Glen Hansard - ‘All That Was East Is West Of Me Now’ review
Glen Hansard by Stephan Vanfleteren
On 20 October, Irish singer-songwriter Glen Hansard released his seventh album, All That Was East Is West Of Me Now, via ANTI- Records. The album is Hansard’s first since pre-pandemic times.
Known as ‘the Once guy,’ Hansard has come a long way since leaving school to busk as a teenager. He found success by performing with his renowned band The Frames over twenty-five years ago, used as an inspiration for All That Was East Is West Of Me Now, and also appeared in John Carney’s romantic musical film Once (2007). Preferring group collaboration rather than solo projects, Hansard says he and the band’s time working on this album, some of which was spent in Italy, was ‘raw as hell’ and that he missed playing with a band so much over the past two years. A return to what he thought was lost (a phrase that sounds like the album title), not only has Hansard been playing with a band again but he also started using electric guitars; it seems he is reintegrating his previous self.
All That Was East Is West Of Me Now depicts an intense internal journey for Hansard. Many of his pieces were inspired by themes like bereavement, hopelessness, feeling lost without any direction, and having to find the strength to be positive again after a long period of darkness. Originally released as a single, the opening track, “The Feast of St. John,” is a ballad that took notes from ‘70s rock and folk musicians, such as Neil Young, which I also noticed traces of in “Bearing Witness.” Lyrics like “Won’t we, all go down on our knees/Eventually” in “Down On Our Knees” and “And when the wind and the weather are working together/I knew that we could make it” in “There’s No Mountain” symbolise Hansard’s recent struggles where the world feels like it’s caving in. But yet, hope prevails and there’s always something coming around the bend.
“Sure As The Rain” with its intimate vocals, slow tempo, and strings that pull one into it is very [Leonard] Cohen-esque. In “Between Us There Is Music,” Hansard discusses how music always remains something one can fall back on in times of hardship: “We tie ourselves all up in knots/The result is the same/Between us there is music/Perhaps this is a song.” A beautiful reflection of how creativity can act as a commonality. “Ghost” features haunting vocals and deep, moody guitars, growing to a fantastic crescendo, breaking through about halfway through. An emotionally trying song, hinting at going through a rough period: “There’s a ghost in your mouth/I can taste it/A thing you’d rather not talk about.” In the end, Hansard asks if he and the other person can work things out; his pain is there for all to empathise with. “Bearing Witness” is a song about how Hansard is simply trying to stay centred while life throws him all sorts of curveballs, ‘bearing witness’ to the changes he’s experienced and the transformation he’s undertaking. His second to last track, “Short Life,” digs into existential questions about how little time we have left to live, touching on the recent passing of Hansard’s mother. The final track, “Reprise,” sees the sun setting on what has been a masterpiece in creative storytelling, poetic reflections, and musical mastery.
The title of Hansard’s new album, All That Was East Is West Of Me Now, seems to befit its content; leaving the past behind and beginning new ventures. I look forward to hearing more from Hansard in the future.
All That Was East Is West Of Me Now from Glen Hansard is out via ANTI- Records and available on all good streaming platforms. You can catch Glen Hansard live on his current European tour.