Friday, May 18, 2007

Currently listening to: The Swell Season

Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova - Image from NPRI fumbled on today's album while listening to a review  of the movie once (IMDB, Trailer) on NPR.  The music in the background caught my fancy so I decided to Google the movie and find out if it had a soundtrack.  I found that it did, but it will not be released till Tuesday.  Clearly I didn't want to settle for that.  After a bit more digging, I discovered that the main characters of the movies, played by Glen Hansard of The frames and Marketa Irglova, had previously collaborated on an album titled The Swell Season.  As always, I used good ' ole Rhapsody to find the album and take a listen.  After all that digging around, the album did not disapoint.  It's pretty much the type of music I enjoy listening to at all times.  It's very Damien Rice-esque.  Great Lyrics, great accoustic guitar play accompanied with various instruments.  The voices on both artists compliment so well to create soothing and relaxing music that would leave you feeling very composed in the middle of a hurricane.  I enjoyed every track on the ablum but my favorites were Falling Slowly and This Low.  I would def recommened buying the entire CD.  It's worth mentioning also that The frames stuff is also good.

NPR Says:

Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova never set out to make a record: The two musicians had toured Europe together on and off, but that was mostly to provide a break from Hansard's long-running main band, The Frames. Then Hansard and Irglova were approached to record a pair of songs for a Czech film -- and given four days in the studio, which they spent recording enough material for a full record, complete with the accompaniment of strings.

The result is 10 quietly brilliant songs, each built around piano, acoustic guitar, violin, cello and the two headliners' soft, sweet voices. Serious emotion bubbles beneath the melodies: The songs are optimistic in spots, but more often somber or desolate. Named for a work by one of Hansard's favorite Czech authors, The Swell Season is a lovely sleeper -- and a must for Frames fans as they await the 2007 release of the Irish band's The Cost.

[David Dye]

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