An excellent debut album from The Quiet North, the project of Norwegian producer Fredrik Kristiansen, Stillness Is A Sound traverses enjoyably across moments of both subdued meditation and compelling ardor. The album weaves melancholic acoustic instrumentation and ambient textures with memorable vocal collaborations, offering a spacious, deeply healing sanctuary of quiet clarity.
The blissful “Intro” sets the album into motion with caressingly lush enthrallment, fusing elements of heartrending strings, soft acoustic strums, and wordless vocal gorgeousness. Then arrives “Tremble,” whose steady acoustic pulses and ghostly backing vocal resonance drive into a compelling lead. “I thought the storm had left me, but sometimes I still hear the rain,” the solemn vocals let out, the “walk through quiet morning” descriptions accompanied by serene piano work. “There’s a flicker in the silence,” the vocals carry into a textured warmth, reminding fondly of The War On Drugs in its soaring vocal escalations, twangy guitars, and all-out atmospheric beauty.
The album delivers an abundance of fantastic songwriting throughout its 13 tracks, and among its many standouts is “Southbound.” Dreamy synth tones and tender guitar glistening accompany an alluring vocal presence, culminating in a title-bearing “under open skies” anthemic glow in the delectable central hook. “Northbound” ensues and feels like a partner in theme and tone, delighting in its triumphant, whirring guitar textures. The album also features a number of collaborators. “Drift Away” beckons to “leave the noise behind” within a stirring string-touched folk range, featuring the Fitz Brothers, while finale “Stille” guests Thom Hell and consumes in its navigation from subdued guitars into lovely string-laden catharsis. Stillness Is A Sound is a fantastic full-length showing from The Quiet North.
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We discovered this release via MusoSoup.
