Ólöf Arnalds - Ólöf Sings

Ólöf Arnalds - Icelandic singer follows up her praised alt/folk and art/pop 2010 album Innundir skinni with this five-track EP of well-chosen covers -- her first release sung completely in English sets the stage for a new all-English album of original songs due in 2012 // Ólöf Sings (November 8, One Little Indian) // Sounds like: Arnalds' fragile, accented warble of a voice is a bit of an acquired taste but theres' no disputing the fact that beyond the ethereal quality of her singing there is some genuine, unpretentious musicality in these lovely, if idiosyncratic interpretations...we guarantee you'll never listen to Neil Diamond's "Solitary Man", Gene Clarks "With Tomorrow" or Bruce Springsteen's "I'm On Fire" without mentally referencing these unique versions...Bonus: check out her live-in-the studio video of "Mr. Tambourine Man after the jump...

Quote: "...When I’m transforming my way of thinking into English it’s sort of interesting because you know, my vocabulary is more limited. But I think it’s an exciting challenge and it has a certain charm as well, because my thought processes are a little different from an English speaking person because I originally think in Icelandic." //  What we like: We agree with Time Out New York when they described Arnald as having “… the kind of voice that can silence a room, such is its sweetness"...and that special delicacy of approach actually puts these covers in a completely new light..."Solitary Man" takes on new lyrical meaning when heard from Arnalds' simple but starkly revealing perspective...

Ólöf Arnalds - "With Tomorrow/I'm On Fire" (from Ólöf Sings)

Ólöf Arnalds - "Solitary Man" (from Ólöf Sings)