Markéta Irglová - Anar

Markéta Irglová - The Oscar-winning success of the modern movie musical Once with her Swell Season mate Glen Hansard plus the solid reception to the duo's subsequent works set the stage for the new solo outing for this 23-year-old Czech-born songwriter...Irglová expands upon the nuanced piano/guitar acoustic pop sound of Swell Season for her new project, drawing, she says, upon a varied stylistic palette influenced by classic American R+B, adventurous alt/art-rock and even Broadway showtunes...one additional output from the album sessions: Irglova married engineer Tim Iseler...album title is Persian for "pomegranite" // Release: Anar (October 11, ANTI-) // Sounds like: the production scope may be somewhat bigger but what hasn't changed -- happily -- is Irglová's tender, vulnerable vocals and classically-trained piano skills...this is still graceful and mostly delicate chamber pop, finespun and intricately woven songs that resonate long after the closing notes fade...

Quote: "I started writing the songs when I moved to New York. I didn’t really have anything to do; the Swell Season weren’t touring and I was kind of looking into a year off. And I realized if I wanted to continue making music I just had to create the circumstances for myself. So I just started writing more intensely and in a more committed way than I ever had before.” What we like: "Go Back" shifts from introspective ballad into a formidable, soulful midtempo track driven by a richly textured horn section and a backing "girl group" chorus...Irglová taps into her own brand of ethereal soulfulness on "Your Company", her airy vibrato serving as the song's lead instrument...a dense cascade of vocal harmonies highlight another ballad highlight: "Divine Timing"...

Marketa Irglova - "Your Company" (from Anar)

Marketa Irglova - "Divine Timing" from Anar)