Now that their claim to Oscar fame is fading, the Swell Season are making sure they stay in the pop consciousness by bestowing a new album upon us. On September 29, the duo's Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová will release Strict Joy, the follow-up to surprise breakout hit Once and its accompanying soundtrack, and they'll do so via their new label home of Anti-.
The album's 12 new tracks were recorded last year at Tarquin Studios in Bridgeport, CT, with Hansard and Peter Katis (the National, Interpol) on production duty. Strict Joy, which apparently takes its name from a work by Irish poet James Stephens, will "document a time of great change and tumult," the press release tells us, and the duo hardly go this one alone.
The record also features - take a deep breath - Hansard's fellow Frames members Colm Mac Iomaire (violin), Joe Doyle (bass) and Rob Bochnik (guitar), as well as guitar man Javier Mas (Leonard Cohen), pianist Thomas Bartlett (Doveman), percussionist Chad Taylor (Chicago Underground Duo), horn players Steven Bernstein and Clark Gayton from Levon Helm's band, along with even more additional players.
As Oscar buffs will surely recall, the Swell Season received a whole of of attention after winning the Academy Award for best original song with their track "Falling Slowly" in 2008. This quickly catapulted the duo into super-media stardom, leading the Once soundtrack to gold status and a series of sold-out tours across the globe.
The Swell Season will embark on a hefty North American tour in support of Strict Joy and according to the press release, their rapid rise to fame will also be the subject of an upcoming documentary. No details on either have yet to be released but we do have the tracklisting for the new album.
Strict Joy:
1. "Low Rising"
2. "Feeling the Pull"
3. "In These Arms"
4. "The Rain"
5. "Fantasy Man"
6. "Paper Cup"
7. "High Horses"
8. "The Verb"
9. "I Have Loved You Wrong"
10. "Love That Conquers"
11. "Two Tongues"
12. "Back Broke"
The album's 12 new tracks were recorded last year at Tarquin Studios in Bridgeport, CT, with Hansard and Peter Katis (the National, Interpol) on production duty. Strict Joy, which apparently takes its name from a work by Irish poet James Stephens, will "document a time of great change and tumult," the press release tells us, and the duo hardly go this one alone.
The record also features - take a deep breath - Hansard's fellow Frames members Colm Mac Iomaire (violin), Joe Doyle (bass) and Rob Bochnik (guitar), as well as guitar man Javier Mas (Leonard Cohen), pianist Thomas Bartlett (Doveman), percussionist Chad Taylor (Chicago Underground Duo), horn players Steven Bernstein and Clark Gayton from Levon Helm's band, along with even more additional players.
As Oscar buffs will surely recall, the Swell Season received a whole of of attention after winning the Academy Award for best original song with their track "Falling Slowly" in 2008. This quickly catapulted the duo into super-media stardom, leading the Once soundtrack to gold status and a series of sold-out tours across the globe.
The Swell Season will embark on a hefty North American tour in support of Strict Joy and according to the press release, their rapid rise to fame will also be the subject of an upcoming documentary. No details on either have yet to be released but we do have the tracklisting for the new album.
Strict Joy:
1. "Low Rising"
2. "Feeling the Pull"
3. "In These Arms"
4. "The Rain"
5. "Fantasy Man"
6. "Paper Cup"
7. "High Horses"
8. "The Verb"
9. "I Have Loved You Wrong"
10. "Love That Conquers"
11. "Two Tongues"
12. "Back Broke"