We Found Songs by Ólafur Arnalds
No one is expecting you to know Ólafur Arnalds. We’re not going to tip our pretentious hat in your direction and make some snide remark about how we can’t believe how you wouldn’t know a great Icelandic neo-classical composer when you heard one.
None of that.
If you’re that person who always thinks about listening to classical music, but doesn’t, because you don’t know what’s good or you find yourself finding something else to spend your iTunes gift card on— then this is your ticket.
Ólafur Arnalds is offering seven new tracks from his latest series, Found Songs, to the public for free. The seventh release just hit so you can grab the whole series for free on the Found Songs website in one fell swoop. It’s that easy to widen your musical library.
Now, we know what you’re thinking: Classical artists are in tune with the whole ‘free downloads’ idea? It’s not just your indie artists who are aware of the music industry anymore. What Ólafur Arnalds is doing is a pretty innovative way to expose a younger generation to this different genre of music. I mean, face it, your average middle-aged person wouldn’t know how to download music for free even if it’s handed to them. They have jobs and responsibilities…and kids.
These short tracks that are composed primarily by piano, are extremely well crafted and are something worth listening to. If you thought that was enough, Arnalds is also reaching out to his audience and allowing them to participate in a way that doesn’t seem conventional in this genre of music. When listening to these tracks, if you’re artistically inspired in any sort of way, you can upload your expressions (drawings, photos, paintings…etc.) to Arnalds’ Flickr. There is talk about Ólafur choosing his favorite piece of art for each song and releasing them in his album booklet for a limited edition vinyl release of Found Songs.
If you’re feeling adventurous and have racked up some sky miles, you can listen to Ólafur Arnalds live in Denmark and Poland. If you’re still adventurous and broke, you can head over to the Found Songs site and grab your free tracks.
5.23.09 Aarhus, DK @ SPOT Festival
8.09.09 Myslowice, PL @ OFF Festival
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To download the tracks from Found Songs, visit foundsongs.erasedtapes.com.
Visit Ólafur Arnalds on MySpace at myspace.com/olafurarnalds.