Wandering into The Boss’s office fairly early a few days ago to discuss something or other, I was struck by some music playing from his PC. “What’s this?” I asked of him. “It’s Icelandic”, he replied. “Oh, is it Ólöf Arnalds, by any chance?”. “Yes, how did you know?”.
Well, because I’m a fan, of sorts. At least I quite enjoyed her last album and had never got round to listening to the new one, entitled “Innundir Skinni”. No, me neither. So finding The Boss listening to her – a man who I’d never guessed would be listening to semi-obscure Icelandic artists – was a bit of a surprise, and a pleasant one. Having had a good listen we had a bit of a chat, and he mentioned how the title track had completely entranced him. No shock there; the song is frankly gorgeous. The rest of the album is good, too – having more of a band has helped her move on from “Við Og Við”.
Of course, her voice does take a little getting used to, but if you’re not scared of the likes of Joanna Newsom or Bjork (who features on the album, natch), you’ll find precious little need to acclimatise to her somewhat more gentle tones. Lovely, crystal-clear music, perfect for these shortening and coldening days, perfect for warming chilly toes and colder hearts.
A firm recommendation, then. From me, and The Boss.
Loft And Lost 