Ólöf Arnalds

Við og Við (One Little Indian)

By Marisa Iacobucci
Published: February 7th, 2010 | 7:00am

You may not understand a single word Icelandic folk chanteuse Ólöf Arnalds is singing on her critically acclaimed debut album, Við og Við (Now and Then), which is finally being released in the U.S., but that may be a good thing. Listening to her music could arguably be more of a visceral experience than a purely audible one.

Arnalds is no stranger to the indie music scene. She played with Múm, Mugison, and Skúli Sverrisson for several years before releasing her first solo debut, produced by Sigur Rós' Kjartan Sveinsson, in 2007. The album was named "Record of the Year" by Iceland's main newspaper, Morgunblaðið, and "Best Alternative Album" at the Icelandic Music Awards. The success awarded Arnalds a series of festival gigs throughout Europe in 2008, sharing concert bills with the likes of Björk and Sigur Rós.

A true troubadour, she offers an understated and reflective sound in these ten structurally simple and impossibly lovely folk songs. Yet it's where Arnalds dares to go — pushing the boundaries of folk music with her unexpected instrumentation, original lyrics, and hypnotic, bird-trilling voice — that make her one of Iceland's most talented female artists and will likely win her a legion of new fans in North America.

Even though all of Við og Við is sung in Icelandic, it's not hard to grasp Arnalds intimate musings on friendship and family. Maybe it's the haunting melodies, the way she wraps her delicate voice around every syllable, or the way she deftly plucks away at the various stringed instruments she plays (guitar, violin, koto, and charango) that will inevitably strike many chords deep within the listener. Ólöf Arnalds delivers ballads straight from the heart, the kind that speak a universal language and which will never go out of style.

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Ólöf Arnalds official site

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One Little Indian