Album Review: This Wild Willing by Glen Hansard

Maybe all Glen Hansard has been missing in his work since winning an Oscar with Markéta Irglová (for "Falling Slowly," from 2007's wonderful film Once), was the right collaborators, or foils, to keep him from skirting too close to bland folk gentility.   Is that an over-simplification of the creative process? Probably, but these songs don't sound forced or half-baked, they often beg for the repeat button to be tapped. Melodically, he's never been more engaging or accomplished, because he opts for experimentation from the musicians ….

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The opening track on 2019's This Wild Willing, "I'll Be You, Be Me," begins with a fuzzy rhythm track and a bass patiently thumping over a clanky rhythm machine as Glen Hansard delivers his lyrics in an ominous murmur. Four minutes later it snowballs into a massive tower of cacophony with guitars, keyboards, and strings united in a howling frenzy of sonic force. It's a powerful way to start an album, and while it's easily the set's boldest departure from the introspective but passionate indie folk that has been Hansard's trademark, it sets the stage for a set that finds Hansard pushing his stylistic boundaries.

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