Tag: olafur arnalds

Ólafur Arnalds: Music History

Ólafur Arnalds, “Woven Song”, 2020, From the Album “Some Kind of Peace”

Born in Mosfellsbaer, Iceland, in November of 1986, Ólafur Arnalds is a multi-instrumentalist, composer and producer. A former drummer, he mixes strings and piano with loops and beats to produce sounds from ambient and electronic to pop. He has produced five albums, multiple singles and extended plays, and soundtracks for films and drama seroes, such as the 2013 “Gimme Shelter:, the 2015 series “Broadchurch”, and the 2020 “Defending Jacob”

Ólafur Arnalds released his single “Woven Song” on September 24, 2020. The song is from his new album “Some Kind of Peace”, which was released on November 6th. The fractal shapes of the video effects were produced by director Thomas Vanz using an acrylic pouring process called “viscous fingering”. 

One of the influential musicians of modern times, Ólafur Arnalds has combined the electronic and classical worlds in his productions, often weaving pieces of his life into the songs. Collaborators on the new album include British musician Bonobo, Icelandic singer and instrumentalist JFDR, and German singer and songwriter Josin. 

“This album is about what it means to be alive, daring to be vulnerable and the importance of rituals. It is a personal album, my most personal to date, set against a background of a world thrown into chaos. I’ve poured all my love, dreams and fears into this album through a magical but difficult process, but the result is something that makes me immensely proud and happy to be doing what I do.” —Ólafur Arnalds

“Some Kind of Peace” is available in multiple mediums at: https://mkx.lnk.to/OASKOP

Olafur Arnalds, “So Close”

Olafur Arnalds, “So Close”

Ólafur Arnalds is a BAFTA-winning multi-instrumentalist and producer from Mosfellsbær, Iceland. Ólafur Arnalds mixes strings and piano with loops and edgy beats crossing-over from ambient/electronic to pop. Ólafur was a drummer of hardcore / metal bands Fighting Shit and Celestine, as well as others.

In 2009, Ólafur also formed an experimental techno project, entitled Kiasmos, with Janus Rasmussen from the Icelandic electro-pop band Bloodgroup. In 2014 Ólafur announced his electronic debut album under the Kiasmos project.

Broadchurch is a British television crime drama broadcast on ITV. It was created and written by Chris Chibnall and produced by Kudos Film and Television, Shine America, and Imaginary Friends. Broadchurch series one focused on the search for a boy’s murderer by detectives Alec Hardy (played by David Tennant) and Ellie Miller (played by Olivia Colman). Chibnall was inspired by the Jurassic Coast of Britain to set his crime drama in a fictional, close-knit small town in Dorset. Much of the tone of the series was inspired by the music of Ólafur Arnalds, who also composed the soundtrack for the program me.

Highly recommend this series of detective stories; great acting; hot detective; and the sound of the show by Arnalds is superb.

Another great song by Olafur Arnalds. This one was used in the closing credits of Broadchurch, one of my favorite detective series. If you like this song, see the show, available on Netflix. You will not be disappointed.

 

(Source: https://www.youtube.com/)

Ólafur Arnalds, “No Other”, Featuring Arnór Dan

Ólafur Arnalds, “No Other”, Featuring Amór Dan

Speak slowly, tongue of winter
Leak only strokes of bright moonlight

These streets I’ve weaved with hunger
Repeatedly with white sheet eyes
Quiver through the nights

Beneath a lonesome moon, I hear
This city croons to me, no other

With dark descending phantoms
Haunts hoary heads he longest wail

Their hollow beat of footsteps
Will follow me midst snowy trail

Beneath a lonesome moon, I hear
This city croons to me, no other
Releasing all too soon, I’m near
To her my heart gives in, no other
(The grieving streetlights monitored me well, since all was but frost)

(Source: https://www.youtube.com/)