Ólafur Arnalds – Eulogy for Evolution 2017
A loving restoration of the debut record from Icelandic producer Ólafur Arnalds
Ólafur Arnalds wrote Eulogy for Evolution as a teenager, and released it with Erased Tapes a few years later. In October, it'll be the 10th anniversary of his debut, and one month later, Arnalds will turn 30. To celebrate both occasions, we have this: Eulogy for Evolution 2017. The record's been been lovingly restored and remixed – and occasionally re-written (because not all of it was "charming", according to Arnalds) – and then sent to a certain Nils Frahm for remastering.
The result is a tribute to a preternaturally gifted teenage composer, and an emotional time-capsule. The album was inspired by the death of a much loved uncle, and Arnalds describes it as a "circle of life": it moves from solemnly beautiful, piano-led beginnings, through heart-wrenching strings, to a crashing, tumultuous finale that feels more celebratory than it does morbid. It spells out, as clearly and as vulnerably as a teenage diary, Arnalds' life-long fascination with diverse genres. Eulogy for Evolution moves from the sharpest metal to the dreamiest arrangements, and the album's mountainous closer is a glitchy, theatrical triumph. It's Arnalds' party, and he'll make you cry if he wants to.
Listen to: 3704/3837, 0952