Glen Hansard
came up with the title for his 2023 album
All That Was East Is West of Me Now
when it occurred to him that, at the age of 53, more of his life was in the past than would likely be in his future. To what degree this gave
Hansard
a greater sense of urgency about what he hoped to accomplish as an artist is an open question, but
All That Was East
is the work of a songwriter with a great deal to say and a desire to speak boldly and passionately about his world. The first two tracks, "The Feast of St. John" and "Down on Our Knees," are raw, noisy, and fervent, the sound of a man who believes he can stave off the dying of the light with the power of his music, and if their attack is more physical than the rest of the LP, they set the stage for a collection of songs that dig deep into the songwriter's spirit. "Sure as the Rain" could pass for late-period
Leonard Cohen
in its low-key but emotionally intense declaration of love, the languid folk rock of "Short Life" is matched to lyrics about how precious a resource time can be, and "There's No Mountain" concerns the hard work of making the most of life and love, and the high stakes of the reward. Musically,
's sense of dynamics and melodic and lyrical intelligence lives up to the standard
has established as a solo artist, and the presence of
Warren Ellis
of
the Dirty Three
and
Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds
on "The Feast of St. John" adds to the song's powerful, ambitious tone of controlled chaos. Producer and engineer
David Odlum
, a frequent collaborator with
, has given the material a sound that's full but wisely dynamic, leaving just enough open space to suit the peaks and valleys of the arrangements.
's accompanists (built around the core of guitarist
Rob Bochnik
, bassist
Joseph Doyle
, and drummer
Earl Harvin
on most tracks) mesh beautifully with the heat and light of his songs. If
has become increasingly aware of his mortality,
confirms that as an artist, he's not wasting the days he has left on the trivial, and the craft and the emotional power of this music is strong enough that we can all hope he might have another 10 or 20 years of music this good left in him. ~ Mark Deming