Olafur Arnalds

The first artist that we will explore is Olafur Arnalds. He is a composer from Iceland. I really like his piece 19:53 from his album Eulogy for Evolution. As with many of his pieces it creates a very epic atmosphere. The piano and violins always seem to speak volumes. The second half of the piece, from around 4:07, is the most exciting (to me). The rhythm quickens.

Arnalds sound is very romantic and impressionistic all at once. Yes, I mean the Romantic period. He uses clear notes to engage the audience, provoking thought and emotion. He often uses huge swells of sound and chromaticsim to create anticipation and even more emotion. I often feel like there is an underlining sadness in his pieces. The notes seem to tug at my heartstrings sometimes. They tell a different story for everyone that listens. From 5:35 on his use of the violins is so drammatic, although I wish he would've taken it even farther. We feel the tension building up, ready to bubble over. I think the piece is better felt when listened to with earphones. It becomes more personal and of course louder. I really like 6:02 where the violins rapidly ascend the scale.

There are so many Olafur Arnalds's songs that I adore. The first piece by Arnalds that I spoke of was Ljosio. It is equally as beautiful. I realize that the violins are the instruments that resonate most with me in his compositions. I feel that Ljosio has a different tone. It's lighter and the video that accompanies it is so beautiful and figurative. There are so many pieces that you can explore and enjoy. There are also many other Icelandic artists. I will definitely talk about more of them. So go ahead and enjoy some Olafur~ :)

Music and the Globe~

(Image from Olafur Arnalds' video Ljosio)

Music is the international unifier. We don't need words to understand the meaning of that painful chord progression because we feel it pulling at our heartstrings. We may not even understand the language but the vibrant momentum attracts us. It pulls us up, out of our chairs, and across the room ,to indulge in clumsy pirouettes and other funky moves we'd rather not show the world. The fact is that we learn and we listen with our hearts. Emotions travel through music and into our consciousness, begging us to open our hearts a little wider. In a nutshell, the world is rich with music, so let's explore it together! ~ This little nook will be our journey together to find and appreciate music. I'll periodically update and share with you what I'm listening to. So grab a friend and share a new song/artist with them! They'll just love you for widening their perspective~

Musical Suits

"'I don’t care about the red carpet,' she says. 'At this moment it is much more interesting to have a rock star wear my clothes.' Ms. Giannini admits that she is dedicated to the androgynous ’80s — its fashion and its music 'Duran Duran, Spandau Ballet — when I was 14, listening to music was an obsession — and now I live with music morning to night,' says the designer, 36, who has a collection of 8,000 vinyl records and has brought rock chic to Gucci."

Gucci designer, Frida Giannini, has been inspired to revive the '80's Boyfriend Suit through music. How does music inspire your fashion sense? Read the rest of the article in the NY Times here.

Goodbye Art

Phil Hansen spent the last year creating pieces of art work that he destroyed immediately after completion. Hansen puts it simply, "This is to help me be more creative and spontaneous." Hansen started with large scale portraits made out of leaves and pinecones, and then moved on to syringes, tricylcles and garbage. My personal favorite is a portrait of Jimi Hendrix lighting his guitar on fire made out of stacked matches. You can watch the project being built, and then burned, below. And check out his website with all of the Goodbye Art projects, here.



(thanks to N. Nivar for the link!)