It’s surprising to me that a small independent online music magazine like Shakenstir can spot great talent and songs that other (hugely resourced) UK media so blatantly miss. Since the late 90’s we’ve closely followed the career of Glen Hansard and his band the Frames after being blown away by the 1999 album DANCE THE DEVIL. Record label debacles and media ambivalence dogged the band and prevented it’s popular progress here in the UK, while at home in Ireland quite the opposite was happening. This led the Frames and Hansard in solo guise to take their music to a wider international audience through extensive tours in Eastern Europe, the USA and Australia.

It was during tours of Eastern Europe that Hansard met Marketa Irglova, a young pianist and singer/songwriter. That friendship bore some of the most beautiful and emotional musical fruit that I have heard in many years of reviewing, culminated in our 2006 Album of The Year, THE SWELL SEASON. Perhaps not surprisingly, the album was almost totally ignored by the UK media. But little did we or anybody here realise that the album was to form the musical backdrop to Hansard’s movie ONCE which has conquered audiences and critics worldwide. The movie soundtrack was selected as Shakenstir’s Best 2007 Soundtrack.

ONCE went on to win the Sundance Festival’s Audience Prize in 2007 and, finally, the UK media suddenly took notice with big players like BBC’s Radio 1 and The Times providing extensive coverage. And now the song ‘Falling Slowly’ has been nominated for an Oscar and the full soundtrack has been nominated for a Grammy. And if there’s any justice both should emerge victorious. I’m assuming that the ceremonies will include live performances by the artists and I’ll be cheering them on. For me it will be an emotional event while for Hansard it will be the crowning glory in a 20 year career of musical brilliance, success, frustration and turbulence - in equal measure.