Glen Hansard & Markéta Irglová
The Swell Season

THE REVIEW

November, December.

Time of rain, time of snow. Time of joy and melancholy, arriving in quick succession, overlapping to the point of no longer distinguishing them, as you sit inside, staring out the window, taking stock of what went as expected and what went wrong. And the surprises, good or bad, that happened in between, without you expecting them. Needless to say, this is the time when you seek something that deeply touches your strings, a sound that resonates strongly within you, shaking you, making you reflect, letting you touch the peaks and the abysses. Perhaps I am not the only one. And so, I want to tell you about "The Swell Season", a project by Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglova. I've already had the opportunity to mention them in the Eye Reviews. He is the leader of The Frames, she is a young and talented pianist and singer, his collaborator; together, with the direction of former Frames bassist John Carney, they made the film "Once".

"The Swell Season" is, if you will, a kind of soundtrack (it contains "Falling Slowly", the film's leitmotif and two other tracks featured in it, "Lies" and "When Your Mind's Made Up"), but it is also the reasonable continuation on record (I would like to say "on vinyl", but the formats are what they are, and therefore, one has to settle...) of that collaboration. In a sense, this album is just like the film. If you are looking for a masterpiece, a work that will go down in the annals, this is not the place to stop. It wouldn't suit you. But if you are looking for a terribly autumnal album, with all the reds and browns in their shades, you won't remain insensitive to the Irish redhead Glen Hansard, with a voice and guitar reminiscent of Cat Stevens, in "Leave". Or if you are looking for something cold, icy, and windy like the spine-chilling Central European voice of Markéta Irglova, slow down and give a listen to "Alone Apart", a hauntingly beautiful closing piece.

A folk album both melancholic and romantic at the same time, with its guitars, piano, voice, accordion, and some strings in the background at key moments; with some pop hues from time to time, but never compromising with easy listening. Simple, genuine, honest. Like the crackling fire in the home fireplace. As befits an autumn album.