Living Room Songs

Arnalds announced the project at the start of October 2011: a new song every day for a week, recorded and filmed live in his apartment in Reykjavík and released free as streamed videos and MP3s. The idea came from a day when he had only a laptop to hand and recorded his musical ideas with its video camera. Friends who played strings rehearsed and recorded one piece each day. The last, This Place Is a Shelter, was shot at a wrap party, and he said its title referred to his home, into which he had invited his listeners.

The liner notes say he wrote, arranged, recorded, mixed and mastered all of it in his living room. Erased Tapes issued the collection in December 2011 on download, CD, 10-inch vinyl and a special edition with a DVD, a film made with Sleepless in Reykjavík and Don't Panic Films, shot and edited by Bowen Staines and Gunnar B. Guðbjörnsson. Erla María Árnadóttir drew the illustrations and Jónas Valtýsson designed the sleeve. The sheet music is a free download on his site.

Northern Transmissions found the project audacious and successful. A Closer Listen picked Film Credits as the best track, and Tiny Mix Tapes heard his strength in what he held back. Beats Per Minute was cooler, suggesting it is sometimes better not to take your work home.