Ane Brun "Rarities" (2013)

Rarities

release date: Oct. 2013

format: digital (20 x File, FLAC)

[album rate: 4 / 5] [3,86]

producer: Ane Brun et al

label: Balloon Ranger Recordings - nationality: Norway

Track highlights: 1. "All My Tears" - 2. "Halo" - 4. "From Me to You" - 5. "Tragedy" - 6. "Ain't No Cure for Love" - 7. "Orphan Girl" - 10. "It's Alright (Baby's Coming Back)" - 11. "Oh Love (piano version)" - 12. "The Opening" - 13. "Jóga (live at the Polar Music Prize 2010) - 15. "Virvelvind" - 16. "Fly on the Windscreen" - 17. "Humming One of Your Songs 2013" - 20. "She Belongs to Me"

2nd compilation album in 2013 - like with Songs 2003-2013 (Jun. 2013) in celebration of her first decade as an active musician, and this time with 20 'rare' recordings, i.e. songs that are not found on any of her previous studio releases, or have been scattered out on various singles and / or other compilations. On Brun's bandcamp site the album is described with the following: "According to BRUN, “RARITIES is a compilation of songs and recordings that have either not been released, or have been released on other compilations or as singles. This is a way to empty our cupboards of recordings that have been lying around, and another way to mark my ten year anniversary as an artist.” The collection includes covers of Björk and The Beatles, Elvis and Eurythmics, as well as new versions of fan favourites and, of course, previously unreleased songs, contributing further to an already impressive back catalogue. Many of the recordings are here described more fully with Brun's own words.

In a year with two major compilations from Ane Brun, it's more than hard to choose between the two, and then you don't have to, because with Songs 2003-2013 she has made a great collection of familiar key songs from that period and with this, she shows us more of the full palette - and 'palette', I think, nicely describes this artist's way with her music: she sort of utilises a painters approach with music, words, tones, arrangements, and choise of instrumentation are colours on the canvas, and Brun sure understands how to make use of the whole palette. Also, she has made a vast number of original compositions but she's also a remarkable interpretor, which makes her covers so powerful. She doesn't have to copy the original to make it swing. This is a wonderful collection of highly varied originals.

Highly recommendable.

Ane Brun "Songs 2003-2013" (2013)

Songs 2003-2013

release date: Jun 3, 2013

format: digital (32 x File, MP3)

[album rate: 4 / 5] [3,78]

producer: Ane Brun, various

label: Balloon Ranger Recordings - nationality: Norway

First compilation album by Ane Brun, released to celebrate her first decade in music. The album was exclusively issued in Europe in 2-disc cd format, and eventually as digital download album via her bandcamp profile. The album contains songs from all of her studio albums, live recordings as well as various covers, international hit songs as well as obscure covers all of which includes "The Dancer" by PJ Harvey, "True Colors" by Tom Kelly & Billy Steinberg, "Big in Japan" by Alphaville, "Lift Me" by Norwegian band Madrugada, "Don't Give Up" by Peter Gabriel, "Alfonsina y el mar" by Argentinian composer Ariel Ramirez, "Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels)" by Arcade Fire, and "Feel Good" by Anthony Newley and Leslie Bricusse. These are scattered all over the album but really, it doesn't change much that the songs are covers 'cause what's so special about Ane Brun and her way of covering other artists is her ability to make songs her own. In that respect, she reminds me a bit of Cat Power, who is perhaps more notoriously a cover's artist but who doesn't possess a vocal instrument that equals the qualities of Ane Brun's impressiveness.

Songs 2003-2013 is strong collection of songs, and a nice way to celebrate her time in the limelight. Later this year, she would go on and release another fine 2-disc album of 20 songs titled Rarities containing more obscure recordings of nearly only cover versions, or: 'only' cause those that are not actual covers are Brun covering herself.

Recommended.

