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All Music Guide:
Multi-instrumentalist Ólöf Arnalds has established herself as a vital member of the Icelandic musical community, but it wasn't until 2007 that she stepped forward to pursue a solo career with her album Vid Og Vid. Born in 1980, Arnalds began playing music at a young age and is fluent on violin, viola, cello, guitar, and a number of other stringed instruments. Arnalds became interested in international folk music early in her career, through she's performed with a wide variety of artists; she's a touring member of the Icelandic electronic ensemble Múm, and has also played and recorded with Slowblow, Mugison, Nix Noltes, and Kitchen Motors. Arnalds first began to step out into the spotlight on her own as a key collaborator on Skúli Sverrisson's award-winning 2006 album Seria; she wrote lyrics and sang lead on three of the album's selections, as well as playing guitar, viola, koto, and charango. After the success of Seria and receiving a degree in composition and new media from the Icelandic Academy of the Arts, Arnalds recorded her solo debut, Vid Og Vid, which was released by the respected independent label 12 Tónar in 2007. The album earned enthusiastic reviews both in Iceland and abroad, and Arnalds toured in support of the release in Europe, Scandinavia, and Canada. Arnalds' sophomore outing, Innundir Skinni, arrived in 2010, and was followed in 2013 by Sudden Elevation.
Wikipedia:
Ólöf Arnalds (born 1980) is an Icelandic singer/songwriter and indie musician who has been active within the Icelandic music scene for quite some time. Apart from her own music and being a touring member of múm since 2003, she has cooperated with bands and artists such as Stórsveit Nix Noltes, Mugison, Slowblow and Skúli Sverrisson. Between 1988 and 2002, Ólöf studied violin and classical singing, and in 2002-2006 she studied composition and new media at Iceland Academy of the Arts.
In 2007, her debut album Við Og Við was released by 12 Tónar. The album features a set of songs performed mostly in a traditional troubadour style.
Ólöf's second album is Innundir skinni and was released in September 2010.
Ólöf's cousin Ólafur Arnalds is also a well known neo-classical composer.Cite error: There are <ref> tags on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist}} template (see the help page).
Við og Við[edit]
Ólöf's debut album Við og Við was originally only released in Iceland in 2007 on 12 Tónar, however, it wasn't released until 2009 in the United Kingdom and the USA after she had signed to One Little Indian Records.
However, even before being released on both sides of the Atlantic, word of mouth – including Björk's patronage - earned Við og Við high profile plaudits in the U.S., ranking in Paste Magazine's Top 100 Albums of 2007 and eMusic's editor's Best Albums of 2008 list.
The success of Við og Við in the US led to Ólöf touring with Blonde Redhead, Jonathan Richman, Björk and The Dirty Projectors, Jeff Mangum and led to her being covered extensively in US publications ranging from Vanity Fair, New York Times, Village Voice and Time Out New York.
Innundir Skinni[edit]
Ólöf's second album Innundir Skinni was released in 2010 by One Little Indian Records. It marked a departure of her previous work by including three English sung songs, including the single 'Surrender' which features Björk’s distinctive vocal in the background.
The album was produced by former Sigur Ros member, Kjartan Sveinsson and Davíð Þór Jónsson, and featured contributions from Björk, Skúli Sverrisson (Laurie Anderson, Lou Reed), Shahzad Ismaily (Tom Waits, Plastic Ono Band, Bonnie "Prince" Billy), María Huld Markan Sigfúsdóttir (Amiina), and Ragnar.
