Ólöf Arnalds
Sudden Elevation
One Little Indian Records
Street: 03.13
Ólöf Arnalds = Joanna Newsom + Björk
Ólöf Arnalds comes from the land of ice and Sigur Rós, and although this is her third album, Sudden Elevation is the first to be sung entirely in English. The album was written mostly during a two-week stint in the fall in a seaside cabin, which gives it a cohesive feeling from start to finish. The entirety of the album feels like floating in the clouds, probably due to the predominant use of the charango and the harp. It’s just as dainty as it is ghostly: The subjects Arnalds sings about are not as light as her fairy voice might have you assume. I related to the sentiments expressed in “Numbers and Names,” as she explores the nature of growing older. No matter your musical preference, this album is worth listening to for her dreamy voice alone. –Brinley Froelich