NEW ALBUM ‘ALL THAT WAS EAST IS WEST OF ME NOW’ OUT OCTOBER 20
“The track stomps like a melancholy waltz as Hansard contemplates loss and the passage of time.” – Consequence on “The Feast Of St. John”
“With rolling electric guitar and a punchy drum beat that builds to an emotive peak, Hansard’s rich vocals relay the painful frustration weaved within each lyric.” – American Songwriter on “The Feast Of St. John”
“The dynamic interplay between often subdued, introspective new material and the powerful, older songs proves Hansard remains a superb live performer.” – PopMatters
Irish musician Glen Hansard, whose music NPR has called “expansive without sacrificing intimacy,” is sharing the new song ‘There’s No Mountain’ today. The song points forward, to the virtue of simply pressing on, despite cataclysms global and personal that might challenge any stable orbit. It also calls to mind Dylan’s ‘Forever Young’ with the insightful line “when you go without, then you’ll go within,” and the power of positivity with the inspirational sentiment “there’s no mountain great or small that you can’t climb.”
Listen to ‘There’s No Mountain’ below
A song that will resonate with fans of Hansard’s earlier solo work, ‘There’s No Mountain’ is featured on his new album All That Was East Is West of Me Now, coming out October 20. Equal parts noisy and meditative as well as sprawling and hypnotic, the album was produced by long time Glen Hansard and The Frames co-conspirator David Odlum (Tinariwen, Sam Smith) at his home studio on the outskirts of Dublin.
The process of recording, as of song writing, “must be an intuitive leap into what feels right,” says Hansard. “When it feels right, I usually run from it, mix it quickly before it collapses.” For the bulk of the record, Hansard was joined in the studio by fellow Frames; Joe Doyle, Graham Hopkins, Ruth O’Mahony Brady, Rob Bochnik and honorary Frame, Earl Harvin. Strings came courtesy from fellow live contributors Gareth Quinn Redmond, Kate Ellis, Paula Hughes, Katie O’Connor and Una O’Kane.
“I’m in the latter third of a good life!” Hansard says of the meaning behind the album’s title. “And my golden prize is a life in song. I haven’t gotten lost, I’ve stayed true to my first calling, and I’ve been blessed with life’s deepest riches. So, I might be facing west, or east. But I’m happy in the place I’m in.”
There is great possibility here. The journey is nearer to its completion than its commencement, but Hansard isn’t yet ready to come to a standstill; there are more mountains to climb, there is more terrain to explore. There is still so much more to experience.
Pre-Order ’All That Was East Is West Of Me Now’
1. The Feast Of St. John
2. Down On Our Knees
3. There’s No Mountain
4. Sure As The Rain
5. Between Us There Is Music
6. Ghost
7. Bearing Witness
8. Short Life
9. Outro
