Artist: Olof Arnalds

On the heels of Part One of our Northside Festival recap, Leo Maymind of Spanish Prisoners checks in with EF for Part Two: The first of what is reportedly going to be an annual event in Williamsburg took place this weekend at over 25 different music venues, from as large as the Music Hall of Williamsburg to the intimate Pete's Candy Store. Dubbed the Northside Festival , the four-day celebration of art, music, and community was put on by the ever-growing L Magazine [...]

Photo: Chris La Putt for BV While there is a TON of Northside Festival stuff going on tonight, including a BBQ at Studio B and the Hold Steady at Music Hall ( BV has a good round up of events ) our picks for tonight are the amazing bill of Olof Arnalds and Sharon Van Etten at Union Pool, and Ducktails at Cameo. Ducktails produce a gauzy, summery-sounding electronic music that is as pleasant as sipping Campari while sitting [...]

Monday 6/8 * David Byrne @ Prospect Park ( MP3: "Fuzzy Freaky" ) * The Naked Hearts, Knight School, Browns @ Le Poisson Rouge Tuesday 6/9 * PJ Harvey & John Parish @ The Beacon Theatre ( VIDEO: "Black Hearted Love" ) * Jenny Lewis, Deer Tick, Farmer Dave @ Music Hall of Williamsburg Wednesday 6/10 * [...]

Before heading over to Sycamore to play a show that night , I met with Iceland's Ólöf Arnalds and her equally impressive friend Davíð Þór Jónsson, who had played a fantastically whimsical show with her at Union Hall the previous night. As we walked past a large tree towering over a mound, Ólöf's head turned, and we decided she might as well sing under it. First song is the catchy "Klara", which she wrote for her younger sister, the second is Caetano Veloso's "Maria Bethania." Before singing this song, [...]

Words and photos by Sarahana Icelandic songstress Olof Arnalds and her charming multi-instrumenalist friend David Johansson had spent the whole day at a Russian spa, so when they played at Union Hall on Tuesday night, they were in an entirely festive mood. Olof was wearing a flowing dress of no particular shape, which she later confessed was too slippery to let her sit comfortably on the stool, but its free-spirited nature was a fit for the night's mood. [...]

Though I didn't go to Housing Works Bookstore Café where Ólöf Arnalds shared the bill with Björk, her show at Sycamore two nights prior was probably the perfect way to experience this quirky Icelandic songstress (Ólöf, not Björk). Sycamore is a small bar in Kensington, Brooklyn, with a lovely backyard, a sensible layout, friendly people, and a tiny yet awesome performance space downstairs, which with its wide slabs of wooden benches looks like it was inspired by a sauna room, and which, as Ólöf demonsrated, is great for acoustic performances, even when unamplified; it's now easily [...]

• Ólöf Arnalds - Klara

Here's a contest for our NYC Guilt Free Pleasures readers - 2 free tickets to Icelandic singer Ólöf Arnalds' show at Union Hall tomorrow night. To enter, email us with "I want Ólöf tickets!" in the subject by 11pm tonight. Check out a video of her live below.And congrats to Judy and Michael, our two Beast CD winners! Thanks to everyone who participated.Við og Við [mp3]Ólöf Arnalds from Dig For

• Ólöf Arnalds - Við og við

5/5 (TOMORROW) @ Union Hall. Wanna check out the Icelandic songstress with a guest? If so, then e-mail us ASAP! A winner will be randomly chosen on 5/5 @ NOON. Visit Olof Arnalds on MySpace. MP3: Olof Arnalds - Vid Og Vid

[MP3] Ólöf Arnalds - "Við og Við " ( VIA ) Ólöf Arnalds subtly made her way into the US over the past few years as more and more people discovered the delicate wintry folk music contained on her stellar debut Við og Við. The great news is, she's just finished recording her second record in Iceland, enlisting the help of producer Kjartan Sveinsson from Sigur rós along with musicians Skuli Sverrisson (Laurie Anderson), Shahzad Ismaily (whooo) [...]

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[mp3] Sam Amidon "Saro" I'm not really one for posting a lot of personal stuff on this blog, mostly it's tour news, mp3s and the like. But I have to say, for some reason Vermont native Sam Amidon is really doing it for me today. His soft folk songs are some of the most authentic and true sounding American music compositions I've heard in a long time. They're slow, mournful and lonesome, recalling the American west at sundown or some snow storm [...]

• Sam Amidon "Saro" » SamAmidon-Saro.mp3

Now this one caught me a little off guard. Right in the middle of an enjoyable run through the new Interpol album my Zen decided, without warning, to shift focus to something entirely different. Not sure why it happened but I am relieved it did. Ólöf Arnalds is an Icelandic graduate who released her debut album last year. She has already collaborated with Mum but 'Við og Við' ('Now and Then')

• Olof Arnalds - I Nyju Husi