Interference: Live In Dingle

Interference's Live In Dingle album was recorded live in 2003 at St. James Church in Dingle, Ireland for RTÉ's Other Voices: Songs From A Room. Once star and The Frames frontman Glen Hansard again joins the band.



The heartfelt condemnations of war "American Townland" and "Nowhere" open Live In Dingle on a much more serious tone than their previous release, with the music taking a backseat to Fergus' soulful vocals. "I Was Looking For Someone" is a softer, wistful ballad that finally allows the strings to rise with O'Farrell's voice.

The disc includes idyllic acoustic renditions of "Cain & Abel", "Prayer For A Voyage", "Vaj Vaj", and "Gold" - all from Interference's self-titled album. Glen Hansard contributes his voice and guitar to "Gold" and the striking wailer "Breaking Out".

Though I favor the studio album, this live set is well worth obtaining if only for the two opening songs, the Hansard collaborations, and the ravishinge finale "I'm Your Man".

Interference - American Townland (mp3 expired)
Interference (feat. Glen Hansard) - Breaking Out (mp3 expired)

Interference Official Site

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Interference

If you've seen Once, you've already heard the music of Interference. The Irish band sang with The Frames' Glen Hansard in the pub scene of Once and their song "Gold" also appears on the movie's soundtrack. The tune was originally featured on Interference's 2003 self-titled release, on which Glen Hansard guests. If you like that song, you will love their album. And even if you somehow don't like the song, you still might love the album. Interference is led by singer-songwriter Fergus O'Farrell of County Cork, Ireland, and their music jumps from traditional Irish and folk balladry to pop and classic rock glamour.



Though I enjoyed the Once version of "Gold", I think I prefer the original take. The band's vocal harmony ebbs and flows flawlessly on the timeless melody underpinned by a mix of violin, bongos, and electric guitar. The string accented "Prayer Before A Voyage" is even more lovely, sounding like a Ziggy Stardust cover of a traditional sea chantey. "Vaj Vaj" is an atmospheric piano ballad.

The catchy pop ditty "Vinegar Girl" was co-written by Glen Hansard, who sings and plays guitar on the track. The classic rock doused "Wild Cat Strutting Thing" is as cool as it title suggests, and the Bowiesque "Chow Mein" is both funky and funny. The influence of Thin Lizzy seems apparent, but I also wonder if Fergus is a fan of Ted Nugent and Talking Heads. "Wild Bill's Circus Scene" flows back into a softer folk sound zested with trombone and violin, then the moody "Too Many Paths" swirls into uncharted territory.

Every track on the album is fantastic, but the real stunner is "Psycho Jill". The title is interesting enough, but Fergus alternates between eerie singing, haunting whistles, and horripilating spoken word verses while the ominous bass guitar, strings, and piano build into a crescendo of creepiness. The song would make a good companion to "Greatest Show On Earth" by Felice Brothers.

Usually, my problem is being denied permission to share even one mp3 in a review. This time, Fergus kindly gave me permission to share any tracks but "Gold". It was nearly impossible to narrow it down to just two songs. I cannot recommend and praise this album enough.

Interference - Psycho Jill (mp3 expired)

Interference Official Site

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Music on TV: Once, A Fine Frenzy, Plant/Krauss, Fisher

Congratulations to Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova on winning the Oscar for Best Original Song! For the few who hadn't heard "Falling Slowly" before the award show performance, the ballad is on the brilliant Once soundtrack. It was #4 on my Top Albums of 2007 list. I thought the Hansard/Irglova/Stewart interaction last night was adorable.

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I occasionally get asked about songs played in tv shows or commercials. Most of these questions pertain to Kate Voegele's role as Mia on One Tree Hill. If you're curious about the song playing in the final scene of this week's episode of OTH, it was "Ashes And Wine" from A Fine Frenzy's One Cell In The Sea.

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The new JC Penney American Living commercial features "Killing The Blues" from Raising Sand by Robert Plant and Alison Krauss - #7 on my Top of '07 list.

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And the song in the animated CVS Pharmacy commercial is a cover of Sarah Mclachlan's "Ordinary Miracle" performed by Kathy Fisher of the band Fisher, an old online acquaintance of mine. Fisher's "I Will Love You" (which she was kind enough to dedicate to my hubby & me at Mountain Stage in 2001) was the first mp3 I ever downloaded. It's on her debut album One.

The Frames: "Pavement Tune" in Quarterlife Commercial

The new tv commercial for the upcoming NBC series Quarterlife (from the creators of My So-Called Life) features the song "Pavement Tune" by The Frames. If the name of the Irish band doesn't ring a bell, they are led by Once star Glen Hansard. The song is from their 1999 album Dance The Devil.

The Frames Official Site

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The Cake Sale

The Cake Sale is a "band" composed of mostly Irish artists and musicians who released their 2006 self-titled album in Ireland to benefit Oxfam's Make Trade Fair campaign. The charity album has finally been released in the U.S. on Yep Roc Records. The Cake Sale artists include Glen Hansard of The Frames, Lisa Hannigan and Damien Rice, Neil Hannon of Divine Comedy, Gemma Hayes, Emm Gryner, Nina Persson of The Cardigans, Josh Ritter, and members of Bell X1, Crowded House, The Thrills, and Snow Patrol.



