Ólöf Arnalds is an Icelandic singer and multi-instrumentalist. Classically trained on violin and self-taught on viola, guitar and charango, Ólöf’s most distinctive asset though is her voice. An immediately enchanting sound, clear as spring water, with a magic, ethereal quality that gives the impression of innocence yet conveying that she has lived the life: “somewhere between a child and an old woman” according to Icelandic powerhouse Björk. She has been positively compared to the likes of Vashti Bunyan, Judee Sill and Kate Bush, but Ólöf’s approach to making music is nonetheless individual: playful but intimate, accessible and uplifting, but even so deeply personal and
exudes a mystical timelessness. Ólöf has also proved herself to be a magnetic, confident live artist. Her debut album “Við Og Við” from 2007 was bestowed with a host of awards at home in Iceland, not least best alternative album at the Iceland Music Awards and album of the year in Iceland’s most important daily paper Morgunblaðið. After being released internationally in 2009 the record received kind words from publications as diverse as The New York Times, Vanity Fair, NME and SPIN. Mojo even went as far as to describe her as Reykjavik’s answer to Kate Bush.
http://bylarm.no/nor/artists/8981
