October 28, 2022
Mercury
1xLP
It is early November as I write this and my part of the world is undergoing its first snowfall of the on-coming winter. As the colder months begin that also means the return of some of my favorite winter pastimes like tobogganing, ice skating and listening mainly to ambient and minimal classical music until the sun starts setting after 7 PM again. This gorgeous reworking of Icelandic modern classical superstar Ólafur Arnalds’ 2020 album Some Kind of Peace is an excellent addition to the wintertime canon. Arnalds enlists a murders row of performers from the realms of classical, ambient and jazz like Dustin O’Halloran, Hania Rani and Alfa Mist to reinterpret pieces from the previous album using just the piano and the occasional vocals. It makes for a beautiful and delicate set of pieces that are the perfect accompaniment to watching the snowflakes fall outside from the warm comfort of your domicile.