Songs to download: ‘Lowly Deserter,’ ‘Winning Streak’

After hearing his second solo album, “Didn’t He Ramble,” it is safe to say that Glen Hansard certainly did—but in a good way. Deviating from his rock past as well as his Oscar-winning work in the folk musical “Once,” Hansard offers a somewhat formulaic combination of the two distinct genres in his new album. Flowing with gospel rhythms and powerful lyrics, “Didn’t He Ramble” captures Hansard’s emotional side through demonstrations of empathy and gratitude, sharing the music of his soul with the people that care and continue to motivate his persistence.

Growing up in a middle-class family in Ireland during the 1970s, Hansard began his music career at the early age of 13. Leaving school to play music in the streets of Dublin, Hansard has truly made headway toward reaching his musically aspired dreams, yet not without great hardship. Following smaller successes with his band The Frames as well as a short but highly notable run with Irish acoustic band The Swell Season, Glen returns to the solo spotlight for the second time, unveiling an album reflecting on what life’s efforts have taught him, perhaps even more holistically than in his 2012 album, “Rhythm and Repose.”

Although apparently open to expressing himself in a very public way, Hansard may be documenting the insecurities behind this album through the obscurity of his profile on the album’s cover. While his stories are subjective, his songs and messages are widely valuable. Just as “Once” showed us the reality behind impossible love stories, so, too, does Hansard adopt this theme for his own album, offering his sincerest honesty which melodically denotes the dwindling impetus to carry on.

Opening with “Grace Beneath the Pines,” Hansard immediately displays his Irish twang, a signature of his work. Hoping for future kindness and encouraging the idea that “We’ll get through this,” Hansard presents the desire to induce positivity coming back from rougher romantic and occupational times, capturing fans everywhere experiencing a struggle of their own. “Wedding Ring” and “Paying My Way” further identify personal yet realistically common difficulties. But the album takes a thematic turn from this therapeutic sharing of hardship with “Winning Streak.” Presenting a gleam of light in the form of vicarious joy, Hansard focuses on the idea that we should find happiness in the joy of others. As the tempo picks up and pianissimo transitions to mezzo forte, Hansard intertwines socially important perspectives with a sound that keeps a prominent message alive.

While the album does have a few dull moments, it makes up for that in its palpable fullness of heart. Lead single “Her Mercy” quietly but uncontrollably resonates in listener’s minds, offering a comforting reassurance that mercy exists and the time will come for any struggle to meet its end. But perhaps one of the most memorable pieces on the album would be “Lowly Deserter.” Incorporating more instrumentals—from horns to increased percussion—than other songs on the album, it is the point at which Hansard validates his emotional purge with a warning to his audience to be thankful for where they are and what they have no matter the transitory hardships surrounding them. Ending the album with “Stay the Road,” Hansard closes on a softer folky vibe, remarking that he and all of us must continue carrying on through “tired, tired eyes” and feelings of self-doubt.

With the semester in full swing, those “tired, tired eyes” and momentary pangs of self-doubt are anything but far-fetched in the world we know.