Kristin Sevaldsen, The Sonic Experience – Iceland Review

by Amity Hereweard

Kristin Sevaldsen’s The Sonic Experience – Iceland is an auditory journey that uniquely blends environmental awareness with artistic exploration. As the second installment in Sevaldsen’s upcoming trilogy, this work, launched in September 2024, delves deep into the urban-rural dichotomy of Iceland, using field recordings from the Arctic’s sonic landscape. Sevaldsen, an accomplished Norwegian saxophonist, composer, and producer, interlaces these organic sounds with her saxophones and voice, creating a project that not only invites relaxation but also challenges our understanding of sound as an artistic medium.

Sevaldsen’s work in The Sonic Experience – Iceland is grounded in the genre of eco-acoustics, where the natural environment becomes the subject and the medium. Here, Iceland’s diverse landscapes—its roaring cities and pristine wilderness—form the backdrop for her reflective sound paintings. Sevaldsen’s commitment to climate and environmental awareness permeates each track, with the album functioning as a collection of music and sonic documentation of Iceland’s ecological and societal dynamics.

The album begins with “5 PM,” an imaginative blend of ambient sounds: water trickles, distant church bells echo through the air, and then the saxophone enters, harmonizing with the evolving atmosphere. The soprano saxophone’s haunting melody floats over the cold winds and shifting icebergs, creating a delicate conversation between the harmonized saxophone lines and the natural world. Sevaldsen’s use of call-and-response here is striking, as it mirrors the natural tension between nature and urban life. The piece feels meditative, inviting the listener into a space with relaxing textures and natural wave patterns in response to the surrounding environment.

Building on the ambient themes introduced earlier, “Eldgos Hymn” layers various saxophone parts into a sonic tapestry that feels organic and in tune with nature. The sounds of nature—wind, volcanic rumblings—form the bedrock upon which Sevaldsen builds her melody. The hymn-like quality of the piece evokes Iceland’s raw elemental power, and yet, within that rawness, there’s a tranquil beauty. Sevaldsen’s ability to craft melodies that induce relaxation and intellectual stimulation is on full display here. Her saxophone sings with the landscape, rather than over it, creating a symbiotic relationship between the musician and the natural world.

With “Bus Drivers Wait,” Sevaldsen transports us from the wilderness to the bustling sounds of city life. Here, the listener is enveloped in a cacophony of industrial sounds—bus engines roar, conversations overlap, and the hum of urbanity takes center stage. Yet, amidst this chaos, Sevaldsen’s saxophone weaves in and out like a narrator guiding us through the noise. This piece starkly contrasts the previous tracks, demonstrating Sevaldsen’s ability to capture both the serenity of nature and the relentless energy of city life. It’s a sonic juxtaposition that asks the listener to reconsider the relationship between the natural and built environments.

One of the album’s more experimental tracks, “Abandoned Piano,” is an ambient exploration of textures and sonic possibilities. Here, Sevaldsen uses the piano not as a melodic instrument, but as a percussive tool and a sound source—striking its body, manipulating its strings, and producing sounds that resonate as otherworldly. As the track progresses, electronic sounds begin to replace the saxophone, creating a digital landscape that feels both organic and synthetic. This piece highlights Sevaldsen’s experimental side, as she pushes the boundaries of traditional instrumentation to create something entirely new. The result is an eerie, yet compelling study of sound and texture.

The Sonic Experience – Iceland is an exploration of how sound interacts with place and time. Sevaldsen’s compositions invite the listener to feel the environment from which they originate. By blending field recordings with her saxophone and experimental sound techniques, she offers a unique reflection on the Arctic region’s sonic and environmental dynamics. Each track tells its own story while contributing to the broader narrative of urbanity meeting wilderness and the ecological and societal consequences of that intersection.

Sevaldsen’s work is a sonic meditation on place, where music becomes a tool for relaxing reflection and purposeful action. This album offers a rich array of sounds that encourage a greater awareness of our relationship with the natural world. In The Sonic Experience – Iceland, Sevaldsen has crafted a moving, thoughtful project of eco-acoustic art—one that speaks to the beauty and fragility of the natural world around us.