Day 346 – Glen Hansard – Bird of Sorrow

A gentle, breezy bummer, Rhythm and Repose (out June 19) is Hansard’s quietest record yet; to put it mildly, it spends more time in repose than it spends enslaved by the rhythm. Other than a few showy climaxes in its midsection (“High Hope” and “Bird of Sorrow,” to be exact), Rhythm and Repose remains content mostly to seethe lightly, with much of its instrumentation employed for the purpose of subtle shading. Those seeking vein-bulging thunder will have to plunge back into Hansard’s rich catalog, or wait to see him command yet another live stage. In the meantime, he still sings of the same things — unrequited longing, mistakes repeated, the enduring pursuit of grace and joy — but they’re channeled here through a mature mind in a mellow mood. [NPR]