Sigur Ros — Hvarf/Heim

Well, it only took two excruciatingly long records, but Sigur Ros may have finally figured out that brevity is the key to their future success. It's a sure thing that ( ) would have been a classic on par with Agaetis Byrjun if it had come in at six tracks instead of nine (sounds absurd, but the disc still would have clocked in around 43 minutes) and Takk could have used a significant cut as well. Hvarf, the main document in this two-disc set, features three superb previously unreleased tracks and two do-overs of little heard Von tracks. Start to finish, it's the most palatable collection of work they've released in years. As a bonus, you get Heim, a six-song disc of better known tracks performed live in a studio setting. These versions of "Vaka" and "Staralfur" are markedly different from the original versions, but still excellent.