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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
The lingering impression that there's not a lot to grasp emotionally becomes stark in the thinnest tracks.
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
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
Cinematographic sceneries created with a vivid intercourse from loops and strings... and of course the icelandic idiosyncrasy.