re:member
Icelandic composer Olafur Arnalds mixes synths with acoustic strings and piano for his fourth solo album, the title track of which showcases pioneering new Stratus software that controls two self-playing, semi-generative player pianos. It’s a dreamlike soundworld that Arnalds juxtaposes with racing minimalist rhythms and pulsing electronic beats. The now-familiar use by post-classical artists of a muffled, close-miked upright piano has never sounded so sweet as it does in “saman,” while hypnotic, fluid textures of “they sink” envelop the velvet sound of a solo cello. Electronica provides the beating heart for the gently oscillating “ypsilon” before the final \"nyepi,\" one of Arnalds’ most introspective, affecting soundscapes.
An album that succeeds through the brilliance of its composer’s craftsmanship
The programmed and the human come together on an album that combines 20th Century composition and futurist electronics
If 'Island Songs' had composer Ólafur Arnalds looking backwards and inwards, 'Re:member' is a considerably more worldly affair.
Typically, it is with a careful hand that composer Ólafur Arnalds approaches his music, ambient soundscapes and modern instrumentals evoking achingly...
're:member' by olafur arnalds album review by Andy Resto for Northern Transmissions. The full-length comes out on August 24th via Mercury KX.