The Top 10 Albums of 2009 -- #1 Strict Joy by The Swell Season

I have this thing for sad songs. After all, as Elton John said, “Sad songs (say so much).” It might be no surprise, then, that my favorite album of the year is The Swell Season’s Strict Joy. An album filled with songs written by partners in music and ex-partners in life is bound to be filled with some powerful emotions, and listening to Joy can feel a bit like a rollercoaster. Irish singer-songwriter (of The Frames) Glen Hansard, half of the duo, explains that the album is a bit like a diary, and I think that description is accurate.

Perhaps it’s really more like two diaries. Hansard and Czech singer-pianist Marketa Irglova became romantically involved during the filming of 2006’s Once (in which they played, oddly enough, musicians who fall in love but then part ways). Since then, their romantic relationship has ended, and, listening to joy, you can feel each artist grapple with the loss of love, sometimes with sadness, sometimes with anger, and sometimes with relief.

One of the most beautiful things about the album is the transition between songs. The quiet simplicity of “In These Arms”—where Hansard wonders if “maybe I was born to hold you in these arms—gives way to the angst of “The Rain:” “I know we're not where I promised you we'd be by now, but maybe its a question of who'd want it anyhow.” Whether the songs are inspired by the real-life break-up or a prescribed narrative that functions as a sequel to their film, as one reviewer suggested, the result is lovely.

Each track on the album is honest—sometimes painfully so—and, together, they form a truly beautiful piece. The combination of Hansard’s energetic folk rock and fiery voice and Irglova’s honeyed vocals and peaceful piano lends the album variety. Irglova is at her best on the dreamy and melancholy “Fantasy Man,” while “Back Broke” demonstrates that, even on a softer song, Hansard’s voice and lyrics can make you want to laugh and cry all at the same time (“Back broke and dancing, cause you’re here beside me”). “The Verb,” “Two Tongues,” and the bonus track “Somebody Good” showcase the vocal chemistry of the pair perfectly.

The duo also recorded a live session at Daytrotter, which features three songs from Strict Joy, as well as a beautiful rendition of “Star Star.” While I’m not sure if Hansard and Irglova will continue to make music together or choose to pursue their individual projects—I certainly hope Swell Season will continue on.