I was listening to NPR's all songs considered podcast last week (I'm not sure which episode though) and they featured a song by Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova (I had never heard of them either) and I thought - "WOW! What a great song." It was a slow and haunting song that had few instruments, maybe an acoustic guitar and piano, and their two voices intertwining in an eerie harmony. It was fantastic. I'm still not sure what the words are because I get caught up in the sound of the song so much (which is pretty rare for me). There is so much emotion flowing flowing it is hard to focus on the details.
Mesmerized by this one song I went to Amazon.com to buy the album "The Swell Season" is one of the best albums I have heard in a long time. Starting from the first song "In The Arms Of This Low" all the way to the final track "Alone Apart" it drags me beneath it's emotional tide and doesn't let me back up for air until it is done and spits me back out. The music isn't harsh at all, its soft and slow and mellow and, in a very weird way reminds me of my favorite Pink Floyd album "The Final Cut" due to it's pacing probably more than anything else becuase, trust me, the music and singers don't sound like Floyd at all.
I can't even begin to accurately describe the album. It isn't revolutionary or groundbreaking but it is beautiful. The two singers voices complement each other so perfectly, and the compositions are so smooth that I feel utterly content listening to it. It's wild and calm all at once. I highly recommend this album.
The singer Glen Hansard is the front man for an Irish Rock band called "The Frames" - I found one free song for download on their website and it was pretty good too. As soon as I get a good chance to hear a full album of theirs, and if I like it, I'll buy it and let you know what I think. The female, [[Marketa Irglova]], is a Czech who has a great voice that sounds small compared to Glen's gruffer vocals however I don't really know much more about her.