This week's new BEGGARS GROUP releases 07 Nov 2007

We would like to welcome these fabulous records to our world this week.

Johann Johannsson Englaborn (Reissue)
This is Johann’s debut solo album and we’re re-releasing it! Jóhann Jóhannsson is one of the most active participants in the new Icelandic music scene. He has one of the founders of Kitchen Motors, an art organization/think tank/record label, he has produced and written music with artists as diverse as Marc Almond ("Stranger Things" album), Barry Adamson and Pan Sonic, The Hafler Trio, Magga Stina and many others. He has also written music for the theatre, documentaries and soundtrack music for 3 feature films. Englaborn is Jóhann's first solo album. It is derived from music he wrote for an Icelandic play of the same name. The music is written for string quartet, piano, organ, glockenspiel and percussion. These elements were processed and manipulated, adding delicate electronic backgrounds to the otherwise entirely acoustic recordings. “This first solo album from Jóhann Jóhannsson is absolutely beautiful, and it has only become more so over the past few months, sustaining me for long periods of time when other music just wouldn't do the trick.” – Pitchfork Media

Sigur Ros Hvarf / Heim
Hvarf and Heim are twin Sigur Ros records, released in support of the band’s first ever film, Heima. They will be released together on CD on Nov 5, 2007. It’s more complicated than this, but effectively Hvarf is the electric side and Heim is the acoustic side. The five tracks that make up ‘Hvarf’ are new recordings of songs taken from various points in Sigur Ros’s history. Three of them have never been released on record before, either because they were not recorded in the first place, or because they were recorded and then not included on a finished album. The other two, ‘Von’ and ‘Hafsol’, are radical reworkings of songs from the band’s first (pre-Kjartan, pre-Orri) album, with latter being available in limited form as the b-side to ‘Hoppipolla’ single. The six songs that make up ‘Heim’ are acoustic versions of material taken from all four Sigur Ros’s albums. They were recorded in Iceland either during the band’s summer 2006 tour or early this spring. All songs are live recordings.

Lisa Gerrard Best Of
As this one-disc retrospective collection makes clear, Lisa Gerrard is one of the most singular and fascinating singers and composers in the world. Her career takes in almost two decades with Dead Can Dance, award-winning motion picture soundtracks and a series of acclaimed solo and collaborative albums. This 15 track survey offers a concise and convincing insight into the various strands of her musical output.