Resurgence and new inspiration
Norwegian artist Ane Brun recently released her album After the Great Storm. This album is born from the heartache that the artist experienced following her father’s death. Not finding the strength to produce music in the years following his death in 2016, Brun has created an album that deeply explores the parts of herself she couldn’t face for all of those years. After the Great Storm is a very personal collection about relationships with others and with oneself, as well as a bigger and more general theme of one’s life.
The album begins with a deep delve into Brun’s past self. In “Honey,” Brun reaches out to her past self through the lyrics, “I know things will come back to haunt you” and “I know that you will make it through/ Cause I am you.” In this track, Brun urges consideration of how individual actions have consequences. “After the Great Storm” starts with heavy synths that set the mood for an empathetic tune of a dramatic relief found after grief, the instrumentals and Brun’s misty vocals joining forces to deliver the show.
“Don’t Run And Hide” is a piece that urges the listener to fight their inner demons and escape the pain they are feeling, singing that fear is “A Lonely Exile.” The cascades of sparkling violin run and repeating lyrics, “I am here for you,” generate a feeling of intimacy. “Crumbs” describes a relationship that is difficult to escape, one that feels dry and suffocating. Bright and chirpy beats that at first may seem inappropriate in conjunction with the lyrics fit beautifully as the piece goes on and create a tune that is pleasantly buoyant. This cheery scene becomes overcast with the introduction of “Feeling Like I Wanna Cry,” where Brun sings of darkness from which she can see no end. Light and sporadic drumbeats layered on low-toned and lengthy violin notes create a shadowy and somber feel to the piece.
“Take Hold of Me” follows a similar style; only this piece features electronic interruptions to a dramatic melody. The mellow and bass-heavy piece “Fingerprints” acknowledges the elephant in the room and speaks, for the first time, of the death of Brun’s father. She sings, “I miss you” repeatedly along with lyrics “You’re visiting my dreams…Signaling to me/ As if we are still connected/ Through a narrow opening/ And I keep asking/ Why are you here/ And not with me?.” The collection is completed with “We Need a Mother,” where Brun says that she is “offended by the lack of human decency… We need each other.” These lyrics seem heavily appropriate, Brun reminding people that they must come together to solve the global problems at hand.
After the Great Storm is a representation of what is happening in the life of its creator as well as in the lives of all who live today. Brun is set to release a second album later on due to her incredible amount of inspiration following her break, and After the Great Storm, as such, seems to end on a question of life that begs to be answered in her next release.
Leave a Comment