WHEN Olafur Ar-nalds shot to fameas one of the fea-tured musicians in2011 documentaryPressPausePlay,he saw his audi-ence swell. But the

Icelandic composer and multi-instru-mentalist also won for himself pressureand increased expectations.

“I was initially very hesitant abouthaving a camera crew following mearound because I wasn’t sure what theywere doing, and whether or not the filmwould simply end up on YouTube withfive people watching it,” said Arnalds,25, in a phone interview last month.

“But it’s been quite a success, show-ing on all the major television stations inEurope, and even in Iceland,” he adds.

That visibility, combined with an at-tentive fanbase on Twitter andYouTube, made him determined tomake his new album, For Now I Am Win-ter, stand out from his previous work.Exacerbating the pressure was thebarbed exhortation from a friend “to bemore innovative with the actual music”instead of just finding new ways of usingTwitter such as releasing his 2009 EP,Found Songs, on the messaging plat-form.

For Now I Am Winter, comes threeyears after his last full release ...AndThey Have Escaped the Weight of Dark-ness, although there were two EPs with-in that period.

“I’m not pressured by a larger audi-ence and social media scrutiny, but I dofeel pressured to produce better quali-ty,” says Arnalds. “I took so long to re-lease the album because I wanted tomake sure it was good enough.”

In fact, the album’s material had al-ready been written last year. But insteadof recording it then, he felt that some-thing was missing and brought in Ameri-can composer Nico Muhly to orchestratethe pieces.

“One of the reasons I did that was tohave someone else’s influence, becauseif I did it all myself, it would tend to sound likeme, and I also don’t really have much trainingin orchestration,” said Arnalds.

“I am a control freak but I did listen to whatNico said and it was very much a collaborationrather than me handing the material over tohim to work on.

“The melodies and most of the material wasalready there so we didn’t start from scratch,but the orchestration and arrangements werevery different from what I originally did.”

The result is an album that is much moredensely textured than Arnalds’s previous ef-forts, which were largely piano-driven affairsaccentuated by other instruments and electron-ic textures. And, in a first, For Now I Am Winterfeatures vocals, which give the material anoth-er dimension altogether.

Arnor Dan Arnarson, vocalist of Icelandicband Agent Fresco, appears on four tracks, in-cluding one Arnalds originally worked on forJapanese composer Ryuichi Sakamoto’s Japa-nese tsunami benefit project that evolved into

its current incarnation as Old Skin.“I initially intended the use of vocals in

this album as a one-off because I like totry different things rather than repeat my-self, but I wouldn’t want to limit myself ei-ther by saying I’ll never use them again ei-ther,” says Arnalds.

It’s hard to predict what Arnalds willdo next, what with the staggering diversi-ty of projects he’s taken on.

The man’s a workaholic, and he saysthat if he weren’t able to rely on videocon-ferencing and e-mail at least part of thetime, he’d be travelling frequently to per-form, as well as to meet directors and col-laborators, that he’d have no time tomake music.

He’s currently working on the sound-track for a series called Broadchurch forBritish television network ITV.

An obvious extension would be vid-eo-game soundtracks, especially given Ar-nald’s familiarity with electronic music,but that’s not on the cards yet. “I’ve beeninvestigating a few projects but haven’tsettled on anything yet,” he says.

Arnalds also says that he wouldn’tmind dabbling in pop music one of thesedays. “I’d like to do some pop music, totake a break from all the serious music Ido most of the time.”

That might not sit well with those whohave put Arnalds on a pedestal as a com-poser of serious instrumental music thatisn’t classical music.

But he’s not too concerned. “If peoplegive me grief about it, just because I’m do-ing something different, then they aren’tworth caring about,” he says.

In fact, a pop album would be one ofthe only ways for Arnalds to find recrea-tion in music because he doesn’t have thetime to flip on the radio and listen to otherartists.

“I don’t listen much to other music be-cause I work so much and have to listento music most of the day,” says Arnalds.“Sometimes I just want to get away fromit, and cook in the kitchen or run. I some-times listen to music when I run. I also doget musical ideas when I’m running,which is one of the reasons I do it, when

my head’s all stuck,” he adds.

But when the juices do get flowing, Arnalds’

music is a gorgeous blend of genres that sounds

wonderfully contemporary without dumbing it-

self down.

There’s that Icelandic minimalism, that can

be glimpsed in more mainstream acts such as

Sigur Ros. But with For Now I Am Winter,

there’s also that pop sensibility and openness

to new sounds, just starting to emerge.

Olafur Arnalds’ For Now I Am Winter is a landmark outing, writes CHRISTOPHER LIM

By CHRISTOPHER LIM

HeavyweightRachael YamagataFrankenfishRating: B

WITH Rachael Yamagata due to performat the Esplanade Concert Hall tomorrownight, it’s a good time catch up with theAmerican queen of heartbreak’s latest ma-terial as well as some of her lesser-knowngems.

The latest EP, Heavyweight, is vintageYamagata. The six tracks are full of regret,longing, resignation and, of course, heart-break.

Has It Happened Yet is a bit self-indul-gently creepy, about a woman asking if herex-boyfriend’s new lover has stepped intohis life yet. Has she found the red shoes?Do you make her promises? You half ex-pect a psycho stalker confrontation afterall that.

Falling In Love Again is the direct oppo-site, and is a middle-of-the-road love bal-lad that escapes anonymity thanks to its ad-dictive melody – the best on the EP.

And Yamagata says that It’ll Do is oneof the saddest songs she’s ever written be-cause of the shattered emotional state ofthe person singing.

