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- Record Label: Erased Tapes
- Release Date: Jun 8, 2010
- Summary: The second full-length album for Icelander Olafur Arnalds continues to meld classical music with pop and rock music.
- Record Label: Erased Tapes
- Genre(s): Rock, Pop, Classical
- More Details and Credits »
Score distribution:
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Positive: 9 out of 12
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Mixed: 3 out of 12
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Negative: 0 out of 12
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It is not just the contemplative which is a joy--the previously mentioned transitions are the true moments which mark ...and they have escaped the weight of darkness's outstanding quality.
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The album blends seamlessly into a long musical narrative that speaks of redemption without saying a word.
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Arnalds' new piano variations are faint, plaintive, and unfurl their radiance like pallid moonlight over a halcyon lagoon.
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UncutThe LP plays as a set piece, buut the frosted beauty of "Kjurrt" is a particular highlight. [Jun 2010, p.81]
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On the few strategic spots in the album where Arnalds drops in drums and/or electric guitar and repetitive motifs, the effect is not dissimilar to the headier moments of the aforementioned Sigúr Ros, or perhaps early-'70s Pink Floyd at their most ethereal, showing the rock crowd that they too have a point of entry into this music.
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As Arnalds' boldest and most ambitious take on the form he's pursued so single-mindedly--the robust yet ethereal, mid-tempo tearjerker--...And They Have Escaped the Weight of Darkness is a success for the composer, and for listeners who don't balk at a little unabashed pageantry.
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Any of these tracks taken individually could inspire the grand emotions Arnalds is striving for. Received in a such a tiring bundle, however, the chilly beauty loses a great deal of its luster.
Score distribution:
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Positive: 0 out of
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Mixed: 0 out of
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Negative: 0 out of