Mike James & DJ Kriegs

In celebration of the imminent release of Arnalds' next album, I thought I'd share a recently rediscovered old favorite "Ljósið," from 2009's Found Songs. There are many reasons to love Ólafur Arnalds: 1) He's Icelandic (just like Sigur Ros and Bjork, so he's in good company); 2) He's always got free .mp3s for download (even though Iceland is bankrupt--incredibly generous!); 3) And, of course, there is the incredibly beautiful instrumental music he puts out. Now, I have never been to Iceland--though I've always wanted to (it's full of volcanoes for Christ sake!)--and I'm likely to say this about most of Arnalds' songs, but there is something distinctly Icelandic about "Ljósið" to me. And when I say distinct, I mean following the vague abstraction of what I think Iceland is like based on the Sigur Ros movie Heima. It's a quiet, serene, majestic piece filled with the possibility of great crescendo but choosing to leave it as just that--possibility--and so the whole track emanates with a beautifully vast calm. Ólafur Arnalds new album & They Have Escaped the Weight of Darkness will be out June 8 2010 (that's tomorrow by the way!).

Listen to "Ljósið" here:

Download "Ljósið" for free here: foundsongs.erasedtapes.com.

Also, the video is pretty cool: www.youtube.com.

If you liked "Ljósið," check out this free download of the song "þú ert sólin" from the upcoming album. Also, Found Songs, the entire EP, is available for download free as well. See the links below!

Download "þú ert sólin" here for free: www.erasedtapes.co.uk.

Download the entire Found Songs EP here for free: foundsongs.erasedtapes.com.