Track Listing
DISC 1:
1. Low Rising - (featuring Marketa Irglova/Graham Hopkins/Rob Bochnik/Steven Bernstein/Clark Gayton/Joseph Doyle/Glen Hansard/Colm Mac Con Iomaire)
2. Feeling the Pull - (featuring Chris Lightcap/Marketa Irglova/Javier Mas/Thomas Bartlett/Glen Hansard)
3. In These Arms - (featuring Marketa Irglova/Graham Hopkins/Peter Katis/Rob Bochnik/Steven Bernstein/Clark Gayton/Joseph Doyle/Glen Hansard/Colm Mac Con Iomaire)
4. Rain, The - (featuring Marketa Irglova/Graham Hopkins/Peter Katis/Rob Bochnik/Thomas Bartlett/Joseph Doyle/Glen Hansard/Colm Mac Con Iomaire)
5. Fantasy Man - (featuring Marketa Irglova/Graham Hopkins/Rob Bochnik/Joseph Doyle/Glen Hansard/Colm Mac Con Iomaire)
6. Paper Cup - (featuring Chris Lightcap/Javier Mas/Thomas Bartlett/Glen Hansard)
7. High Horses - (featuring Marketa Irglova/Graham Hopkins/Peter Katis/Rob Bochnik/Joseph Doyle/Glen Hansard/Colm Mac Con Iomaire)
8. Verb, The - (featuring Marketa Irglova/Graham Hopkins/Peter Katis/Rob Bochnik/Thomas Bartlett/Joseph Doyle/Glen Hansard/Colm Mac Con Iomaire)
9. I Have Loved You Wrong - (featuring Marketa Irglova/Graham Hopkins/Peter Katis/Rob Bochnik/Joseph Doyle/Glen Hansard/Colm Mac Con Iomaire)
10. Love That Conquers - (featuring Marketa Irglova/Graham Hopkins/Javier Mas/Peter Katis/Rob Bochnik/Joseph Doyle/Glen Hansard/Colm Mac Con Iomaire)
11. Two Tongues - (featuring Marketa Irglova/Graham Hopkins/Peter Katis/Rob Bochnik/Thomas Bartlett/Joseph Doyle/Glen Hansard/Colm Mac Con Iomaire)
12. Back Broke - (featuring Marketa Irglova/Graham Hopkins/Javier Mas/Rob Bochnik/Joseph Doyle/Glen Hansard/Colm Mac Con Iomaire)
DISC 2:
1. All The Way Down - (live)
2. Lies - (live)
3. This Low - (live)
4. Drown Out - (live)
5. When Your Mind's Made Up - (live)
6. I Have Loved You Wrong - (live)
7. Falling Slowly - (live)
8. Leave - (live)
9. What Happens When The Heart Just Stops - (live)
10. Lay Me Down - (live)
11. Once - (live)
12. If You Want Me - (live)
13. Broken Hearted Hoover Fixer Sucker Guy - (live)
14. Fitzcarraldo - (live)
15. If You Want Me - (live)
16. Blue Shoes - (live)
17. Broken Hearted Hoover Fixer Sucker Guy - (live)
18. Fitzcarraldo - (live)
19. Star Star - (live)
20. Auld Triangle, The - (live)
DISC 3:
1. Bonus Material - (live)
2. All the Way Down
3. Mind Made Up
4. Lay Me Down
5. Falling Slowly
6. Gigantic
7. Loved You Wrong
8. Fitzcarraldo
9. Once
| Details | | Contributing Artists: | Chris Lightcap, Clark Gayton, Colm Mac Con Iomaire, Glen Hansard, Graham Hopkins, Javier Mas, Joseph Doyle, Marketa Irglova, Peter Katis, Rob Bochnik, Steven Bernstein, Thomas Bartlett | | Producer: | Peter Katis | | Distributor: | Alternative Dis. Alliance | | Recording Type: | Studio | | Recording Mode: | Stereo | | SPAR Code: | n/a |
Album Notes
Personnel: Glen Hansard (vocals, guitar); Marketa Irglova (vocals, piano); Rob Bochnik (guitar, mandolin); Joseph Doyle (guitar); Javier Mas (Spanish guitar); Colm Mac Con Iomaire (violin); Steven Bernstein (trumpet, French horn); Clark Gayton (bass trombone); Thomas Bartlett (keyboards); Graham Hopkins (drums, percussion); Peter Katis (percussion).
Audio Mixer: EJ Holowicki.
Recording information: The Riverside Theater; Tarquin Studios, Bridgport, CT (2008-2009).
When ONCE hit theaters in 2007, Glen Hansard had already pursued international acclaim for more than 15 years with the Frames. Although popular in Ireland, the singer's music wasn't nearly as omnipresent in other countries until the movie's release, which catapulted former Frames tunes like "Falling Slowly" into the spotlight. The ONCE soundtrack was also a big hit, turning Hansard's side project with simpatico songwriter Markéta Irglová into a full-fledged, award-winning, globetrotting band. While playing international venues and attending industry award shows, the two attracted additional attention for their real-life relationship, which effectively replaced ONCE's semi-tearful conclusion with a storybook ending. Released two years after the film's release, however, STRICT JOY finds Hansard and Irglová going their separate ways, choosing to end their relationship while remaining in the same band.
Hansard has used heartbreak for fuel in the past, and he keeps the blaze going throughout these 12 tracks. If the ONCE soundtrack was a bit spotty - its track list culled from a haphazard array of old Frames songs, Van Morrison covers, collaborative material, and musicians' own tunes - then STRICT JOY shows what the Swell Season can do with a singular theme and a solid backing band, both of which contribute to the album's cohesion. Van Morrison's influence is still apparent, particularly in the '70s-styled soul of "Low Rising," but the singer/songwriter ambience that permeated ONCE's music doesn't carry as much weight here. Instead, STRICT JOY devotes more concern to exploring the lush possibilities of Swell Season's sound, which now includes tasteful doses of strings, electric guitar, and overdubbed harmonies. The results are quite often gorgeous, with songs like "The Rain" and "Wild Horses" building up to expansive, cathartic climaxes over the course of several minutes. Also striking are the performances by Markéta Irglová, who turns her fragile voice - an instrument that always seemed detrimentally self-conscious on previous albums - into something alluring on "Fantasy Man" and "I Have Loved You Wrong." It's testament to the band's vision that they remain focused despite such improvements; no amount of cinematic orchestration can change the fact that these songs are, after all, inward-looking tunes about heartbreak and personal struggle, and their lyrics resonate regardless of their wrapping paper. As a result, STRICT JOY is a joy from start to finish, and few bands manage to mix intimacy and sweeping songcraft with such finesse.
Editorial Reviews
The lyrics continue to center on relationships, providing a raw and emotionally charged narrative to songs that are sonically more integrated and refined than on the group's debut.
Billboard
4 stars out of 5 -- The songs are mostly straightforward piano-and-acoustic guitar, perfectly punctuated by strings and horns. The showcase, though, is Hansard and Irglova's intertwining vocals.
Alternative Press
Entertainment Weekly Hansard saves some rage for 'Feeling the Pull,' which suggests the best love songs come from those who don't believe in them anymore. -- Grade: B
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