Friday, August 23, 2013

Heima - Sigur Rós

Heima means "at home" in Icelandic, and is the name of a 2-disc documentary DVD by Sigur Rós. Heima is a documentary about the band's tour around Iceland during the summer of 2006. The first disc presents a documentary showing some of the songs performed during the tour and some comments by the band members. This disc also contains a commentary by the band's manager. The second disc features 25 songs performed during the tour. Overall, Heima lasts a little bit more than 4 hours, which is probably a lot for the regular person, even in separate sessions.

Fans don't need any advice about Heima: the film was released 6 years ago, and the band made a HD version available for free in their website. For people who are just discovering Sigur Rós, or for those who just like their material without being groupies, my recommendation is to take a look at the first DVD. If you can digest it, then give the second DVD a shot, maybe one week later: too much Sigur Rós without breaks may cause severe depression or intense periods of introversion.

Overall, the quality of the DVD is great, but the first one is simply majestic and is probably the best promotion for Iceland as a touristic destination. If you need to be persuaded to go to Iceland, don't go to the Government's website; just watch this DVD instead. Note that the concerts were performed during the summer: the fact that the people who appear in the video were wearing winter clothes should not be overlooked.

Heima was recorded before the implosion of Iceland as a financial hub in 2008. At the time the video was recorded, the main worry of the band members was the boom of the aluminum industry. In fact, one of their performances was a protest concert against it. Before 2008, Europeans cared about the environment and all that. With the collapse of their economies, popular anger turned against the bankers, not without reason. Sigur Rós' worries about aluminum instead of folly finance just show how we all are influenced by the media and the sexy cause to defend of the moment, even rock-stars. There is nothing wrong with that, but it's something we all have to keep in mind. Note that I'm not defending the aluminum industry or ecological destruction as a means to achieve prosperity: I am pretty much on the side of Sigur Rós and their fans on this, with the limited information I have. What I'm trying to say is that, by focusing on issues that get headlines, we are probably neglecting the issues that eventually sink down societies.

Overall, Heima is a great DVD. You can see the first disc either in the band's website (see link above) or here:


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