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Without a doubt one of the most inspired, genre-eclipsing acts on the planet, Icelandic troupe Sigur Rós have built a reputation as a must-see live band over the years. Inni marks their first attempt at purely documenting their live performances, not including 2007’s rockumentary Heima, with a double disc CD and DVD set.
Obviously this is not going to be an album for those who like their music immediate and saccharine coated. Sigur Rós are one of the foremost experimenters of the rock world and so, with the possible exception of the universally recognisable 'Hoppípolla' and its distinctive piano refrain, there is not a huge amount to easily sing along to here. This is not helped by the fact that the band sing almost exclusively in either their native Icelandic or the made up tongue of Hopelandic… so really the best you can ever hope to do is hum along in some vague sort of harmony. In a way though, this ethereal and mysterious speech is an integral part of the eternal joy of Sigur Rós and their music, especially in the open surroundings of the live arena.
Few other bands are as definitively captivating and uplifting as this band at their peak and highlights from the live CDs illustrate this fact perfectly. Using the sojourn from the studio to unleash a new, almost brutal, power to the likes of the already stunning 'Svefn-g-englar' and 'Popplagið', this live collection showcases that Sigur Rós can rock as well as provide dreamily structured soundscapes. Indeed, although a couple of tracks lack quite the same level of sublime layering here as on record, the live album is a stormer of a listen from start to finish, where it closes with the ambient textures of unreleased track 'Lúppulagið'.
Sadly the DVD fails to prove quite as spectacular. A blur of black and white close-ups, the filming techniques are reminiscent of Mogwai’s excellent Special Moves DVD but less successful. Everything is artistically grainy but at times one cannot help but feel that it would be nice just to watch the band play properly rather than dart between each member without really being able to get a clear view of exactly how they are coaxing such incredible sounds out of their instruments. It is by no means a bad visual representation of the stunning Sigur Rós live show but after a while it gets a little wearing and rather lets down the audio side of this document with its lack of (or should that be overabundance?) of subtlety. Taken alongside the CDs though, Inni is still a must-buy for all fans of Sigur Rós, post-rock in general or just beautiful music.
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