At one point in my life I was a Frames and Glen Hansard fanatic - couldn't get enough of them until the mid 00's. The problem was that their output between 95 and 2003 was so unbelievably good, it was a matter of time before the standard dropped. Of course not everyone agrees, that's the beauty of music but I felt their penultimate album, "Burn the Maps" started to show creaks, the bestAt one point in my life I was a Frames and Glen Hansard fanatic - couldn't get enough of them until the mid 00's. The problem was that their output between 95 and 2003 was so unbelievably good, it was a matter of time before the standard dropped. Of course not everyone agrees, that's the beauty of music but I felt their penultimate album, "Burn the Maps" started to show creaks, the best stuff on final album "The Cost" were tracks that had been floating around for years while the rest of it was filler at best.
Then you had their side project The Swell Season, which had some great moments but also had some real mush and overall just didn't have the same fire and passion of The Frames at their best. After all that, I still have a grá in the anglo Irish sense for Glen and was always going to buy his first solo record no matter what. Thankfully, I've found Glen has rediscovered the spark to some extent.
"Rhythm & Repose" is one of his most mature works, it feels heartfelt and bar one or two tracks that dip, it's consistently strong. He's done stuff here he couldn't have done with The Frames or Marketa (and thankfully there is limited backing female backing vocals and indulgent piano bits, which I felt marred The Swell Season). Opener "You Will Become" is dark and delicate reminding me slightly of Mic Christophers "What A Curious Notion" and Marketa's vocals and piano are perfect toward the end. This still sounds great having listened to it many many times. Over the next couple of tracks the album settles into it's groove nicely before the emotionally delivered "The Storm, It's Coming". This is Hansard at it his best. Sparse instrumentation backdropping a ballad sung from the depths of the heart. "Lover Don't Leave Me Waiting" slips back into the folky groove we had earlier on before the brilliant "What Are We Gonna Do", a kind of reowrking of the Paddy Casey classic "Sweet Suburban Sky". This is followed up by an interesting and very well done version of the song "Races" which Frames fans will recognise from some early 00's live performances. "Philander", the records penultimate track and my favourite on the album, is as far as we get from the Glen we're familiar with. It's the most interesting song on the album where the verses and chorus contrast in the feeling the give and the production of the track is faultless. "Song of Good Hope" closes the album on a sadly optimistic note, a perfect song to close this record. "Rhythm and Repose" is the sound of a man confident in himself. The rage and angst is still there but is now highly diluted due to an Oscar win and subsequent global success. Still, songwriters as talented as Hansard will always have something to offer. Well done Glen, this ranks up with your best work.… Collapse
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