The surface of the sun has begun to frost over; the radiance of its warmth dimmed by the chills of autumn. In the harsh cold of the evening, I stumbled upon the toasty oasis of ‘Living Room Songs’. It’s not just timeless but everlasting. 

I want to feel the icy breath of winter so I can have a glimpse of the raw beauty that makes the heart tremble. December 23 can’t come soon enough.

~

If you go to his website and share the link on Facebook or Twitter, you can get all SEVEN songs for free in MP3.  The release date of Ólafur Arnalds’ newest series ‘Living Room Songs’ (Hard Copy) is on December 23, 2011.

Are you listening; in the courtyard of fractured pretence, the stones cry out for justice. A melody carried on the back of a tumultuous wind sings of the travesty in heartache. It is the sound of devastation yet, survival. Or, perhaps, the devastation from survival. The warfare between mind and heart has only just begun.

In the dark hours of the night, the struggle displayed the beauty of strength through hardship; such is the stunning aftermath of ‘Jeudah’.

Click to Open the ‘Jeudah’ Music Website.

‘We are the Storm’ is the break of dawn for moments meant to last forever. Perpetuating the essence of eternal vacation, it starts with a rhythm, drifts into a melody that lessens the load of gravity. Lightness of mind lifts the feet a little higher and our lives are suddenly bearable. Ease of heart becomes the grace that we provide to others and, in an unexpected display of radiance, the sun smiles as it peaks over the horizon.

Click to Open the ‘We are the Storm’ Media Player

Therapeutic desolation; Who knew such a thing could exist, until now. There is an omnipresent sadness over the cloudy whimsicalities of ‘I Like Trains’. It comes as quite a surprise as one would not expect such a name to bear such burdening emotions. It is, however, quite fitting, somehow. In a beautiful twist of irony, it showcases tattered remains of childhood upon the conscience of one whom grew up too soon.

While the melodies are often somber, its’ gentle lamentation is soothing; A cleansing, of sorts, that allows one to purge themselves of ill emotion. For happiness comes not from a void of sadness rather the ability to overcome it.

~

A vortex that churns, eating through the ghosts of the night until they’re mere shadows by day. There is a transient form of truth that is acknowledged and yet looked through, for the past will remain past and the future has yet to come.

Click to Open the ‘I Like Trains’ Myspace Music Page.

A tingling; from head to toes, it begins with the awakening of something undermined.
A trembling; from heart to mouth, it flourishes with a symphony of emotions churned outwards.
It is the restoration of a dreamland where we alight.

~

‘Jeniferever’ is positively other worldly. I honestly don’t know how else to describe it. It is not surreal in terms of fantasy or electronic pulsations, but, rather, the most intimate composition of complex sounds blending into an immortal melody. There is nothing quite like it. I have absolutely adored their previous albums (‘Choose a Bright Morning’ and ‘Spring Tides’) but ‘Silesia’ has completely obliterated my expectations. There is just something about it that is heartbreakingly beautiful.

Click to Open the ‘Jeniferever’ Myspace Music Player.

The vibrancy of tales left untold is brilliant when harnessed into the power of a poetic release. No stone is left unturned in the musical refinement of ‘Indevotion’. Piercing vocals destroy any false facades left over from bitter memories of misunderstanding and begrudging silence. The time of oppression has ended and the female voice of retribution will be smothered no longer.

Click to Open the Official ‘Indevotion’ Myspace Music Player.

With a remarkable evolution over the past few years, ‘Traffic Island’ has undergone an incredible transformation from simply ‘catchy’ to positively addictive. Boundaries removed, it speaks the reality of truth and consequence that’s so easily ignored; the final nudge of encouragement to break free from what should never hold you down. It’s a call to rise, a call to action, and now we’re finally breaking through.

Click to Open ‘Traffic Island’ Official Myspace Music Player.

Twisting, turning beneath the insinuations of a life lived half empty, ‘Delay Trees’ balances the vacancy that obligation leaves. They are the gentle, harmonious voices of whispering moments slipping through our fingers; travelling and rebuilding until the infliction of the mind has disappeared down a road of nostalgia. It is the ‘Soft Construction’ of the present disappearing into a vintage memory that is timeless in its’ own regard.

Click to Open ‘Delay Trees’ Myspace Music Player.

‘Dead Volunteer’ is the embodiment of an ending; the end of all that hinders the forward movement of the heart. It is liquid reassurance with the intimate stability of the childhood friend you can’t live without. Filling in the blanks between acoustic and folk genres, the vocals, acoustic guitar, keyboard and harmonica intertwine to create a beautiful melody made in the expression of life’s reality. The sound is raw, untainted talent; free of the modern compromise of digital alteration that only serves to recreate an empty thought.

Click to Open the ‘Dead Volunteer’ Myspace Music Player.

Creativity has always been vastly incorporated to the video sector of the music industry while quality, however, is an entirely different story. Ideas form the skeleton of a music video’s creation, alone they do not amount to much without skilled filmography. Bands with platinum record labels can afford to spend large amounts of money to purchase both of these key ingredients, but it becomes increasingly rare as one travels down the proverbial music food chain. The one exception, without a doubt, is ‘Lost Wings’ by ‘Wrestling With Angels’. Through the artful compilation of raw and harnessed talent, this extremely skilled band has surmounted all expectations.