Trust Sigur Ros to be different. When asked to put together an album release to accompany their recent film ( Heima ), the Icelandic mavericks could have lazily slung together a selection of the songs that appear on the film. But, no. Instead they create Hvarf/Heim , a double album that collects together unreleased songs, live versions and reworkings in order to give their fans a little more value for money--and to maintain their reputation for going against the commercial grain. The first disc, Hvarf ("disappeared," or "haven"), collects together three previously unreleased cuts ("salka," "hljómalind," and "í gær"), which possess the same beautiful, cascading instrumentation and gentle, slow-burn emotions we now expect from the band. There are also two beguiling re-imaginings from the band’s first album, "Von," namely, live favorite "Hafsol" and the title track. Heim ("Home"), meanwhile comprises live acoustic versions of some Sigur Ros faves: "Untitled 3", "Staralfur", "Samskeyti", "Ageatis Byrjun", "Vaka", and "Heysatan" all get a new lease of life via these spellbinding performances, all recorded in Iceland during their 2006/2007 tour. This is an imaginatively complied collection whose subtly transcendent beauty is likely to both sate most Sigur Ros fans and excite newcomers alike. --Paul Sullivan
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