Ane Brun "It All Starts with One" (2011)

It All Starts with One

release date: Sep. 6, 2011

format: 2 cd (Deluxe)

[album rate: 4 / 5] [3,86]

producer: Tobias Fröberg

label: Balloon Ranger Recordings - nationality: Norway

Track highlights: CD 1) 1. "These Days" (4 / 5) - 2. "Words" (4 / 5) - 4. "Do You Remember" (4,5 / 5) (live at KCRW) - 6. "Lifeline" - 7. "One" - 9. "Oh Love" - 10. "Undertow"

CD 2) 2. "Take It Slow" - 5. "Du gråter så store tåra (English Version)" - 7. "Another World"

5th studio album by Ane Brun following the release of Sketches (Sep. 2008), which presents her acoustic demo versions of her most recent studio album Changing of the Seasons (Mar. 2008). This new album is often mentioned as her sixth studio album - but that's only when adding the demo version album to the list, which I find misleading. She has thus been on a 3½ years hiatus, which also produced the live album Live at Stockholm Concert Hall (2009), and this period was also shadowed by some time off due to reoccurring physical illness. The album was released as a standard CD issue of ten songs and as a 2 CD Deluxe edition with a bonus cd of eight tracks, which includes three covers.

With It All Starts with One Ane Brun continues to impress, both as a songwriter, as musical composer, and as a sublime vocalist. This new album is her third to top the albums chart in Norway, which it replicated in Sweden - a first accomplishment for a Norwegian artist. All in all, It All Starts with One is another fine album from one of the most original voices in all of Scandinavia. She never just seems satisfied as an artist but always comes up with new stylistic variations, and here she both proves her skills with emotional ballads and uptempo art pop but really no matter what style she excels in there's always a width, an amplitude and an enormous depth, making it all the more likeable.

This is one of her best albums and naturally a highly recommended listen.

[ allmusic.com 3,5 / 5, 👍Mojo, The Independent 4 / 5, 👎PopMatters 2,5 / 5 stars ]

Ane Brun "Sketches" (2008)

Sketches

release date: Sep. 2008

format: digital (15 x File, FLAC)

[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,62]

producer: Ane Brun

label: Balloon Ranger Recordings - nationality: Norway

Track highlights: 1. "The Treehouse Song (Sketches Version)" - 2. "The Fall (Sketches Version)" - 3. "The Puzzle (Sketches Version)" - 4. "My Star (Sketches Version)" - 6. "Changing of the Seasons (Sketches Version)" - 11. "Gillian (Sketches Version)" - 12. "Don't Leave (Sketches Version)"

Album by Ane Brun is the collection of her demos for her most recent album Changing of the Seasons (Mar. 2008). Some music sites file the album as Brun's fifth studio album but since all songs here have all been released previously in full studio arrangements, it should rightfully be regarded as a supplement alongside remix and live albums.

Sketches is a fine collection - especially if you enjoy stripped-down alternate versions. Imo, Brun has one of the finest singing voices in contemporary pop but I still prefer her more fully versions. That said, the album really underlines what a great instrument her voice is, and in this regard it appears to be something that she's fully aware of - in regard to her releases as well as her musical focus when comparing to her first two albums as more classic folk releases.

Ane Brun "Changing of the Seasons" (2008)

Changing of the Seasons

release date: Mar. 12, 2008

format: digital (16 x File, MP3, France)

[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,74]

producer: Valgeir Sigurðsson

label: DetErMine Records - nationality: Norway

Track highlights: 1. "The Treehouse Song" (4 / 5) - 2. "The Fall" - 3. "The Puzzle" - 4. "My Star" - 6. "Changing of the Seasons" - 7. "Lullaby for Grown-Ups" - 9. "Armour" (live) - 10. "Round Table Conference" - 12. "Don't Leave" - *14. "True Colors" (live)

*Bonus track

4th studio album by Ane Brun released three years after A Temporary Dive (Feb. 2005). Brun has however most recently released Duets (Nov. 2005) but that album isn't a traditional studio album, nor does it contain Brun's own songs.

Stylistically, it's the continuation of the more introspective songs, and sonically there is a movement towards more orchestrated compositions with the use of strings and more traditional backing such as bass and percussion, which previously wasn't how she would typically arrange her songs. In this way, the album places itself more clearly in a traditional singer / songwriter / folk music tradition lending from country, but you will also note a move towards more experimental music with synths or piano with a touch of art pop. Some songs are cut in a traditional style, some point in the direction of the minimalist style of A Temporary Dive, and then there are songs that probably carry some of the qualities from Brun's collaborations of her Duets album. Still, it's far from another collection of songs pointing in all possible directions, as Brun makes sure to keep a clear course - and especially: a melancholic mood that lays like a duvet over another nice outing with a new inspiring touch.

