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BALTIMORE - Norwegian-born artist Ane Brun developed a magic touch for an appealing sound early in her career.
Unlike the Scandinavian pop and rock bands that fans have become familiar with over the years, such as the disco-era Swedish supergroup ABBA and, more recently, The Hives, Brun has forged a distinct music identity with a strong folk foundation.
Brun’s debut LP in 2003, “Spending Time With Morgan,” earned strong marks from critics, and developed a solid following in Europe. After releasing an album of duets, she recorded her next solo effort, “A Temporary Dive” (V2).
“A Temporary Dive” made a huge splash almost as soon as it hit European record stores in 2005, achieving platinum record status in less than a month.
Now, the singer-songwriter - who resides in Stockholm, Sweden - is looking to reach a new audience in North America, as the disc finally arrived in the United States this year.
Brun assimilates dashes of jazz, country and pop into the album’s folk sensibility. From the alluring opener “To Let Myself Go” to the country licks on the quirky “Balloon Ranger” and melodic simmer on “This Voice,” Brun’s strong vocal range combines with a deceptively sparse sound to produce a subtle intensity. She also plays acoustic guitar on the album, and counts among her guitar influences Nick Drake and Jeff Buckley.
Brun holds a particular appreciation, though, for two notable folk artists who had a telling impact on her music.
“When I was 20, I was living at a friend’s house, and she had Joni Mitchell’s `Blue’ album,” Brun recalls. “A year later, I got my first guitar. So those things just of merged into each other. After Joni Mitchell, I discovered Ani DiFranco, which for me was very, very important, because that’s how I learned to play. ... Her finger picking is amazing.”
“A Temporary Dive” strikes its strongest chord on its affecting ballads, particularly with the elegant “Laid In Earth"_ a number Brun describes as a “cover” of a 16th century opera aria - and poignant “My Lover Will Go.”
Brun’s lyrics often possess an introspective quality; they actually have little to do with her personal experiences with love and relationships.
“I think it’s like analyzing from a distance,” Brun says. “Many of these songs are not about heartache. It’s about trying to get through the hard times that you have. It comes from situations in my life. But it wasn’t necessarily love-related stuff.”
The record also features three duets, including “Song No. 6,” with artist Ron Sexsmith, and a bonus track with Syd Matters on the U.S. release, “Little Lights.” The third number, “Rubber and Soul,” was recorded as a Brun solo originally for the European release. For the U.S. version, Brun re-recorded the song’s jaunty, dialogue-like lyrics with a fellow Scandinavian, alternative pop artist Teitur.
Many of the numbers on “A Temporary Dive” took time to gel. Brun shapes her tracks carefully, and doesn’t rush the creative process.
“I work really slowly,” Brun says. “I want it to feel good even after three weeks and four weeks and five weeks, and make it grow quality wise.”
But on occasion, inspiration does strike her in an instant.
“Sometimes it (inspiration) just comes like this,” says Brun, snapping of her fingers. “‘My Love Will Go’ was one night with a huge bottle of wine. Because it was something that had happened that was so strong, and I really wanted to play and write about it.
“If something is happening around me or inside of me or to someone else close to me, it’s like I need to sit down and write a lyric about it, to kind of decide what I feel about this thing. ... And then I try to see it from the outside, and how can I describe that feeling.”
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© 2006 McClatchy-Tribune News Service.
