Well excuse me for previously thinking that Ólafur Arnalds and cousin Ólöf Arnalds were actually the same person. Their music probably gets coverage from the same publications, and my mind tends to jumble words together whenever they exude the reliably confusing quality of being Icelandic, or just Nordic in general. “Ola… something something… Arnalds.” Likewise, it makes you wonder about the country’s ability to secretly plan something evil. Here’s a country with less than the population of Raleigh, North Carolina, speaking a language that hardly anyone grasps on a global level. Add that to the generally unthreatening, often extremely calming nature of the country’s musical output, and you have what could be a concerted effort to get everyone to, at least, think you’re harmless.
Just throwing that out there. Feel free to ponder possible conspiracies as you read about the following news: the more classical-minded Ólafur Arnalds is going on short tour of the US during the month of July. The tour consists of five dates and follows For Now I Am Winter, his latest album released this past March. He may not have been a participant in our showcase, but his performances at this year’s SXSW still received some pretty positive reviews. View a clip here.
Dates:
07.12.13 - Hollywood, CA - Hollywood Forever Masonic Lounge
07.13.13 - Pomona, CA - The Glass House
07.16.13 - Brooklyn, NY - Glasslands
07.17.13 - Minneapolis, MN - Cedar Cultural Center
07.18.13 - Chicago, IL - Jay Pritzker Pavilion
• Ólafur Arnalds: http://olafurarnalds.com