Ólafur Arnalds Essentials

Iceland's landscape has infused many of its artists with a taste for the epic—take Björk and Sigur Rós, whose music scales every volcanic peak. Mosfellsbær's Ólafur Arnalds, however, takes a more intimate approach, with sophisticated neo-classical music rooted in filigreed piano and pristine electronics. It's at once weightless and grave, pervaded by a great loss. It's no surprise that he's in high demand as a soundtrack artist, having worked on UK series Broadchurch along with the first Hunger Games film. Yet divorced from cinematic narratives, his music tells its own story.