Ólafur Arnalds is blond. Ólafur Arnalds is nordic. Ólafur Arnalds is a great composer. Should we say more? It was impossible for us not to notice him.
And yet, while the man shares the same notoriety as Sigur Ros or Bjork in Iceland, we discovered him accidentally, thanks to Tom Smith’s (Editors) post on Instagram. Instant crush! His contemplative, spirited, bright compositions are out of this world. The kind that makes you wanna drown in a sea of soft cushions and comfy blankets, and hibernate like a 70-year-old bear. The kind that makes you wanna toss your phone, and go naked by the sea to touch the sand, save the whales, and do yoga. The kind that makes you think you should probably buy more personal development books and allow yourself to change EVERYTHING.
Composition brought to a whole new level
Ólafur Arnalds’ never dull music can soothe anything. His subtle cross-genres mix is fascinating. Is it classical music? Pop? Electro? No one knows but it just feels good. We couldn’t help but get hyped about his way of creating, as shown in the great multi-part documentary “All Strings Attached” (Available on Youtube).
Ólafur Arnalds makes great use of software to bring his music to life. He even hired a full-time programmer to help him automatize pianos, strings, and drums. A note played by Ólafur resonates in the whole room like a myriad of possibilities. Therefore, his music changes every day, following his logic, but also his instruments’ random playing. HOW. COOL. IS. THAT?
Ólafur Arnalds “Re:member” Entremets
One good thing leading to another, we found out Olafur is coming to town with his wonderful friends/musicians next week. One more good reason to bake something special.
While we sometimes argue over the looks and tastes of our cakes, there was no discussion over what a Ólafur Arnald treat would be. The LP artwork, based on STRATUS, the software controlling Ólafur Arnalds pianos, instantly inspired us. We wanted to recreate the relaxing vibe we loved so much with comfort breakfast food: skyr, for the Icelandic touch, caramelized oats for crunchiness, pears for softness. And cardamom meringue for the warmth.
