Fresh Squeezed: Olafur Arnalds

jason - Posted on 20 November 2009

To say that these are "Found Songs" is to say that one can stumble across beauty, or simply find perfections or peace for that matter. These are not found, but brilliantly composed pieces of music. While these seven songs span less than 25 minutes of actual time their profound nature and thoughtful sound will consume much more of your time and energy. This is an album that will force you to listen deeply and intently in order to consume every sound. What first strikes your ear will be classically played piano and violin, but the attentive ear will begin to detect delicate electronics placed throughout the collection.

Ólafur Arnalds recorded a song a day for this release and put them up on his Twitter account, with artwork contributions from fans via Flickr. Ólafur mixes classical elements like strings and piano with loops and beats. He's toured with Sigur Rós, and among other things, recently scored the music for for 'Dyad 1909' by Wayne McGregor, a contemporary dance piece that premiered at the Sadler's Wells Theater in London last month. This electronic elements is most clearly defined in the track "Lost Song", but is really a constant element bubble and cracking just below the melodic surface. This album is art, this album is breathtaking, this album is the essence of music.