Glen Hansard & Marketa Irglova - Falling Slowly
For the most part the track is performed as a duet, although at times Hansard tends to overpower Irgolva.
'Falling Slowly' is from the film 'Once', which starred the singers Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova in lead acting roles - it is interesting then to see how the Oscar-winning song fares out of the context of the film. Musically, it's a fairly standard plodding ballad performed with plenty of delicate arpeggios on piano and acoustic guitar. The arrangement is improved greatly by the strings which add emotional weight as well as musical excitement to the song's chorus, and also adds an exquisite instrumental break.
For the most part the track is performed as a duet, although at times Hansard tends to overpower Irgolva, which is a shame as the arrangement may have benefitted from allowing her voice to the space to flourish. At nearly five minutes, 'Falling Slowly' feels too long for such a simple arrangement and after an enjoyable false string ending the song is left to peter out in another thirty seconds of solemn acoustic guitar, revisiting the songs opening.
B-side 'Lies' is a similar affair - more impassioned and occasionally over-earnest vocals and sensitive semi-acoustica rescued by classy strings. Although fairly harmless and mildly enjoyable in a Sunday afternoon kind of way, it's hard to see Hansard and Irglova standing out among the sea of sensitive songwriters and boy/girl vocals that have littered the pop landscape since the huge success of Hansard's compatriot Damien Rice.
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