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The Swell Season are Glen Hansard (from the Irish band the Frames) andMarketa Irglova (classically trained Czech pianist and vocalist). In 2007,Once, a film about two people meeting and falling in love on the streets ofDublin, became an indie phenomenon, as audiences everywhere respondedto the unassuming charm of the two leads, Glen and Marketa, and thebeautiful music they made together. On the way to going gold, the Oncesoundtrack brought the Swell Season onto the stage of the AcademyAwards, where the band won the Best Original Song award, and into thehearts of the audience and host Jon Stewart. Since then they have toured tosold-out venues as the Swell Season, Once has become a perennial top DVDrental and seller, and now the film is in development for a Broadwaymusical to open early in 2010.Now comes the much anticipated follow-up, Strict Joy, and from the firstnotes of first track Low Rising, the musical magic audiences found inOnce is back. The band returns to map the rocky peaks and valleys ofrelationships in songs like the haunting I Have Loved You Wrong, aMarketa feature, and the driving, anthemic The Rain. A featuredocumentary will make the festival rounds this fall, covering the making ofOnce and Glen and Marketa s musical coming together, but in themeantime, the beautiful songs of Strict Joy will tell their story.
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Reviews:
Solid
This is definitely a more polished entry from this compelling duo. I did not realize they had ended their romantic relationship, and I'm sad about that, but it imparts a bitterwseet air to their performance. Hopefully they will continue their musical association for years to come, because they are only getting better. This CD showcases Irglova's lovely voice in a couple of numbers. I feel like Hansard is such a huge personality, and I like the idea that he has a softer side and uses Irglova to send that message. I agree with the reviewer who points out that Hansard's voice is not so raw as on earlier albums. In general the orchestration is more prominent and beautifully offsets their vocals. The lyrics are clever and rueful. I like this CD quite a bit. I gave it 5 stars instead of 4 because it feels like something I could put in my player at any time, and never get tired of it. THEY KEEP GETTING BETTER!!!!
I LOVED THE CD "ONCE" AND IT DEFINETLY DESERVED AN OSCAR. I CAN SEE A GRAMMY IN THE WINGS FOR THIS NEW CD "STRICT JOY" AS WELL. MR. HANSARD AND MS. IRGLOVA COMPLIMENT ONE ANOTHER IN SUCH A WAY THAT IT IS PURE "STRICT JOY" TO HEAR THEM ON THIS NEW ALBUM. I AM 52 YRS. OLD AND NEVER HAS MUSIC TOUCHED ME AS THIS MUSIC HAS DONE SO AND FOR THOSE WHO DISAGREE IT IS YOUR LOSS. PLEASE GIVE THE CD ANOTHER TRY AND SEE IF YOUR HEART DOESN'T JUST FALL IN LOVE THESE SONGS. THANK YOU MR. HANSARD AND MS. IRGLOVA FOR YOUR HARD WORK AND FOR ALL THE TIME YOU GIVE TO US YOUR FANS! ALSO, THANKS TO MR. GREYNOLDS FOR HAVING THE BEST JOB POSSIBLE OF MANAGING A GREAT TALENTED BAND!!
SINCERELY SINCERE,
CJ A Truimphant Return
Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova return with The Swell Season 2.0 and there's no let down. At first listen, there's nothing as instantly catchy as the tunes from "Once" and their debut album. If you consider the fact that the tunes from those albums represent some of the finest highlights of Glen Hansard's career with The Frames, it's completely understandable. Even if their romantic relationship didn't survive staring at fame in the face, their creative muse did. They seem to have drawn on the end of their romance and the beginning of a different kind of friendship to craft the gentle sadness and cautious optimism that runs through this album. The lion's share of the credit still goes to Hansard but he makes good use of Irglova who's a stellar musician still developing her skills as a vocalist and songwriter. If you consider her age, she should be absolutely devastating as she gains experience. That doesn't even take into account that she was born to harmonize with Glen. Their voices were absolutely made for each other. Grab the deluxe edition and you've got a full length concert and dvd where Glen's skills as a front man are absolutely dazzling. I've heard some of the between song patter before and I'm not even tired of the storytelling yet. Good But Not Great.
I feel like I am a HUGE Swell Season fan. However, in my opinion, this album is nowhere near as good as the Once soundtrack or their self titled album. In the first album, Glen's guitar work blew me away and I didn't get that from this album. I would still recommend owning it if you are a Swell Season fan but try not to compare it to their first 2 because you will be disappointed. It's much more mellow, almost too mellow. More Polished But Still Wonderful
Who doesn't already know the charming story of Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova, the creative (and for a while, romantic) couple who acted and performed in that indie film gem from Ireland, "Once"? It was a bit of an underdog triumph when they won the "Best Song" Oscar last year for "Falling Slowly", arguably the best romantic ballad of the decade. Now they follow up that success with a new album under their collective name, The Swell Season. It's a more polished affair than either their debut album or the "Once" soundtrack, but it's also much more cohesive. You won't hear Hansard's raw, shouting vocals that punctuated the songs from "Once", but that's not a problem. This is definitely a mellower affair, and the songwriting is every bit as strong and more mature. It's not as cathartic as some of the songs from "Once", but it's still quietly moving. |
Keyword: Music,
Description: Strict Joy
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