[Florya]

Originally Posted by _slavo_

I bought Heina DVD and I regretted this action very soon.

That's a shame.
I thought it was very good.
Fantastic camerawork, beautiful landscapes and some excellent field recording by Chris Watson.

[batreleaser]

zzzzzzzzzzzZZZZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzZZZZZZZZZZZzzzzzzz zzzzzz

[Everyneurotic]

i was going to see them live but didn't because i didn't have money, i'm glad because it became a nightmare for the attendants plus they only played like 4 songs because the drummer almost died.

[nicfit]

Originally Posted by Everyneurotic

because the drummer almost died.

now I'm curious.

[Everyneurotic]

he had a headache or something during their last song they played and he dropped his ear monitors, finished the song, stood up to go offstage but couldn't so he lied down, paramedics came and took him to the neurological department of a hospital for two or three days. they never said what exactly happened to him but they did say on his last day here that he was "out of danger".

[Derek]

After a few more listens, the album sucks.

[Florya]

Originally Posted by Everyneurotic

he had a headache or something during their last song they played and he dropped his ear monitors, finished the song, stood up to go offstage but couldn't so he lied down, paramedics came and took him to the neurological department of a hospital for two or three days. they never said what exactly happened to him but they did say on his last day here that he was "out of danger".

was that at the Tepotzotlan gig?

[terriblecanyons]

I thought it was okay. Not as good as the other albums though.

[acousticrock87]

Originally Posted by Bytor Peltor

I hate to put you on the spot, but would you mind posting the review here in this thread?

Looking back, I'm not pleased with it, but here it is. Also note, it was intended for an audience that's probably not very familiar with them:

Sigur Rós
Hvarf-Heim

The experimental band from Iceland sounds like they didn’t have to work too hard on their new release, Hvarf-Heim. The quality and talent are still there, but being composed of mostly old material, it may not satisfy fans itching for something new.

The double-CD is essentially a B-Side release consisting of five “new” tracks and six new recordings of existing material. In reality, Hvarf, the first disc, has only three new tracks, recorded between 1999 and 2002, and two unreleased versions of songs from their debut 1995 album, Von. Heim, the second disc, boasts six full live studio recreations of songs off of each of their studio albums, from Von to Takk…. The resulting versions are certainly different, giving the songs a noticeably sparse and often harsh focus on each individual instrument, and losing the whirlpool of noise and detail they’re known for. Sometimes, like on “Ágætis Byrjun,” it works; for other songs, like “Vaka” and “Samskeyti,” we’re only left with a mildly grating repetitiveness and an overemphasis on the core melody.

The packaging is, as usual, aesthetically absorbing and completely lacking in text of any kind. The dual-theme of the opposing covers was an interesting concept, and the titles, Hvarf (which means ‘Vanish’ or ‘Leave’) and Heim (‘Home’ or ‘Return Home’) give the album an effective emotional agenda. Though everything could have been fit onto a single disc, it seems fitting that it was split into two. Not to mention, it didn’t affect the price.

Though it’s technically a B-Side album, it may be more suited for new listeners than long-time fans, though fans will probably end up getting it as well. Still, “Hliómalind” and “Í Gær” are almost worth the price alone. It’s an enjoyable palette of the band’s career and, with a couple exceptions, is not disappointing.

I think I gave it a 3.5/5, but I don't have the score on my computer and I never grabbed a copy of it when it came out.

[Everyneurotic]

Originally Posted by Florya

was that at the Tepotzotlan gig?

tepoztlan, but yeah, that one; colmena "fest".

some friends went there.

[acousticrock87]

Originally Posted by Bytor Peltor

Thanks for posting the review. You did a great job. There is some good information here and I do appreciate you sharing it......especially since there is next to know information with the cd itself. SO - how is it that the opportunity presented itself for you to do a review? Do you plan on doing any more reviews?

I was working with a small-distribution music paper thing for a short time (the editor graduated from my high school while I was going there, and I ran into him by chance), and he just wanted me to write a CD review for a new release. I scoured through release dates for the time of publication, and most of the new releases that came out at the time I either knew nothing about, were too "pop" for them, or were too obscure. They're high-art music snobs, you know, etc. So I told him it was either Sigur or the NIN remix, and he (thankfully) picked Sigur. So that was about it.

But that was the only review I did. I basically quit because I was going to leave the country for a few months right after that. Didn't end up doing it, but I lost contact and it would be kinda weird to call him up now. I wasn't getting paid, either, so...Not a huge loss. I would like to do reviews more, though. I don't necessarily subscribe to music critics, but it's a lot more fun being one.

On another note, I decided to get the new CD. I actually like it. Just the first two tracks are kinda eh. Ára Bátur made my day.

[terriblecanyons]

Originally Posted by acousticrock87

I was working with a small-distribution music paper thing for a short time (the editor graduated from my high school while I was going there, and I ran into him by chance), and he just wanted me to write a CD review for a new release. I scoured through release dates for the time of publication, and most of the new releases that came out at the time I either knew nothing about, were too "pop" for them, or were too obscure. They're high-art music snobs, you know, etc. So I told him it was either Sigur or the NIN remix, and he (thankfully) picked Sigur. So that was about it.

But that was the only review I did. I basically quit because I was going to leave the country for a few months right after that. Didn't end up doing it, but I lost contact and it would be kinda weird to call him up now. I wasn't getting paid, either, so...Not a huge loss. I would like to do reviews more, though. I don't necessarily subscribe to music critics, but it's a lot more fun being one.

On another note, I decided to get the new CD. I actually like it. Just the first two tracks are kinda eh. Ára Bátur made my day.

Whaaa? Really? I loved the first two tracks. Ára Bátur almost put me to sleep - coming from someone who used to listen to ( ) on a daily basis.

[Florya]

Originally Posted by Everyneurotic

tepoztlan, but yeah, that one; colmena "fest".

some friends went there.

Sorry 'bout that. I always get them mixed up
Tepotzlan is the place with the cool temple on the top of the mountain, and Tepotzotlan is a neighbourhood in DF.

Or have I got them mixed up again?

Anyhoo.. I was gutted because I only found out about the gig the week after I got back from visiting my family in DF.

[Everyneurotic]

close, tepotzotlan is a neighbouring town to df, but yeah, you got that right.

[acousticrock87]

Originally Posted by terriblecanyons

Whaaa? Really? I loved the first two tracks. Ára Bátur almost put me to sleep - coming from someone who used to listen to ( ) on a daily basis.

They were just kind of disappointing. Not that they were bad tracks, but I guess I just go into that band looking for something specific. I admire them stepping into newer territory and doing it well, but I just wanted to get to the good stuff.

As for putting you to sleep, I think that's partly what I look for in them. In a good way, though. They relax me like nothing else.