This is so cool. It’s the kind of thing that, had I any musical talent, and had any kind of success with that talent, I’d like to think I would want to do. At least, in the indie music word, Sigur Rós were pretty huge in 2006. To put on free concerts like this, in places like this, at their level of fame, is just really, really awesome.

I haven’t listened to Sigur Rós in years, for some reason. I lost interest somewhere around Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust. But I must have added this to my list around then, so I found myself watching it tonight. It has a bit of a Under Great White Northern Lights vibe to it, only this one was first, in their home country and, most importantly, the shows were free.

The film proper is a mix of performances from these shows – from fields, coffee houses, an abandoned fish factory, and at least one proper music venue – brief clips from interviews, and footage of the surrounding countryside. The DVD comes with a second disk that is just the complete songs.

The sound is impeccable and my ears told me it had to have been polished up in studio. Alas, that seems to be true. The performances are great but there are re-recording credits. They did a do a good job of matching the music to the visuals when they tried. But it’s still pretty clearly not how they actually sounded.

But where that might be an issue for the live album, for a concert film it’s less of a problem given the visuals. Because, in addition to being a good showcase for the band’s sound and their goodwill to their home country, it’s also a pretty great advertisement for tourism in Iceland. This is a pretty film.

Worth your time if you like Sigur Rós but also if you just want to look at Iceland while listening to some ethereal music (or you want to see a band literally “give back”).

8/10