The album has been issued in various editions. The standard Scandinavian and European versions come with thirteen tracks and a total playing length of approx. 46 minutes. An edition for the UK market has an additional two covers as bonus tracks, an American version comes with a single bonus track, and the French CD edition was released with three bonus tracks extending the total running time to 56 minutes.

Changing of the Seasons is another beautiful album from one of Norway's most exciting artists. Brun sings with great finesse and with an even clearer character. Where her singing voice previously had an unmistakable Joni Mitchell touch, she is now completely full flown on her own with small, insignificant lendings that makes me think of Dolly Parton and Kate Bush. My only tiny 'complaint' is its strong dark melancholy, which ultimately comes to characterise the overall experience of a otherwise beautifully cut album.

Recommended.

[ allmusic.com, PopMatters 3,5 / 5, Slant 3 / 5, Gaffa.dk 5 / 6, Spin, Uncut 4 / 5 stars ]

Ane Brun "Live in Scandinavia" (2007)

Live in Scandinavia (live)

release date: Feb. 7, 2007

format: digital

[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,64]

producer: Ane Brun

label: DetErMine Records / V2 - nationality: Norway

Track highlights: 2. "To Let Myself Go" - 6. "A Temporary Dive" - 8. "So You Did It Again" - 9. "The Dancer" - 10. "Changing of the Seasons / Fight Song" - 12. "So Real"

Live album by Ane Brun with 17 tracks from a series of concerts in Norway and Sweden recorded from Sep. 10 to 20, 2006. Although, the album quite nicely draws attention to the whole of Scandinavia (where she rightly toured) the songs are taken from eight performances, of which nine are from Norway and eight from Sweden. And of these eight Swedish concerts, seven are from one and the same show on 20/9 in Södra Teatern in Stockholm, while the last one is from the night before at Katalin in Uppsala. The concert recordings in Norway, on the other hand, stem from six different locations. The album has a total running time of 75 minutes.

The songs are mainly from her two studio albums, Spending Time with Morgan from 2003 and A Temporary Dive from 2005, in addition there has been room for three covers by PJ Harvey, Jeff Buckley, and Henry Purcell, with the latter's song also featuring on her 2005 studio album.

It's not the big traditional backing band that Brun brings with her for these concerts. When she doesn't play alone on guitar or piano, she's often accompanied by either the string quartet The DMF String Quartet, by guitarist Staffan Johansson, by pianist Nina Kinert, and / or by percussionist Erik Arvinder. And whether playing with minimal instrumentation or as a soloist, she has said, "There is something about the focus in playing by myself that fascinates me", she says. "There’s nothing to hide behind when I'm alone on stage and it becomes almost meditative for me when I play."

Live in Scandinavia is a fine rendering of Ane Brun on a stage where you can almost sense her natural abilities as a great and present live artist, something which her early career as a street musician may have had a positive effect upon.

Ane Brun "Duets" (2005)

Duets

release date: Dec. 21, 2005

format: digital

[album rate: 3 / 5] [2,92]

producer: diverse

label: DetErMine Records / V2 - nationality: Norway

3rd studio album by Ane Brun released just ten months after her fine A Temporary Dive (Feb. 2005) is not a new collection of songs written and composed by Brun, but according to herself, it's a series of songs made in collaboration with various artists that she admires. The majority of these ten songs are written and composed by the participating artists and Brun is as such the actual 'featuring artist' on seven cuts, with herself listed as main artist with another artist on three songs, and she has herself written and composed only two songs. The same pattern applies to producer credits where the participating artists alone or sometimes with Ane Brun are credited this role.

All of this is evident here when listening to this highly varied album. The songs are not significantly tied together, thus solely stemming from Brun's fascination for the individual artist, and this is where it (unfortunately) becomes very much on the terms of the participating artists. It simply works the best when Brun is both composer, main artist and co-producer, for example on "Rubber & Soul" from her most recent album, but here with Teitur as contributing vocalist. The same applies (somewhat) to "Song No. 6" with Ron Sexsmith, which is, however, a completely identical recording of the version from the album.

This is probably not where you would want to start if you're not familiar with the music by Ane Brun. Duets probably works fine from a completely personal point of view, but if the desire is to listen to a coherent album that should convince you of Brun's great skills as a songwriter, composer, instrumentalist, and vocalist, you'd better look elsewhere.

Not recommended.