But in a somewhat uncharacteristictwist, Heavyweight also contains Keep Go-ing, which is a pretty uplifting song byYamagata’s standards.

Heavyweight hasn’t actually beenlaunched as a CD in the United States yet;it comes out March 19. But it’s been availa-ble digitally on stores such as iTunes andstreaming services such as Deezer sincelast last year.

Loose EndsRachael YamagataFrankenfishRating: B-

Loose Ends is short even by EP standards.Just three songs, released in 2008 andavailable for purchase directly fromYamagata’s website (rachaelyamaga-ta.com), along with her last album, Chesa-peake. The Other Side is vintage Yamaga-ta, in the style of high-energy ballads suchas Be Be Your Love and Worn Me Down. Pa-rade is one of her most hushed songs yet.And Answer The Door is an intimate pianoballad.

Live at the Loft & MoreRachael YamagataBMGRating: B+

The 2009 version of Live at the Loft &More, not to be confused by a shorter 2005version, is worth listening to just for her pi-

ano version of Over and Over, which any-one who likes the original should listen to.Of course, that’s not the only gem, andthere’s something about the radio studio –the album captures a show recorded live –that Yamagata just laps up.

The NoiseTrade Loft SessionsRachael YamagataThe NoiseTrade LoftRating: B

For those who aren’t yet acquainted withthe mistress of heartbreak, The NoiseT-rade Loft Sessions should be your firststop. It’s a mixtape posted at NoiseTrade(noisetrade.com) that can be downloadedfor free, though of course you can paywhat you think it’s worth. And it even in-cludes a song from the latest EP, It’ll Do.

>ArtSoo Pieng: Held in honour of local artist Cheong SooPieng, this exhibition will showcase over 50 of his artworks including pieces that have never been displayedin public, as well as around 80 of his sketches. Cheongis regarded as one of the pioneers of the Nanyang ArtStyle and taught at the Nanyang Academy of Fine Artsfrom 1947 to 1961.NAFA Galleries 1 and 2, NAFA Campus 1, 80Bencoolen Street from today to March 3. Operatinghours are 11am to 7pm. Admission is free. For moredetails, visit www.nafa.edu.sg

>Adobo Country: Inspired by Adobo, an iconic dishand cooking method in the Philippines, this exhibitionwill showcase contemporary art by 12 Filipino artists.The line-up of artists includes Pow Martinez, known forwinning the prestigious 2010 Ateneo Art Award, andNorberto Roldan, who recently displayed his work inthe No Country exhibition at the Guggenheim Museumin New York.Taksu at 43 Jalan Merah Saga, #01-72 Workloft atChip Bee from March 7 to March 30. Openingreception on March 7 is from 6-10.30pm. The galleryis open Tuesdays to Saturdays from 10am-7pm, andSundays 12pm-6pm. Admission is free. For moredetails, call 6476-4788 or visit www.taksu.com

>MusicSantana – The Sentient Tour: Grammy-winning

American musician Carlos Santana is here again for

the third time. Known for his guitar solos which marry

the rock and blues genres with African and Latin music

influences, he will play some of his popular hits and

songs from his latest instrumental-focused album

Shape Shifter.

Singapore Indoor Stadium on March 4 from 8-9.30pm.

Tickets from Sistic at $102, $152, $202 and $252. Call

6348-5555 or log on to www.sistic.com.sg to buy tickets

>All Time Low: Indie music fans, rejoice: Americanpop-punk band All Time Low is returning to Singaporewith songs from their latest album Don't Panic. The Bal-timore-based quintet is known for their hits such asWeightless, Damned If I Do Ya (Damned If I Don't) andPainting Flowers, and has toured with the likes of FallOut Boy and Simple Plan.The Coliseum at Hard Rock Hotel Singapore, ResortsWorld Sentosa on March 6 from 8-9.30pm. Tickets fromSistic at $88. Call 6348-5555 or log on towww.sistic.com.sg to buy tickets

>FilmAfter Cicely: Catchthe online launch of thislocal documentary filmthat tells the stories offive Asian women whohave dedicated theirlives to helping othersand providing palliativecare. The documentarycelebrates InternationalWomen's Day and is in-spired by founder of thehospice movementDame Cicely Saunders(right).Watch the film atwww.aftercicely.com on March 6. It is 20 min long andcommissioned by the Lien Foundation

– Compiled by SARA YAP

AroundTown AroundTown >>>

CD REVIEWS

Yamagata bears thefull weight of soul

Winter of his content

Vintage soul:RachaelYamagata, theAmerican queenof heartbreakwho is due toperform heretomorrow, hasblossomed overthe last threealbums. Herlatest,Heavyweight(right), has sixtracks which areare full of regret,longing,resignation and,of course,heartbreak.PHOTOS: FRANKENFISH,BMG, THE NOISETRADELOFT

Contemporary adobo: Running No 2 by Pow Martinez(above) and Norberto Roldan’s Fatal Strategies 2 (right) willbe showcased at Adobo Country, an exhibition featuring theworks of 12 Filipino artists. PHOTOS: TAKSU

Ice, ice baby: Arnalds is not as pressured to attract large bases as he is to make quality music. PHOTOS: MARINO THORLACIUS, MERCURY MUSIC

‘One of the reasons I did that wasto have someone else’s influence,because if I did it all myself, itwould tend to sound like me, andI also don’t really have muchtraining in orchestration.’

– Arnalds on getting American composer Nico Muhly toorchestrate the pieces of his latest work

The Business Times, Friday, March 1, 2013 MUSIC/ARTS 35

Source: The Business Times © Singapore Press Holdings Limited. Reproduced with permission.