Greetings! Today, Moses Kim, a newcomer to the work of Olafur Arnalds, and Jacob Royal, a longtime fan of Arnalds, will discuss the neo-classical musician's latest album, For Now I Am Winter.
Moses: I guess I should preface all of my opinions by saying that this is the first album by Olafur Arnalds I've ever heard in full. He's becoming an increasingly ubiquitous name in the cinematic music community, and with a body of work as prolific and as consistent as his, it's not hard to see why. It's surprising, however, that For Now I Am Winter is as accessible an entry point as most new listeners will get. It takes what he's refined over the years--sparse but emotional melodies made more affecting by disciplined, minimalistic composition and instrumentation--and reconstructs it into something both familiar and exciting.
Ólafur Arnalds' music plays out a wonderful duality between the pain of isolation and the multitudes contained within ourselves: it is often hard to tell if the stirring climaxes he reaches are meant to be uplifting or sad. So it goes with "Old Skin," one of the standout tracks from his upcoming LP, For Now I Am Winter. The accompanying music video, which I am told is his first live-action feature, beautifully illustrates the dichotomy at the center of Arnalds' work as it follows a senile lightguard keeper going about his daily routine. The video takes its time letting us get acquainted with him, as the camera settles on his inscrutable face as he calculates the significance of every next step he has to take; later on, this choice proves critical. There's a lot of focus on surfaces in this video, from the glassy ponds dotting the landscape to the bubbling cup of coffee that the old man stares into, and just as the song slowly unravels its fragile foundation of strings and piano to reveal a thumping heartbeat at its core, the video delves into the depths of the water to reveal a different world, one of radiant, colorful abandon. Yet the climax only muddles the meaning even further: even as our hero finds himself in the midst of camaraderie, his expression only appears lost in a horde of faces he does not know. Meanwhile, guest vocalist Arnór Dan repeats his refrain, "In these hands I'll hide," and piles on layer upon layer of counterpoint, all clashing to the point of incomprehension but all absolutely essential in the moment. By the ending, most viewers will be left with more questions than answers, but to be honest, some questions are better left unanswered--especially if the results are as gorgeously compelling as this.
You can watch the video for "Old Skin" above. For Now I Am Winter is set to release in the United States on April 2.
Icelandic contemporary artist, Olafur Arnalds just doesn't know when to slow down. This is in no way a bad thing, really, as Arnalds has been making some of the most engrossing and lush music of the past five years. With keys and strings hand in hand with a very minimalist delivery, the young composer has found a sweet spot between ambient and neo-classical that has gained a swath of new fans. With is latest two song release, Arnalds has tried to do something a bit different. While not even close to his best material, it is still an interesting look into the mind of such a young, brilliant artist.
There's something stunning about simplicity these days. In this day and age of rampant overcomplexity, it's rejuvenating for at least one artist to remember that only a couple elements are necessary for memorable music. For me, this musician would be Olafur Arnalds. His most acclaimed album ...And They Have Escaped the Weight of Darkness captured our hearts with straight-forward tracks that were also emotionally complex, bouts of optimism accompanied with prolonged bursts of cynicism. It can actually be quite difficult to tell which emotion wins in the sparring matches contained from one song to the next; listen to "Kjurrt," for instance. It's so serene, so elegant, but it seems to possess a steady undercurrent of paranoia.
It's perfect really, not only is Erased Tapes Collection IV a wonderful record in its own right, but it's a beautiful entry point into one of music's most endearing labels. You see, Erased Tapes is about as "indie" as a label could possibly get. However, they specialize in some of the most blissfully organic and enchanting music; post-rock and instrumental rock imbued with a certain poetic beauty. Such artists include: Olafur Arnalds, Nils Frahm, and A Winged Victory for the Sullen. These artists are at the very top of their respective areas of music. And you know what? Each of them-and more-are present on Erased Tapes Collection IV.
I know, I know. I'm a bit late to the party, especially considering I wasn't even going to talk about last year's EPs. But in revisiting some of 2011's best extended play records, I could not sit idle by without telling everyone how exceptional last year was in regards to high quality EPs. If you haven't picked any of these up, it goes without saying that they come highly recommended, and make for great listens before 2012 really heats up. So, without furth ado...
