Ane Brun: 'Changing of the Seasons'
‘Changing of the Seasons’ is the third studio album of Norway’s pocket-sized princess Ane Brun. A triumph for self promotion and dedication the album is, like those that preceded it, released courtesy of Brun’s own record company DetErMine - unlike the first two, however, this is the album that promises to finally unleash the folk-songstress into the spotlight to combine critical acclaim with commercial success.
A collection of songs about love and heartbreak, life and death, the lyrics are delivered in Brun’s identifiably delicate vocal, a vocal that paints all the pictures drawn in the words to ensure that from first to last this album cries emotion and it is to Brun’s immense credit that not once does the feeling waver. Indeed it is in vocals that Brun’s main strength lies as she possesses a voice of sheer beauty and natural talent, at times reminiscent of a peak-form Dolly Parton yet versatile enough to show echoes of Scandinavian counterpart Bjork and actress-come-singer Scarlett Johansson. Like the three aforementioned, Brun is able to use a studio-friendly voice in ways that others could not and covers her subject matter with such incisiveness that what’s left is much more than the sum of its parts – a folk-country hybrid that is all too easy to get lost in.
The bumper fifteen-track LP begins with ‘The Treehouse Song’ a song that does actually make you want to go and sit in a treehouse and get lost in the rest of it, followed by ‘The fall’ – a fantastic start to the album, two tracks that show all of Brun’s strengths; her vocal, her melodic beauty and her delicate yet intelligent lyrics. Throughout the record, Brun keeps the lyrics brief but to the point, metaphorically enchanting her songs with life’s wider wonders; hope, love, despair and heartbreak, and every word of it is believable. Sometimes it’s hard to tell whether a musician is writing autobiographically but in listening to ‘Changing of the Seasons’ I felt like I was listening to Ane Brun’s life story – whether I was or I wasn’t became irrelevant.
Seven tracks in comes the highlight, perfectly housed at halfway, right where you want it to be. ‘Lullaby for Grown Ups’ is simply sensational. Dark and filled with sorrow, it’s a song that makes you want to cry but you’re not quite sure why. Maybe I got carried away listening to it, maybe you’ll feel the same, I don’t know, but you should find out by listening to this track if nothing else.
Its testament again to the rest of Brun’s work that the highlight doesn’t totally dominate or detract from what’s left, more alt-folk-country delivered with impeccable style and quality from a woman who deserves credit firstly for perseverance but, more importantly, for a superb record. ‘Changing of the Seasons’ deserves to change Brun’s life.
9/10.
Words: Benjamin Coley
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