The Quiet North is the latest release by Fredrik Kristiansen and also a welcome change of pace as the project returns to its acoustic origins. Following the VHS-dream pop experimentation of Somewhere in the Static, this song represents an even more stripped-down approach, with finger picked guitars and field recordings that make the song feel hugely intimate and large at the same time.
The song works on the surface of a simple idea–that sometimes it is necessary to go inside before any outside movement is important. Kristiansen develops this idea in a very controlled manner, never overstepping to gain emotional effect. He does not force the music, instead of creating atmosphere with gentle layers instead of flourishes. The sound of the production is light and airy and ambient sounds are used to create a space around the acoustically based elements which are also personal to a great extent.
The most impressive thing is the way the voice is delivered, tender and low key, almost as though it is talking. There is no stretching to make the point here, just the straightforward communication that has a measured cadence, as if every word was weighed. This style is very appropriate to this reflective material.
This Nordic influence that shapes The Quiet North is clear throughout, tapping into that Scandinavian knack of seeing beauty in stillness. The song gets something fundamental about that stillness in which inner transformation takes place–not the epiphanies of pop psychology but the slight awarenesses which actually alter us.
This is no instant-gratification music. It is demanding in its patience and rewards attentive listening, disclosing something new each time. The ambient folk style provides the room to be able to think, and with the ability to do so, Kristiansen is able to create emotionally effective music without being manipulative or overly dramatic. It is considered sensitive song writing with a lot of hearts.