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Product Description
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Even those allergic to musicals may be won over by Once, a tender-hearted Irish romance with songs by Czech Republic–born Markéta Irglová and Frames frontman Glen Hansard (the film's director, John Carney, actually used to play bass in the group). The trick here is that Irglová and Hansard also play the leads; because their characters are shown busking, writing music, or rehearsing, the songs are smoothly integrated in the film. The overall acoustic mood won't surprise fans of the Frames--some tracks ("Say It to Me", "When Your Mind's Made Up") have even popped up on the band's albums, though the arrangements are more pared-down here, befitting the scruffy, street-musician setting. Being the lesser-known entity, Irglová feels like a revelation; she sounds a bit like a folkie Björk on "If You Want Me," and her song "The Hill" is downright heartbreaking. Irglová and Hansard had already made the 2006 album The Swell Season together, so their collaboration here feels really organic--they sound particularly good together on the title track, for instance. Now that's the kind of magic you want from musicals. --Elisabeth Vincentelli
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
40 of 40 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Mellow and moving,
By
This review is from: Once: Music From The Motion Picture (Audio CD)
Overall a great collection of songs : I would agree it does resonate more emotionally if you have seen the film first , as the music is integral to it. However I did buy this before I had had a chance to see the film (it didn't get that wide a release unfortunately) and the songs still stand up very well by themselves.
Glen Hansard was previously in The Commitments and latterly the band The Frames so the musical pedigree is very good. A couple of the tracks have previously seen the light of day on the most recent Frames album "The Cost" (2006) ("Falling Slowly", "When Your Mind's Made Up") while "Say It to Me Now" goes all the way back to their mid-90's album "Fitzcarraldo" , but the arrangements/versions here are new - the latter revisited as a belter solo effort with just acoustic guitar. The style is more folky and softer than Hansard's band The Frames, which are also highly recommended if you like the music here - as mentioned before their last album "The Cost" is similar in tone to this. (As an introduction to the Frames I would recommend you start with The Frames 2002's live album "Set List" , and either "Fitzcarraldo" & "Dance with the Devil". )
15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Music that makes you "feel",
By Mullen (London England) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Once (Audio CD)
The film is a must see, very real emotions are portrayed through the songs. I was truly moved by the songs especially "When your minds made up" I have not had a song move me to utter sobbing, since watching Sinead O'Conner cry on her video years ago. The soundtrack, is what I want in my life, to play in the car and sing to,at the top of my voice, before facing the world. Watch the film and buy the cd, they are fantastic.
26 of 28 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
This is a musical for the new millennium.,
By
This review is from: Once (Audio CD)
Musical is a dead genre, it has been so for many years. The dull, almost parodic, music of High School Musical has only served to put the genre into an even greater decline: the most popular musicals of recent years have been either remakes (Hairspray, The Producers), filming of old classics (Chicago), or the even worse genre of musicals featuring songs by popular artists (We Will Rock You). Over recent years, I can only think of two musicals that are original and thought provoking, these being Rent and Blood Brothers (and to be honest, those aren't too new). But, out of nowhere, this film came along. It won various awards, such as the Audience Award from Sun Dance, and got certain critics slathering about its release.
So, why is it so good? Well, it is entirely on the strength of the music - the two leads are both musicians with some talent, and Hansard's band 'The Frames' were big in their day. I thank the Lord that the original lead, Cillian Murphy, backed out, as Glen Hansard's voice and song wriing are so brilliant. The music is probably reminiscent of some of the singer-songwriter stuff out at the moment, in particular some of the Damien Rice stuff. It hits a folksy/poppy feel that really gets under your skin. This is emphasised by very strong vocals, some nice guitar work and lyrics that really tap into the sense of love, loss and confusion that builds the film. Unlike most other musicals, however, the songs were written by the two leads (plus one written by another band member from the film), this means that there is real emotional connectivity between the performers and the songs themselves - much more so than in other musicals - which also further draws the viewer/listener into the very subtle saga that's unfolding around them. Some of the tracks on the album aren't complete tracks per se, such as 'Broken Hearted Hoover Fixer Sucker Guy', which is a bit of a light hearted joke. Other songs such as: 'When your mind's made up' and 'Falling Slowly' are complete songs, and should ideally be released as singles in their own right given their strength. So, why buy it? As I said, the strength is in the songs, particularly the ones written by Hansard and Irglova together. Better yet, go out and see the film - once you've seen the film, you'll probably want to buy the album anyway, as all of the songs are very moving. It's a real tear jerker.
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