The Swell Season

El Rey - August 1, 2007

Live Review by Brandon Krueger

The Swell Season (Frames frontman Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova) had the audience eating out of their hands before playing a single note.  Obviously the sold-out crowd at the El Rey had seen their movie, Once, devoured its wonderful soundtrack and committed the songs to memory.  The curtains opened to reveal Hansard, seated with his hole-y Takamine acoustic, eyes locked on the diminutive and adorable Irglova, peeking out from behind an enormous grand piano.  They began with “When Your Mind’s Made Up,” a simple lament in a complex time signature that builds to a wailing emotional crescendo wherein Hansard’s voice breaks free of the duo’s signature harmonies to overwhelm the landscape.  All evening, Hansard sang spectacularly, showing both intensity and subtlety.  At times he overwhelmed Irglova’s clear voice, but they blended sonorously, just as on the album.  “When Your Mind’s Made Up” lost nothing from lack of the rhythm section that occasionally adorns the Once soundtrack.  The guitar, piano and occasional effect-tweaked Wurlitzer (provided by Mr. Barcklay “from New York”) provided all the musical accompaniment that Hansard and Irglova’s beautiful voices required.

Swell Season performed all of their songs from Once, and often departed from the arrangements on the album.  For example, Irglova sang “All the Way Down” (normally sung by Hansard), bringing a new sweetness to the song.  Generally, Irglova plays and sings evocatively, but with a flat affect – a far cry from Hansard’s soaring emotiveness and intensity. Their faces tell this entire story: Irglova’s reserve contrasts with Hansard’s roiling contortions. He turns bright red when he belts, sings out of the corners of his mouth and bears his teeth, and his eyebrows simply do whatever they wish.

Unsurprisingly, the strongest songs from the album won the night: “Once,” “Lies” and “Falling Slowly” epitomize their gift for writing universal songs of loss which spring from childish, almost nursery rhyme, melodies.  Peals of praise cascaded, some well-deserved (“your songs are beautiful!”), some forgivably absurd (“best movie of the year! Oscar!”).  More raucous by the tune, the audience even sang along to “Banana Man,” a silly ditty Hansard wrote for his niece, just so he could sing one happy song.  Save for a pulse deadening ballad by guest Damien Rice, the good cheer grew and grew, with Irglova and Hansard simply riding the wave.

 “Say It To Me Now” provided true magic: when Hansard, performing solo, reached the wild climax of this barnburner, his wayward foot stomping managed to unplug his guitar.  “If you are all really quiet, I’ll just finish this one” – the hall erupted and then fell silent as Hansard strode past the footlights to sing, his unamplified voice touching everyone in the room.  When musicians bring this much love and goodwill to a performance, it is truly amazing when they can walk out with even more.