Spurv – Brefjære - album review.

By Olivia Kendall.

Six-piece instrumental post-rock/metal band Spurv, hailing from Oslo, Norway, are back with their fourth record Brefjære. Spurv have been around since 2011, creating beautiful music with flecks of chaos and serenity – holding a strong reputation for being an intense, emotional live act. Main composer Gustav Jørgen Pedersen says that Brefjære has been in the creation process for quite some time with elements growing a decade old – “Some of these ideas I’ve been working on for over 10 years”. Upon the first listen of Brefjære, some aspects can draw comparisons with Icelandic post-rock band Sigur Rós, with whimsical sounds combined with intense strings and – while less frequent in Spurv songs adopting a mostly instrumental approach – mysterious, haunting, celestial vocals.

Pedersen notes that a huge inspiration for the album came from nature – “One day I looked out the window where I see the mountains and the birch trees and I found myself wondering, if they could speak, what would they be telling each other?”. When listening to the first song introducing the album, called ‘Krokete, rettskafen’, the links to nature are apparent – the deep eerie strings, twinkling of bells and slow, bellowing drums that open the song up before leading to windswept vocals from the choir bring familiar thoughts of cold, piercing snow. It’s almost as if the trees around are singing in the elements. A good feature of songs that remain mostly instrumental is the ease of appreciating them in the background or the foreground – listening to music while working or reading greatly benefits the ability to focus for many as long as it doesn’t distract – very much like nature. Nature can be enjoyed in the background too, but just like Brefjære, you see it in its most beautiful form when you take time to focus your attention on it properly.

Songs like ‘En brennende vogn over jordet’, ‘Som skyer’, ‘Til en ny vår’ and ‘Å vente er å endre’ all share a similar trait – moments of majestic tranquillity and calm, interweaved with heavier, rugged and piercing elements of rock blazing their way through. This dual element of two opposing forces working together really works well to reflect nature, as while the natural world can be serene, it can also be violent and unforgiving. Other songs throughout the album such as ‘Under himmelhvelvingen’ and ‘Din pust fra stein’ (the final song which rounds Brefjære off) purely keep sounds of peace and soothing, ridding themselves of any chaotic noise. On the other side of the coin, ‘Urdråpene’ from the very beginning until the end is full of explosive, loud instruments, pitting itself as the heaviest song on the album. Each song on the album is unique, while seamlessly flowing into the next as part of a greater story. Brefjære is truly a beautiful creation which I urge you to close your eyes and listen to.