I Love Falling in Love With Bands

So, for those of you that know me, you know that I love to fall in love with bands that I had never heard before. I usually go from owning none of a band's music to owning most of their catalogue within a few weeks. Well, here's my new band: The Frames. They've been around a long time, but I just haven't paid attention.

Recently, I heard about this new movie called Once, which stars Glen Hansard from The Frames. This movie looks amazing, and the reviews are incredible. I began listening to a stream of the soundtrack the other day (because it's a musical, crazy). It's unreal. I really liked Hansard's voice and his songwriting, so I got two CDs by The Frames and the solo CD he put out with his co-star in Once, Marketa Irglova. It's all pretty amazing. I would have bought the soundtrack, but I could only find it on iTunes for 10 bucks. I got all the other stuff with my eMusic account (I get 30 downloads a month for 10 bucks).

Regardless, you should check out Glen Hansard or The Frames. If you happen to be in a city larger than Fayetteville (like an Austin, or a Denver, or a KC, or a Dallas, etc.) you should see if you can catch a showing of Once...I hear it's incredible. I recommend The Frames (especially the album Burning the Maps) for anyone who likes European sorts of epic rock--Coldplay, Travis, and the like (but expect a less polished, more passionate singer). There's a lot of comparison between U2 and The Frames, but I think it's unwarranted. The only thing they have in common is that they're rock bands and they're from Ireland. Also, if you like Damien Rice (but feel he's been a little too commercialized as of late), then you'll really like Hansard's solo stuff.

Also, whichever band you check out, listen to the song "Falling Slowly." Hansard's acoustic version is maybe one of my favorite songs right now. However, The Frames' version on The Cost is sweet as well.