[Post-Rock]
Sigur Rós
Hvarf-Heim
***
The latest CD by Icelandic post-rockers Sigur Rós looks a lot like a cash grab—a between-albums, completists-targeting shakedown rounding up a bunch of old tunes, one of them twice, no less. Sort out the precise details, though, and Hvarf-Heim not only manages to justify its existence, but actually makes a case as a worthwhile purchase even for casual fans.
Yes, the first five tracks (Hvarf) are reworkings of dated compositions already familiar to those who’ve seen Sigur Rós on tour, but three of them—“Salka,” “Hljómalind” and “Í Gær”—have never seen official release before, while the other two—“Von” and “Hafsol”—only existed in semi-amorphous primal form on decade-old debut Von, and thus were badly in need of studio reconditioning. In their updated state, both “Hljómalind” (known as “The Rock Song” by longtime listeners) and “Hafsol” showcase the quartet’s dreamy build-and-release soundscapes and Jónsi Birgisson’s unearthly (and intentionally unintelligible) vocals so well, either could serve as a newbie primer.
The second half (Heim) does what many probably doubted Sigur Rós could, stripping away the powerful electric elements—but none of the affecting majesty—from six live acoustic cuts spanning all four studio albums. Cellos, violins and pianos duel in place of keyboards and Birgisson’s guitar bowing, but Sigur Rós nimbly tugs on the tear ducts and warms the heart all the same. –Spencer Patterson
[Rootsy]
Levon Helm
Dirt Farmer
***1/2
Nearly 10 years removed from surgery for throat cancer, Levon Helm went back to the studio to show off his newly recovered pipes, which he’s honed in legendary midnight hootenannies at his Woodstock home. The result is Dirt Farmer, his first solo studio record in 25 years and a testament to the resiliency of the artist best known as the drummer for The Band.
Dirt Farmer features Helm and his daughter, singer Amy Helm, harmonizing over a rootsy mix of fiddles, mandolins and acoustic guitars, with some accordion, piano and organ thrown in for good measure. His voice now carries a raspy, nasal, Ralph Stanley quality—he claims in the liner notes that his voice is “over halfway back”—which serves him well on a handful of traditional numbers, including the disc-opening “False Hearted Lover Blues” and “Poor Old Dirt Farmer.”
Buddy and Julie Miller contribute backing vocals on a cover of Steve Earle’s “The Mountain,” and a playful version of A.P. Carter’s “Single Girl, Married Girl” sets the stage for the beautiful elegy “Wide River to Cross,” which recalls the best moments of The Band’s soulful, spiritual side. Helm has come a long way from those heady days, a journey that pours through the speakers with every note of Dirt Farmer. –Patrick Donnelly
[Metal]
Avenged Sevenfold
Avenged Sevenfold
**1/2
Avenged Sevenfold’s 2005 major-label debut City of Evil was an overflowing hard-rock cornucopia, with power-metal melodies, pop-punk harmonies, lightning-fast guitar solos and a metric ton of old-school attitude. Having achieved such success with excess, the band has clearly decided that the only response is twice as much excess, and their new self-titled follow-up sounds like all the bombast of Guns N’ Roses’ Use Your Illusion albums compressed into one disc and then dialed up a notch.
So, yeah, it’s a complete mess, but sometimes it’s a totally awesome mess. “Afterlife” has the potential to be a timeless arena-rock anthem, and power ballad “Gunslinger” will have the emo kids and metalheads swaying arm in arm. But the band have apparently never met a studio indulgence they didn’t like: There are string sections, horn sections, vocal effects, a children’s choir, arpeggiating pianos and friggin’ pedal steel, for Dio’s sake. If you ever wondered what a cross between Skid Row and Montgomery Gentry would sound like, well, the schmaltzy “Dear God” will answer that question.
City of Evil worked in part because it was so direct and unexpected; in contrast, this album sounds exceedingly overthought (not to mention overproduced). All of its too much just isn’t quite enough. –Josh Bell