Ane Brun "A Temporary Dive" (2005)

A Temporary Dive

release date: Feb. 7, 2005

format: cd

[album rate: 4 / 5] [3,92]

producer: Katharina Nuttall & Ane Brun

label: DetErMine Records / V2 - nationality: Norway

Track highlights: 1. "To Let Myself Go" - 2. "Rubber & Soul" - 3. "Balloon Ranger" (Remix version) - 4. "My Lover Will Go" (4 / 5) - 5. "A Temporary Dive" (5 / 5) - 6. "Laid in Earth" - 8. "Where Friend Rhymes with End" - 9. "The Fight Song"

2nd studio album by Ane Brun released nearly two years after her fine debut Spending Time with Morgan from Feb. 2003, is once again a collection of songs solely written and composed by Brun herself, albeit with a single cover, "Lady in Earth" by Henry Purcell.

With this album, Brun fulfills her great potential and gives us an even stronger personal collection of songs that are not only based on an American singer / songwriter tradition but is shaped by Nordic folk traditions and first and foremost Brun's very own expression. Stylewise, it's a huge conglomerate borrowing from older European folk traditions rooted in the Middle Ages and in Nordic ballads and then it's condensed through folk rock and baroque pop, and in this mix, something new arises - something that should later be labelled as neo folk. The string arrangements are generally more gently applied, and they're only present on a few tracks, while several songs are arranged with accompanying acoustic guitar only. The title track isn't the only exceptional composition here - in fact, it's hard to point to songs that shouldn't be highlighted as featured songs. It's both an enormously varied and coherent album at the same time. The variation comes in the dosage of an almost locked in emotional expression where Brun sings painfully and sincerely, and then on the other hand, the individual songs also take form as light-hearted humorous comments. The song "Balloon Ranger" would later this year also become a lasting name of a record label founded by Ane Brun. The overall impression is a very strict whole as the instrumentation is nevertheless narrow and seemingly hand-picked or the songs have been cut down to a minimum of accompanying instruments - it's always the acoustic that carries the tracks with Ane Brun's characteristic vibrato and the strumming of her guitar, and which ties it all together ever so nicely.

A Temporary Dive is an outstanding Nordic release with an international sound and then it's also an album that places Norway at the artistic top, not just in Scandinavia, but in modern popular music.

This is naturally highly recommended.

[ Pitchfork 7,7 / 10, Slant 4,5 / 5 stars ]

Ane Brun "Spending Time with Morgan" (2003)

Spending Time with Morgan [debut]

release date: May 25, 2003

format: cd (DEMCD01)

[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,72]

producer: Kim Nelson; Katharina Nuttall & Cecile Grudet

label: DetErMine Records / V2 - nationality: Norway

Track highlights: 1. "Humming One of Your Songs" (4 / 5) (live - live) - 2. "Are They Saying Goodbye?" - 3. "On Off" - 4. "I Shot My Heart" - 7. "One More Time" - 9. "What I Want" - 11. "Wooden Body" (live)

Studio album debut by Norwegian soloist Ane Brun (aka Ane Kvien Brunvoll) released with assistance from V2 on the small independent label DetErMine, founded by the three singer / songwriter friends: Ane Brun, Canadian Wendy McNeill, and Swedish Ellekari Larsson (from the band The Tiny) - the album number reveals this as the first on the label, DEMCD01. From 2009 Brun exclusively releases her albums on her own label Balloon Ranger Recordings, however, these releases still comes with the catalog numbers beginning initiated with 'DEM' + continued numbers, either in respect of her co-founded early label, or simply because she has took over the old label when realising her own label. Ane Brun was born and raised in Molde in Norway, but she has been living in Sweden since 1999.

Spending Time with Morgan is mainly acoustic folk rock in a singer / songwriter format with elements from chamber pop and with strong ties to a predominantly American tradition, which in terms of style and genre has much in common with Danish Marie Frank and Tina Dickow, all of which especially bring to mind the strong legacy of Joni Mitchell. That said, I think that Brun is in a league of her own, both with a stronger international appeal than her Danish colleagues, and for having an apparent original voice of her own.

Both music and lyrics here are Brun's own, and although you may find clear bonds to well-known styles and other artists, the album exudes a self-assured individuality with its quiet, introverted tone, and Brun's vocal suits the simple arrangements ever so fittingly.

A very fine and promising debut.

[ Gaffa.dk 4 / 6 stars ]