For Whom The Swell Tolls

Marketa Irglova rocketed from obscurity to international stardom at the tender age 19, when the low-budget Irish film, Once – in which she starred alongside Glen Hansard – garnered an Oscar for Best Song with ‘Falling Slowly’.

That was in 2008. At some point, she and Hansard got together — briefly — as a romantic couple. Now they have parted and Irglova has moved to New York, where she wrote and recorded her debut solo album, Anar. Meeting her you're immediately struck by her aura of spiritual maturity. The same quality permeates her new record. It's also distinctly feminine. Was this a conscious decision on Irglova’s part?
“I’ve been asked how my solo work is different from the work I’ve done with Glen,” she reflects, “and I feel that the biggest difference is that Glen can be very dynamic and very passionate. He can go very loud as well as very quiet, whereas in Swell Season I was always aiming for a harmonious sound. When I’m singing without him, I’ve lost that dynamic he added to our collaboration. But it’s become a thing of its own, which is very feminine.“
Sitting forward she elaborates: “To me that is great because I always feel very proud of women singers who are out there in the world, doing what they’re doing in a self-empowered way, knowing what they want and being true to their energy – not trying to be male, or selling out. For example, I was listening to Florence + The Machine’s new album Ceremonials, and I felt really proud because it felt very feminine in its nature, and I think the world needs that. There’s way too much aggression and violence going on."
Irglova’s music, with its emphasis on the transformative power of love over fear, has the capacity to shift listeners into a soulful perspective. She is deeply philosophical, and clear about being on a path of ever-greater awareness ­– a path she now shares with her new husband, Tim Iseler. He’s the 31 year-old sound engineer and producer of Anar, and bass-player in Irglova’s band.
Irglova’s relationship with Hansard – who is 18 years her senior ­– lasted for two years, until she was 21. She first met him when she was only 13. Her father was involved in bringing bands into the Czech Republic, including The Frames.
“Every time Glen came to visit, it was like Christmas in my house. All of my family fell in love with him. Glen has that power – people fall in love with him left, right and centre. I’ve noticed that he’s like the sun. He vibrates with very powerful energy, so when you meet him, you instantly feel that love.
“I felt something very timeless about meeting Glen, like I already knew him. I felt like he was part of me. And I’ve felt that since with my friend Aida, who collaborates on the record. She’s like a sister to me, like we’re almost the same person. I’m able to make more sense of that feeling nowadays than I was then. I translated it as this very strong attraction. I felt a sense of belonging around Glen. He always treated me as an equal, that I was on a par with him. He gave me the freedom to just be. I fell in love with Glen instantly when I was 13, and because at that time a relationship was out of the question – wasn’t allowed to exist – I felt it was just pure love. I thought it wasn’t going to become anything. I could still feel it. He was such a hero to me. I did hope that some day I would be old enough to be with him. And we did end up together, and we shared a very special time.”
From the way she describes her ongoing platonic and creative relationship with Hansard, it’s obvious their love for each other persists in a different form.
“It was through what I was sharing with Glen that I first heard and discovered the idea of unconditional love,” she proffers. “The moment I heard that, I couldn’t but strive toward achieving it in my relationships. If it’s true that every person you meet in your life is your teacher and your student, Glen and I have definitely been teaching and learning from each other in how to love unconditionally. We might have parted as lovers for our own reasons, but I’ll never stop loving Glen, I’ll never stop wanting to be supportive and encouraging to him. I’ll always want what’s best for him. I can still have him in my life and connect with him and see what he’s doing, and be happy about what makes him happy. I will never be anything but grateful for him coming into my life and bringing what he brought and sharing what we shared. It was an opportunity in every sense – musically, but also the opportunity for spiritual growth that the relationship offered us.”
You'll agree this is an astonishing level of maturity and wisdom in a young, now married, woman of 23, with an amazing solo debut under her belt, and two more records on the way. Expect more gorgeous music from The Swell Season, but also from Marketa Irglova, the stand-alone artist, who extols the strength and beauty of the loving feminine principle.

Marketa Irglova's Anar is out now on Plateau