Lisa Hannigan's striking vocals open the album with "Last Leaf", which slides from her a cappella performance into a jazzy acoustic melody. I've been eagerly awaiting this girl's solo debut since I first heard her voice on Damien Rice's O, and I'm glad to hear she's finally recording one of her own.

Hannigan also lends her singular voice to two other tracks on the disc: the haunting Damien Rice song "Needles" and the Gary Lightbody duet "Some Surprise". Lisa and Gary recorded their respective vocals for the romantic "Some Surprise" in different countries. In addition to containing information about the Make Trade Fair campaign, the liner notes show pictures of rice being dumped on Gary and chocolate sauce being poured over Lisa.

"All The Way Down" was written and performed by Glen Hansard on the Once soundtrack, but is sung on The Cake Sale by Gemma Hayes. Hansard then sings the deceptively jaunty "Too Many People". Other highlights include Josh Ritter's twangy "Vapour Trail", Nina Persson's smooth voice in "Black Winged Bird", and Neil Hannon's uncharacteristically staid finale "Aliens".

The Cake Sale Official Site
The Cake Sale MySpace
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The Frames: Devil Town Video

"Devil Town" is a Daniel Johnston song. The Bright Eyes cover was featured prominently in last season's finale of Friday Night Lights. You can watch a live A Capella cover by Glen Hansard & The Frames at You Tube.

Glen Hansard: NPR Live Concert Series

You can listen to Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová (performing as The Swell Season) playing music from their film Once on NPR's Live Concert Series.

Contest: Win The Once Soundtrack

Contest Closed

Enter below to win the Once soundtrack. You can read my review of the CD here and the contest details are below.



The Prize:

One copy of the Once soundtrack CD

The Rules:

Comment to this entry with your email address. And feel free to mention any artists, albums, or songs that you think I should check out. If you're shy about leaving your contact info in a comment, you may also email me to enter. I prefer comments, though. Note: the winner of the contest will be required to provide me with their full name, email address, mailing address, and phone number, which I will then forward to the promo company sponsoring the contest. Your contact information will only be used for shipping purposes, but it is required in order to qualify.

The Deadline:

The contest will end on Friday, June 29th. The winner will be chosen at random and contacted via email.

Go now go! And tell others.

Contest Closed

Soundtrack: Once

Once is an independent film that stars and features music by Glen Hansard of The Frames as well as co-star Marketa Irglova. Hansard produced the soundtrack, which is every bit as well-arranged and moving as his band's music. As I said in my review of The Frames' The Cost, Hansard has become my favourite contemporary male singer-songwriter. His lyrics are deeply poetic, his music is heart-wrenchingly lovely, and his beautifully raw voice conveys emotion as if the man were literally ripping his own chest open as he sings. Marketa Irglova's vocal and piano contributions to the soundtrack accomplish the outstanding feat of making Hansard's music even more poignant and pretty than usual. Many of the soundtrack's songs were originally featured on Hansard and Irglova's collaboratory album The Swell Season, which seems to have served as inspiration for the film's music.



As impossible as it seems, Hansard's vocals seem even more plaintive on this soundtrack than on his own band's albums. Marketa Irglova's sweet harmony vocals and piano lend the songs a bittersweet romantic feeling - particularly on "Lies", which she co-wrote with Hansard. The tune holds more sexual tension and heartbreak between Hansard's and Irglova's characters than any movie dialogue ever could.

Marketa Irglova's angelic voice takes the spotlight on the haunting "If You Want Me" and "The Hill", which are her own original songs. Several other tracks - such as the acoustic "All The Way Down" - shine a flattering light on the solitary melancholia of Hansard's character. I suspect Hansard's humorous "Broken Hearted Hoover Fixer Sucker Guy" will make more sense once I've seen the movie (alas, it seems I'll have to wait until the DVD is released), but I still enjoy it.

There are a number of instrumental cameos by other members of The Frames. The entire band supplies Barbershop harmonies to "Fallen From The Sky", but the band's sound is most apparent on "Trying To Pull Myself Away".

"Falling Slowly" - which is another product of the co-stars' shared songpen - and "When Your Mind's Made Up" were also featured on The Cost, but here are performed as duets between Hansard and Irglova. Though The Frames can do no wrong in my book, I have to say I prefer the stripped down soundtrack versions. The strings in this arrangement of "Falling Slowly" give the song a stirring, cinematic quality.

I was not granted permission to share an mp3, but the following are audio streams from the soundtrack...

Glen Hansard & Marketa Iglova - Falling Slowly (streaming audio)
Marketa Iglova - If You Want Me (streaming audio)
Glen Hansard & Marketa Iglova - When Your Mind's Made Up (streaming audio)

Once Official Site
Once on MySpace
Once Movie Trailer
The Frames Official Site

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