Skip to content
Elly Roberts reviews
EMI
- November 2007
- Rating: 10/10+
Iceland has always had an air of mystery about it.
Maybe its because of the huge mantle plume, an enormous seafloor heat-flowrising beneath the island.
For the uninitiated, the bands penchant fusion of classical, experimentaletheral sounscapes are textured by lead singer Jonsis school boy falsetto.Best known for their minimalist approach found on Takk (2005), they nowrelease a collection of previously unreleased studio material and acousticlive studio versions, called Hvarf/Heim (roughly translated as Haven/Home),it shows a more expansive side to their work, occasionally wandering togrander efforts than previously revealed.
Instrumentally they use bowed guitar, glockenspiel, organs, oboe, drums andarray of others to create this mindblowing contemporary masterpiece. If youcan slog it out with tracks running from four to nigh-on ten minutes, youllfind a feast of music to really enjoy. Some might argue this is self-indulgenecaat 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 enigmaticquartet are refreshingly genuine songsmiths of the highest order believe meCD 1 Hvarf is an epic. It starts in typical laid back fashion withJonsis angelic larynx drifting sweetly with the understated ambience, makingit an alertnative Christmas option to the regular Xmas fodder.
The pace and feel stays the same for Straralfur but rises in a kind ofColdplay harmonic template only to beefed-up by some enormous stadium guitarwork. A beautiful and gentle glockenspiel disguises he eventual wall of soundthat follows, then dropping to a more melodic and ambling pace on the see-sawsonics of I Gaer. Again its another angelic mood on Von with gradualrestained dynamics streamed by a huge enveloping and haunting sound thatsupports Jonsis glorious falsetto on this near 10-minute journey. For theclose, you might think of Pink Floyd. In fact the entire album is slightlyreminiscent of Floyds Echoes, possibly because of the duration.
Jonsi reaches his best moment, (and there are many to be savoured here) foryet another epic Hafsol. It chumps along with string bursts and ghostlydrums 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, whichis their trademark style , it seems to drift aimlessly, but beautifully,succeeded by an understated and dreamy ballad called Staralfur that displaystheir classical influences with masses of swirling strings. Agaetis Byrjun,an oldie, is quite sensation.
Another drifter with piano, and Jonsis vocals really put to the test. Von,the title track to their 1997 debut is cleverly re-worked, boosted by astring quartet on top of their ambient game, allowing Jonsi to add hisundisputable vocal magic once more.
Lyrically, I have no idea whats going on here, but it reamins magical acrossboth CDs. Outstanding.
File under: Learn Icelandic for extra pleasure / Headphone music.
Also, note that there’s a Culture Show special about the band on BBC2,Friday 4th January at 11.35pm.
Weblink:sigur-ros.co.uk
The full list of tracks included are :
CD 1:
1. Salka
2. Hljomalind
3. I Gaer
4. Von
5. Hafsol
CD 2:
1. Samskeyti (Live)
2. Staralfur (Live
3. Vaka (Live)
4. Agaetis Byrjun (Live)
5. Heysatan (Live)
6. Von (Live)
Elly Roberts passed away in 2011, but he was a man who was so passionate about all types of music and loved meeting his musical heroes, such as Mick Hucknall at a book signing at the Trafford Centre, Manchester in 2007.
A former teacher and also a music journalist, DJ and radio presenter on local community station Calon FM, plus appearances on BBC Radio Wales, BBC Radio Cymru and BBC Radio 2, Elly started doing reviews for DVDfever.co.uk in 2004 and he did the majority of the CD and concerts reviews on the website.
I know also that he loved getting away for the summer to Spain and I hope that wherever he is now he is enjoying the hot sunshine and, as one of his friends has said on his Facebook page, that he is interviewing his musical heroes.