uniterrupted symphonies, which reveal themselves more and more with each repeated listen.

Sigur Rós: Hljomalind

Sigur Rós: Staralfur (acoustic)