Brefjære

With expansive studio albums and captivating live shows, it's safe to say that Spurv have left an indelible impression on the international post-rock scene over the past decade. This Norwegian sextet has released 3 stellar albums thus far, but their new record Brefjære opens up a whole new dimension in terms of composition, musicianship, scope and production. Brefjære combines the orchestral grandeur of MONO with the wistful textures of This Will Destroy You and the Scandinavian mysticism of Sigur Rós. An oratorio for a world in despair with which Spurv redefine the boundaries of symphonic rock and post-rock, fnding beauty and solace in the intersection of time, nature, history, and humanity.

Being a collection of four monologues, Brefjære isn’t as much of a conversation in the sense of an exchange of sentences as it is a conversation in the academic sense, in which the conversation takes place in the exchange of ideas. Across eight songs these four characters, represented by choirs or soloists, each hold their own monologue in the Norwegian tongue, commenting on their own realities as well as their interrelatedness in rich poetry. From the frailty of the peppered moth dancing with the wind to the birch tree quenching its thirst in the bowels of the mountain, a dynamic sense of shifting time scales and relations is conveyed which fnds its refection in the music.

From its immaculate conception during an unsuspecting gaze out of the window to the extensive process of its creation, Brefjære is a work of art that brings together the temporal and the eternal both in music and in poetry, revealing the universal truth that we are all equally everlasting and equally ephemeral. From the humble solo vocal performances against huge droning notes of «Under himmelhvelvingen» and «Å vente er å endre» to the magnifcent celestial melodies of «Som skyer» and «Til en ny vår» Brefjære touches feetingly and eternally on that imperishable quality that Spurv are dying to bring with their music. A sonic saga for the ages.

Spurv:
Gustav Jørgen Pedersen – electric guitar, acoustic guitar, vocal on #4, percussion
Herman Otterlei – electric guitar
Hans-Jakob Jeremiassen – bass
Simon Ljung – drums
Eirik Ørevik Aadland – electric guitar, lap steel guitar, glockenspiel, trumpet,
Simen Eifring – trombone, percussion

Guest musicians:
Tåran Reindal (Leonov) – vocal on #6
Jørgen Bagheera Apeness – vibraphone
Kari Rønnekleiv – violin
Ole-Henrik Moe – violin, viola, cello, picoletto violin
Inger Hannisdal – solo violin on #2 and #7