SIGUR ROS - Hvarf/Heim

Interesting what a few years can change in how you listen to a band. In 2000, import copies of Sigur Ros' Agaetis Byrjun were sought after like the Holy Grail. Now that we've grown used to the group's key sonics—omnious bowed guitars, steady crescendos, and a craning falsetto—their later discs have felt a bit rote. This double EP seeks, successfully at times, to rejuvenate their catalog. Hvarf is a electric recasting of past tunes and live faves, while the more interesting Heim uses an acoustic setting to make a case for strong writing underneath all those effects. Essential? No, but it is very beautiful.