Saturday night marked the US premiere of Sigur Ros’s forthcoming tour documentary, Heima. To celebrate the evening, the Icelandic post-rockers performed two separate and intimate acoustic sets (prior to the film) at 7:30 and midnight, respectively, in Florence Guild Hall. With scant on-stage banter, the band selected a glorious trio of tunes in the form of ‘Agaetis Byrjun’, ‘Heima’, and ‘Untitled #4 (Njosnavelin)’. In spite of the all-too-short set, the 15-minute pre-show was simply amazing. Enjoy a handful of pictures from the event plus a brief review of the film, below.

Heima (which directly translates into ‘at home’) showcases Sigur Ros during the summer of 2006, when the band decided to perform two weeks worth of impromptu concerts at picturesque farms, villages and major cities throughout Iceland. Accompanied by Amiina, the bands share their personal day-to-day experiences, favorite tour memories and scattered humorous tales over the course of the documentary’s 100 minutes. The film also features a multitude of live performances from the majority of the aforementioned gigs. A roaring and electrifying version of ‘Untitled #8 (Pop Song)’, from Reykjavik, closes Heima. The magnificent and engaging flick gets its worldwide release next month. Learn more about the film here. Enjoy an MP3 of ‘Untitled #4′ at bottom.

For full details on Sigur Ros’s Hvarf/Heim double EP, follow this link.

MP3: Sigur Ros – Untitled #4 (Njosnavelin)

All deets from the press release below! Even more info here. Tix on sale 9/15.

The eighth annual New Yorker Festival, a weekend celebration of arts and ideas, runs from October 5th through October 7th this year, bringing together some of the most gifted artists and original minds of the day. This year’s music events include:

Friday, October 5, 2007:

*A New Yorker Dance Party, hosted by The New Yorker’s pop-music critic Sasha Frere-Jones, with special guest d.j. Diplo.
10:00pm to 2:00am — Hiro Ballroom and Lounge, 363 West 16th Street.

Saturday, October 6, 2007:

*Detonating Opera: Peter Sellars talks with Alex Ross.
4:00pm — Acura Stage at Helen Mills Theatre, 139 West 26th Street.

*What Isn’t Hip Hop? with Sasha Frere-Jones. An audio/visual discussion.
2:00pm — Ailey Citigroup Theatre, Joan Weill Center for Dance, 405 West 55th Street.

*Girl with a Torch: Fiona Apple talks with Sasha Frere-Jones. A conversation with music.
7:30pm — Brooklyn Lyceum, 227 4th Avenue, Brooklyn.

*Ambient Iceland: Sigur Rós talks with John Seabrook. American première of their new film, “Heima,” conversation, and live acoustic performance.
7:30pm — Florence Gould Hall, French Institute Alliance Française, 55 East 59th Street.

*David Byrne Presents: How New Yorkers Ride Bikes. An evening of music, discussion, film, readings, and surprises dedicated to urban biking, featuring the Classic Riders, Calvin Trillin, a representative of the Warrington Cycle Campaign, Paul Steely White, and the Young@Heart Chorus.
7:30pm — Town Hall, 123 West 43rd Street.

*Confessional Country: Rosanne Cash talks with Hendrik Hertzberg. A conversation with music.
7:30pm — Highline Ballroom, 431 West 16th Street.

*Jam Sessions: Yo La Tengo talks with Ben Greenman. A conversation with music.
10:00pm — Brooklyn Lyceum, 227 4th Avenue, Brooklyn.

*Guitar Gods: Dick Dale, Billy Gibbons (ZZ Top), Vernon Reid (Living Colour), and Omar Rodriguez-Lopez (The Mars Volta) talk with Nick Paumgarten. A conversation with music.
10:00pm — Highline Ballroom, 431 West 16th Street.

Sunday, October 7, 2007:

*The Rest Is Noise: A Multimedia Tour of Twentieth-Century Music with The New Yorker’s classical-music critic Alex Ross.
4:00pm — Ailey Citigroup Theatre, Joan Weill Center for Dance, 405 West 16th Street.

MP3: Yo La Tengo – From A Motel 6 (live)