No one is allowed to break my heart except Glen Hansard. And he does. Daily.
The Adeles and Sam Smiths of the world are incredible at amping up the sadness in their voices when they sing their lovely but over-produced ballads. Hansard, however, relies only on his Irish essence, which oozes dull pink sorrow through his voice. He can tear you into shreds every time he opens his mouth.
Hansard’s new album, Didn’t He Ramble, puts his sad state on full display. “Wedding Ring” carries the sentiment you’d expect from a brokenhearted ballad by the aforementioned crooners, but runs much deeper. Begging his lover not to slip off her ring and slide back into someone else’s arms, the song is folky, focused more on the lyrics than fancy finger work. “Just to be the One” offers a little deeper instrumentation, but is equally moving. Throughout the song, Hansard whispers a hopeful promise of the great lengths he’s willing to go through for the one he loves.
Hansard is perhaps at his “most Irish” on the single “Lowly Deserter.” It’s been a while since someone prominent offered up a new song referencing the Irish Civil War, but that appears to be the context Hansard was going for. Focused on a man who flees from battle, Hansard pleads with the deserter not to lie about his role in the fight, but share the story of his brothers left behind instead (“Lowly, lowly, it must be lonesome/Take a hard look at yourself/And your brother still in battle/Sing his praises, or don’t sing again”). While the song’s premise might not be exclusive to Irish soldiers/deserters, the accompanying music video more directly references Irish history. The clip shows children attending hedge schools, where Irish kids were covertly educated (sometimes outdoors, which is where the “hedge” part of the name comes in) about their heritage, a response to harsh laws established by the English government.
Hansard continues rambling across the globe, sharing his voice and stories with the world. Lucky for us, he can do it on a lighted stage instead of hidden among the hedges.
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This article appears in Nov 18-24, 2015.