The Swell Season

Formed by the Frames' frontman Glen Hansard and Czech songstress Markéta Irglová, the Swell Season (named after a novel by humanist Czech writer Josef Skvorecky) is a songwriting duo with a penchant for vocal harmonies and acoustic-based songcraft. The pop/rock twosome released a self-titled debut in 2006, several months before the appearance of the Frames' sixth effort, The Cost. Hansard and Irglová also appeared as working-class immigrants in the popular Irish movie Once, which was presented at the Sundance Film Festival in 2007. The following year, the duo received an Academy Award for Best Original Song for the film's hit single, "Falling Slowly," and the Swell Season's popularity surged as a result.