Strict Joy [Box]

Performer: The Swell Season/The Swell Season
Artist: Marketa Irglova; Graham Hopkins; Rob Bochnik; Steven Bernstein; Clark Gayton; Joseph Doyle; Glen Hansard; Colm Mac Con Iomaire; Chris Lightcap; Javier Mas; Thomas Bartlett; Peter Katis
Engineer: Karl Odlum
Producer: Peter Katis
Distributor: Alternative Dis. Alliance

Notes: Personnel: Glen Hansard (vocals, guitar); Mark�ta Irglov� (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. 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 Mark�ta Irglov� 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 Irglov� 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 Mark�ta Irglov�, 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.

Spin (p.84) - "STRICT JOY is a glorious bummer....Heartache swells from these swooning folk-pop tunes..." 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 Alternative Press (p.117) - 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." CMJ - "[E]verything here is tightly constructed and not too showy; Hansard in particular shines on the sorrowful ballad 'Rain'..." Billboard (p.32) - "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."

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