Original Soundtrack - Once
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Free Music Notes for Once
Free Music Review: music
Hit: 5 Stars
First point:
The movie Once features a number of great Irish musicians, apart from just the two leading actors. The singing bank manager is Sean Millar. His `nom de plume' is Dr Millar, he has released several albums under this name. They are all excellent, however I would highly recommend `Always Coming Home', an album with beautiful music and superb lyrics. You will not find this on Amazon, but it should be available elsewhere on the web. Also in the movie is Fergus O'Farrell, of the very good Irish band Interference, who sings at the house party. His song is on the Once soundrack.
Second point:
For what its worth, The Frames have an excellent back catalogue of albums. IMHO, the pick of the bunch are 'Fitzcarraldo', 'Dance The Devil' and 'For the Birds'.
The song `Say it to me now' on the soundtrack is from the album "Fitzcarraldo", as is 'Revelate', which is one of the Frames' most famous songs.
"Dance the Devil" has God Bless Mom which is an incredible tune played live. All the tracks on this album are quite strong.
"For The Birds" is a more acoustic style album. The opening track `In the Deep Shade' is just instruments, no vocals. It features an excellent American piano player called Rachel Grimes and is one of my favourite pieces of music. On the same album 'Santa Maria' and 'When the Heart Just Stops are also personal faovurites', though again all the tracks here are quite strong.
Free Music Review: your heart will break, you'll never want it to stop.
Hit: 5 Stars
i said to a friend, before i left for the movie this evening, "i'm going to see a modern day musical set in ireland, called once." my friend made a fake-vomiting-face and said, "sounds riveting." our common understanding of musicals would dictate that "once" features one-dimensional characters who break into song for no reason, and end up living happily ever after.
not so, o jaded one.
"once" is a rare jem, an absolute heartbreaker of a masterpiece that features two real-life musicians who just happen to be able to act incredibly well. we follow these two on their serendipitous journey from flat to recording studio to hoover repair shop. it is a refreshing love story, wraught with awkwardness and things left unsaid (or said in czech). and, i say with an audible sigh of relief, no big pink bow to tie up the ends in a cute package.
i got out of the movie at around ten p.m. it's now about 1 a.m. and i'm listening to it intently, thanks to iTunes (i couldn't wait for the mail, goodness no). every track fills my heart with almost aching joy before it slices it right down the middle. glen hansgard is a visionary in his simplicity and his earnestness. i suggest you see the movie. i suggest you listen to the soundtrack, even if you don't see the movie. i suggest you rent it when it comes out on dvd. i suggest that you look in your heart and hope that there's something half as beautiful as this film and its music inside.
Free Music Review: Breaking my cynical heart
Hit: 5 Stars
Despite having enjoyed 'The Committments' lo those many years ago, I had little interest in this film or its music. Until, of course, I broke down and watched it under duress, and was thrown into a bewilderment of emotions I could not have believed possible. Such a little film with such a big heart; I abhor blatant sentimentality, but this was something genuinely special, in no small part because of the awkward charm of this score/soundtrack. Neither of these two have particularly good voices, even by folksinger standards; the piano and guitar are relatively generic; and even the lyrics are not overly original. And yet everything together is so honestly beautiful that I can't recall the last time I was so touched by a fusion of music and imagery.
I also think this album stands alone fairly well, but I am biased because of the connection I feel to the film upon listening to it. I wonder what somebody who heard these songs who hadn't seen the film would think. Therefore, I would say that seeing the film makes the experience complete and enriches the music.
A month later, I am still thinking about the music and the film together. My only cavil about this album is that I would have loved to have the 'recording' of the first song they bash together in the music shop.
Free Music Review: One GREAT song...
Hit: 5 Stars
... and two very, very good ones. Like most others, I think that "Falling Slowly" is/should be a classic... period (the Oscar voters seem to agree). But "If You Want Me" (mostly sung by Irglova) and "When Your Mind is Made Up" are also very, very good songs. These are the first three tracks but after that, unfortunately, the album falls off a bit... but would it even be possible for any artists to keep up the pace set by "Falling Slowly" for 13 tracks? That is not to say that the rest is bad, just that it is, say, "pretty good" and not up to the super-high standard set by the first three tracks.
So, how can I give a 13-track CD 5-stars based on only three of the tracks being very good (or better)? Because those three tracks are that freakin' good, that's why!
If you don't much care about audio quality, I would say go for the Amazon downloads of the first three tracks and save your $$$ on the rest. And yet I think that this is one of the albums that benefits from the best possible playback; so much of it rests on the emotion of the players getting across and lossy MP3s are not likely to get that all-the-way across. It is albums like this that make me wish I had a killer analog rig... I wonder if this album is available on SACD...?
Free Music Review: This is the best soundtrack of the year
Hit: 5 Stars
I love this soundtrack. Every track on this disc is good. Glen Hansard is a talented guitar player and vocalist. Marketa Irglova is also a very talented vocalist and keyboard player. The upbeat track "Trying To Pull Myself Away" is the best of the bunch. Hansard's vocals are so good on this track. His guitar playing sounds different on each track. "Fallen From The Sky" is a track with a good beat. This song is very pleasant to listen to. The other standout track is "Falling Slowly" This is a very romantic song, and I think the two stars harmonize nicely on this track. "Lies" is another pretty duet on this soundtrack. The violin playing is subtle and beautifully performed on this track. "Gold" is a very optimistic track. Hansard's guitar playing is very upbeat on this track. "Broken Hearted Hoover" is a very funny song. Marketa Irglova has such a clear and sexy voice. She sings lead vocal on the tracks on If You Want Me" and "The Hill" The piano playing on the latter track is pretty. Her voice sounds so sad and sensual on these two tracks. I really like them. "Once" is a goregous sounding song about how feelings between two people change over time in a relationship. Once is the best soundtrack of the year so far.