Some Kind of Peace

by Olafur Arnalds

Overview

With 2018's re:member, composer Olafur Arnalds pushed technological boundaries, using custom software and an algorithm as a major part of its design to trigger two player pianos with his own live keyboard work. The album's blue-shaded cover art suggested the paper punch-hole patterns of such programming. Two years later, some kind of peace features a similarly blue-tinted cover, this time a close-up of Arnalds' face. A more-personal album inspired by a friend's comment that we can't control what life brings, only our own reactions to it, its songs share themes of human vulnerability. There's still an electronic presence on the album, which also relies heavily on piano as well as strings. The twinkling first track, "Loom," is one of three collaborative entries, this one featuring electronic artist Bonobo. Soft, distorted keyboard and bell-like piano timbres, bass, and high-pitched voice samples paint a wistful, rhythmic harmonic palette on the song, which closes on the delicate interplay between piano and strings. Almost club-friendly but decidedly soft-spoken, it's joined by two other songs, "The Bottom Line" with Josin, and "Back to the Sky," which features a brittle, cracking vocal delivery by Icelandic singer JFDR. She's supported on the track by intimate strings, spare, downtempo beats, and sustained tones that blend in with the strings. Appearing midway through the mostly instrumental track list, it includes the lines "Then when stars align/With some kind of peace/I could be loved by you." The instrumentals -- all calm and meditative -- range from "Woven Song," a borderline sprightly piano piece with strings and a sample of an icaro (a South American healing song), to solo piano works like the sentimental "We Contain Multitudes." Even with the occasional programmed drums, some kind of peace is a consistently tranquil set, with enough shape and variety to the tracks to stave off ambient or easy listening claims. ~ Marcy Donelson

Product Details

Release Date:	10/25/2024
Label:	Decca Uk
UPC:	0602465560565

Tracks

1. Loom
2. Woven Song
3. Spiral
4. Still/Sound
5. Back to the Sky
6. Zero
7. New Grass
8. The Bottom Line
9. We Contain Multitudes
10. Undone

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Olafur Arnalds   Primary Artist,Piano,Electronics,Electronic Percussion
Bonobo   Primary Artist,Featured Artist
Josin   Primary Artist,Featured Artist,Vocals
JFDR   Primary Artist,Vocals,Featured Artist
Sandrayati Faye   Voices
Arabella Rauch   Vocals
Jofridjur Akadottir   Vocals
Unnur Jonsdottir   Cello
Bjoerk Oskarsdottir   Violin
Sigrun Hardjardottir   Violin
Herlinda Agustin Fernandez   Vocals
Simon Green   Synthesizer
Karl Pestka   Viola

Technical Credits

Josin   Producer,Lyricist,Composer
Anna Maggy   Photography
Hafsteinn Prainsson   Writer,Engineer,Recording,Studio Work,Transcription,Studio Assistant
Bonobo   Composer,Producer
Barrett Martin   Producer
Olafur Arnalds   Mixing,Arranger,Composer,Engineer,Producer,Recording,Recording Arranger
Torsten Posselt   Design,Art Direction
Luis Guerra   Producer
Zino Mikorey   Mastering,Mastering Engineer
JFDR   Composer,Lyricist
Simon Green   Producer
Josh Wilkinson   Beat Programming