Olafur Arnalds’ Living Room Songs

Ólafur Arnalds is a multi-instrumentalist based in Iceland whose latest project sees him write, record and release a song each day for a week.

He first explored the concept he’s now calling “Living Room Songs” in 2009, and two years later, the concept is being revisited and expanded. This time around, Arnalds has invited an audience into his humble abode where the songs will be recorded and released instantly free of charge as streamed videos.

Arnalds’ musical talents criss-crosses genres and styles; he is a pop producer, drummer in a heavy metal band and one half of the musical duo Kiasmos, while dabbling in techno beats and, most famously, working with the collection of classical string players in producing the serene sound  scapes heard in “Living Room Songs”.

Arnalds uses software to compose the music by sequencing keyboard and string elements before performing and recording live with instruments and an audience. Setting the mood in his candle-lit apartment, Arnalds’ gestures as he leads the group from the piano. The space is intimate and the sounds utilise the natural acoustics of the modern apartment.

Many have likened Arnalds’ music to the Icelandic landscape in which he is born and based—with extraordinary lava fields and geysers reflecting the many textures of the sounds produced by the indie musician. Having toured with both Björk and Sigur Rós, Arnalds further reiterates to the world that there is much to be seen in the Icelandic music scene.

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  Ólafur Arnalds