Review Summary: Cause what would I write about if I don’t fear the fear inside my bones.
The title of Siv Jakobsen’s newest album truly is an apt description of the music that it holds. Jakobsen has never shied away from describing her battles with anxiety, her fear of failure, and the battle that most humans face as we try to run away from mediocrity. These are themes that are explored in
A Temporary Soothing. They aren’t rare to music and especially not to the brand of cinematic folk that Jakobsen is exploring. The lens with which she views her anxiety is fairly unique though. This isn’t an album of fighting back and overcoming, nor is it an album of mere description and succumbing. Acceptance and moving on also isn’t quite the theme, although it may be closest. Instead, the frame that Jakobsen chooses is one mostly of acknowledgment. Her “struggles” aren’t struggles or weaknesses; they’re simply a part of who she is. She explores these character traits for forty-five minutes, sometimes finding hope, sometimes finding grief, but always finding some form of provisional relief.
Jakobsen’s form of Nordic Folk serves as a perfect vehicle for this message and again, largely finds itself in an “in-between” sort of state. It floats just above the dark, cold ambiance that often can characterize the genre, instead letting some light shine in. Similar to her first two releases,
A Temporary Soothing is largely based off a backbone of acoustic guitar and traditional folk melodies. However, the orchestrations that Jakobsen employs go above and beyond her past work and above the compositions of many of her contemporaries. Opener “Fear the Fear” concludes with a lush atmosphere building, completed with her angelic voice and strokes of piano, setting the musical tone for the rest of the album. Almost without exception,
A Temporary Soothing doesn’t sound like a folk album that went overboard with adding orchestrations, but truly feels like a composite whole. “Fraud, Failure” sees the first exploration with electronic beats and “Island” essentially goes full indie-pop, introducing a successful and welcome change of pace. Scattered throughout the album are shorter instrumental arrangements that lean into Jakobsen’s nordic background, adding another welcome layer of atmosphere to a sonically consistent and stellar experience.
Although the entire album is remarkably consistent, there are moments where Jakobsen’s voice, the composition, and her lyrics combine in truly angelic form. “From Morning Made to Evening Laid” has incredibly direct lyrics regarding anxiety and other mental health issues, all while escaping self-parody. A compelling drumbeat and some haunting vocal effects make the song absolutely entrancing and sounding like a soft battle cry, all before it explodes into a wordless message of hope. A brief Celtic tinged ambient track then leads seamlessly into album closer “I Call It Love”, a tender and simply stated love song that weaves a story of support and strength, a perfect closer for this album of temporary soothing.
“
The restless call it restless
The hungry call it lust
The frightened call it foolish
But I, I call it
I call it love”
