Við og við is Icelandic musician Ólöf Arnalds

Ólöf Arnalds

Ólöf Arnalds is an Icelandic singer/songwriter and indie musician who has been active within the Icelandic music scene for quite some time. Apart from her own music and being a touring member of Múm since 2003, she has cooperated with bands and artists such as Stórsveit Nix Noltes, Mugison,...

 debut album, roughly translating to "Now and Then". It was released in by the 12 Tónar

12 Tónar

12 Tónar is a small record shop in Reykjavík, Iceland, and also a record label for Icelandic indie bands. It is located on Skólavörðustígur 15, in downtown Reykjavík....

 label. The album has been produced by Sigur Rós

Sigur Rós

Sigur Rós is an Icelandic post-rock band with classicaland minimalist elements. The band is known for its ethereal sound, and frontman Jónsi Birgisson's falsetto vocals and use of bowed guitar. In January 2010, the band announced that they will be on hiatus. Since then, it has since been announced...

 band member Kjartan Sveinsson

Kjartan Sveinsson

Kjartan "Kjarri" Sveinsson is a keyboardist of the Icelandic post-rock band Sigur Rós. He joined the band in 1998. Being something of a multi-instrumentalist, he has also played such instruments as the flute, tin whistle, oboe and even the banjo, as well as many of the unorthodox instruments that...

 who together with Skúli Sverrisson

Skúli Sverrisson

Skúli Sverrisson is an Icelandic composer and bassist residing in New York City.Over the past two decades, bass guitarist-composer Skuli Sverrisson has worked with a veritable who’s who of the experimental world, from free jazz legends to music icons Skúli Sverrisson (born 23 October 1966) is an...

 and Eiríkur Orri Ólafsson from Múm

Múm

múm are an experimental Icelandic musical group whose music is characterized by soft vocals, electronic glitch beats and effects, and a variety of traditional and unconventional instruments.- History :...

 also contribute to the album by playing instruments on some songs.

Track listing

1. "Englar Og Dárar" – 3:00
2. "Í Nýju Húsi" – 4:35
3. "Klara" – 2:29
4. "Við Og Við" – 5:39
5. "Orfeus Og Evridís" – 5:38 (originally by Megas
   Megas
   Megas , is a rock and roll singer, songwriter and writer who is well-known in his native country of Iceland.-Interest in music:...
   
   )
6. "Vittu Af Mér" – 4:15
7. "Moldin" – 3:22
8. "Náttsöngur" – 4:33
9. "Skjaldborg" – 3:04
10. "Ævagömul Orkuþula" – 1:58

Reception

According to a press release by One Little Indian, Við og Við was "named Record of the Year in Iceland and came in at #38 on Paste

Paste (magazine)

Paste is a monthly music and entertainment digital magazine published in the United States by Wolfgang's Vault. Its tagline is "Signs of Life in Music, Film and Culture."-History:...

's Top 100 Albums list. eMusic

EMusic

eMusic is an online music and audiobook store that operates by subscription. It is headquartered in New York City with an office in London and owned by Dimensional Associates. As of September 2008 eMusic has over 400,000 subscribers....

 recently named Við og Við as one of the 100 Best Albums of the Decade while MOJO

Mojo (magazine)

MOJO is a popular music magazine published initially by Emap, and since January 2008 by Bauer, monthly in the United Kingdom. Following the success of the magazine Q, publishers Emap were looking for a title which would cater for the burgeoning interest in classic rock music...

 proclaimed Ólöf as "Reykjavik's answer to Kate Bush

Kate Bush

Kate Bush is an English singer-songwriter, musician and record producer. Her eclectic musical style and idiosyncratic vocal style have made her one of the United Kingdom's most successful solo female performers of the past 30 years.In 1978, at the age of 19, Bush topped the UK Singles Chart...

". Ólöf's voice has been singled out for high praise as "otherworldly" by The New York Times

The New York Times

The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...

, "stunning" by SPIN

Spin (magazine)

Spin is a music magazine founded in 1985 by publisher Bob Guccione Jr.-History:In its early years, the magazine was noted for its broad music coverage with an emphasis on college-oriented rock music and on the ongoing emergence of hip-hop. The magazine was eclectic and bold, if sometimes haphazard...

, "remarkable" by the NME

NME

The New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...

, "ethereal" by Vanity Fair

Vanity Fair (magazine)

Vanity Fair is a magazine of pop culture, fashion, and current affairs published by Condé Nast. The present Vanity Fair has been published since 1983 and there have been editions for four European countries as well as the U.S. edition. This revived the title which had ceased publication in 1935...

 and "impossibly lovely" by Paste

Paste (magazine)

Paste is a monthly music and entertainment digital magazine published in the United States by Wolfgang's Vault. Its tagline is "Signs of Life in Music, Film and Culture."-History:...

."