The Quiet North has something about its song, Carry The Quiet, which feels so reassuring that I did not anticipate at the time I hit the play button. Fredrik Kristiansen has made it look as though he took a hand, in the middle of the commotion–this is what we have all needed now and then.
The overall atmosphere of the song that struck me at once was the way in which it makes it sound both melancholic and at the same time hopeful. Those Nordic folk sensitivities combined with ambient textures render this cocoon of sound exactly echoing the main idea of the song and that of seeking inner peace. The production background of Kristiansen comes out really well here- each ingredient seems to be purposefully chosen, including the soft acoustic guitar accompaniment, as well as the minor atmospheric elements that gently accrue over time.
This sincere weakness is expressed in the vocals, which contribute to the authenticity of the entire idea and not preaching at all. When he touches off on the issues of introversion and the strength of silence, it does not read like bad new-age sentimentality but written in some one who has a lived-in quality. This personally really struck a chord with me considering the fact that I too, get frustrated with the constant commotion that modern life has turned in to.
In my opinion, its greatest beauty is its cinematic quality with a lack of drama. That is what Kristiansen does with such intimate interactions, at which I work my way through gratitude and city noise, but still manage to maintain the peace of mind–this is what makes you feel that you are experiencing some loud enlightenment with him. The manufacturing hits that machismo touch upon his folk origins on the one hand and his retro-synth soundscapes which he is famous due to.
The reason behind the successfulness of Carry The Quiet is that it avoids screaming over the noise to get its point across. Rather it is whispering one such thing of importance and it is counting on you to close in and listen. That sort of musical moderateness is revolutionary in a world of people who truly never appear to shut up. It is just the type of song that reminds you what lead you into falling in love with music in the first place.