ALBUM REVIEW: Brefjære – Spurv

It’s easy sometimes to underestimate the power that music can have as a tool of description. For centuries it has been used as a soundtrack for stage shows, film and countless other forms of media, augmenting visual experience and allowing for complete immersion. SPURV’s music embodies this philosophy, acting as a blinding sonic depiction of harsh cold, Norwegian fjords and unforgiving terrain. They have long used an awe-inspiring blend of post-rock and classical structures to achieve this soundscape, equally as sparse as pummelling when called upon. They are set to return with their latest album Brefjære, a follow-up to the 2018 full-length Myra, and it very much continues in the same vein: brilliant and spellbinding.

The story commences with Krokete, Rettskafen, amidst a haunting introduction concocted from ghostly strings and eerie brass, quickly followed by flickering percussion and a choral addition that begins to build a sense almost of traditional Nordic folk, the percussion starts to gently thud, and guitar melodies are delicately applied to eventually lead us into what becomes a much heavier, post-metallic secondary track, En Brennende Vogn Over Jordet. Standing just over nine minutes in length, this is the first of the album’s three bulkier tracks and meanders intricately, rarely resting in a single place as riffs and melodies interweave and metamorphosise, ever shifting. Translating to something like ‘a burning cart across a field’, the track title provides some context as to how it sounds, the pace is quick and seems only to build momentum as it concludes and then transitions into the equally fulfilling Som Skyer.

After the interludial Under Himmelhelvingen comes Til En Ny Vår, sitting around the midpoint of the album and probably being the highlight. It is the record’s most dynamic track, featuring impossibly beautiful crescendos and earworm melodies, making use of tremolo, strings and pounding drums and yet at times feeling so sedate, idyllic and precise, again, just like the landscapes from which it draws its imagery. Å Vente Er Å Endre is another moment of calm – at least after sharp outbursts of harsh noise – a shorter track overlaid by delicate vocals, and then Urdråpene picks up the pace one final time, the album’s final track proper and another labyrinth of noise, doom and intimate sonic depiction. Once Din Pust Fra Stein concludes the album we have traversed a great journey and been exposed to a wintry wilderness.

Brefjære is a majestic piece of work, feeling almost like a living collaboration between musician and nature. It builds on their previous releases and offers a deeper dive into the band’s capability, showcasing why they have become a serious player in post-rock circles over the last decade or so. It’s not one to miss if you’re a fan of music that pushes the envelope and transcends the genres that birthed it.

Rating: 8/10

Brefjære is out now via Pelagic Records.

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