For Now I am Winter

Ólafur Arnalds - For Now I am Winter
Critic Score
Based on 9 reviews
2013 Ratings: #559 / 1115
User Score
Based on 46 ratings
Liked by 1 person
March 4, 2013 / Release Date
LP / Format
- / Label
Ambient / Genre
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CRITIC REVIEWS

80
musicOMH

For Now I Am Winter sounds like an album that will eventually be viewed as a important Ólafur Arnalds release, the moment where a self-confident artist took the first step towards something more open and accessible.

80
PopMatters

You’ll never get as far as saying “Oh this is my favorite song” – they’re all part of the same thought, just expressed in slightly different colors.

80
AllMusic

The lush and lonesome collection falls somewhere between the ambient, string-laden melancholy of Eluvium, the rural soul searching of Bon Iver, and the cosmic opulence of Sigur Rós.

70
Drowned in Sound

For Now I Am Winter is an album of great contrasts in dynamics as well as tempo. It is an album that demands attention, not to mention repeated listenings, to draw out the beauty. 

70
SPIN

The living, breathing aspect of Arnalds' music is more evident here than on his previous six years’ worth of albums and EPs, which makes Winter easily his most straightforwardly accessible and mainstream-leaning effort to date.

66
Paste

With the assistance of Nico Muhly (indie-rock’s go-to orchestral whiz) and prog-rock vocalist Arnór Dan Arnarson, Arnalds has given his songs a much-needed jolt of emotional color.

55
Pitchfork

The lingering impression that there's not a lot to grasp emotionally becomes stark in the thinnest tracks.

ST4T1C
90

ARNDTHWRLDIN31DAYS DAY 9

Ólafur Arnold’s proved to me he was a fucking underrated genius when it comes to ambient music on his newest album “some kind of peace”. That album was a sonic journey that leaves you a more calmed and changed person by the end of it. And with “For Now I am Winter”, I don’t really think he nailed it AS hard as he did with some kind of peace, but he still got pretty damn close. This album is such an artistic journey, the ... read more

daFigz
83

Based on a single listen I scored 13 tracks at 80 points each and 2 tracks @ 100 points each for a total of 1240 points. Divided then by 15 the sum equaling 82.6666. Rounded then to 83 points. Inventive music, but not innovative at the very least. Vox by Arnór Dan on several tracks imparts hints of Anohni aka Antony Hegarty and Jonsi of Sigur Ros fame. Yet, his voice is unique, subtle and captivating which marries well to Arnalds' efforts in creating Pop EM. The sole standout track for ... read more

tha138
70

Cinematographic sceneries created with a vivid intercourse from loops and strings... and of course the icelandic idiosyncrasy.

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Track List

  1. Sudden Throw
  2. Brim
  3. For Now I Am Winter
  4. A Stutter
  5. Words Of Amber
  6. Reclaim
  7. Hands, Be Still
  8. Only The Winds
  9. Old Skin
  10. We (Too) Shall Rest
  11. This Place Was A Shelter
  12. Carry Me Anew
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Added on: March 11, 2013