Watch it more than “Once”…

So I watched an Irish movie the other night, and I know it may sound strange to some, but when you are married to someone from irishland, all they ever want to do is make you watch Irish movies, listen to irish music, talk about irish history, etc, etc… So needless to say, I try to find excuses just to irritate the husband as often as possible.

I relented the other night due to absolute exhaustion from continual study, work and anxiety about my much anticipated up and coming exams. The Irish movie of the moment was something called “Once“.

Now… I have to admit. Of the very few Irish movies I’ve seen, they really aren’t too bad! I mean, The Crying Game was legendary, and I don’t care that there was a he-she doodah in it, the movie broke ground! (I say that after only seeing it for the first time late last year… I had obviously heard about it many times before though).

But this “Once” movie really stuck with me. I even jumped onto iTunes yesterday and downloaded the soundtrack and have been listening to it over and over again!

So, what the hell is it about, you ask?

Well… it’s not really about all that much, to be honest. The most enjoying aspect of the movie and I guess the theme and main component of the plot is the music.

The brilliantly talented Glen Hansard (lead singer of The Frames) plays the “easy to feel comfortable with and very quickly relate to” main character, and of course lends his excellent music talents and vocals to the film/soundtrack.

His voice is so raw and earthy (yet with a sing-song Irish twang) that you can’t stop listening to him and dammit, you just want to hear so much more!

And his wonderful co-star Marketa Irglova (who I had never heard of before) adds another element to the movie and soundtrack. Her voice is sweet, but what I really love is that every now and then, if you listen oh so carefully, you can hear her Czech accent coming through. I don’t know which to say, but either the music really suits her voice or her voice really suits the music. Either way, she added a lovely tone and character to the movie.

I would watch the movie again. And probably another time after that. But it is the music that I will continue listening to over and over.

I cannot deny that Ireland has produced some sublime musical talent over the years and when visiting the country last year, I can see that music is in the heart and soul of so many of this small island’s inhabitants.

It is not just those musicians with their big one-time smash hits that I am referring to, either. It is the smaller, often lesser heard of group of incredibly talented singers that astound me.

I think it was the first time I heard one of Damien Rice’s songs that I really started to pay attention to other Irish musicians. Just like Hansard, the raw, earthy tone of Damien Rice’s voice is incredible. It is real singing. It is real music. And it’s all Irish.

Although I will never live this down, and I can’t even believe I am about to write it… The Irish deserve more respect than we have given them. Sure, they are great to poke fun at and make jokes about, but the contribution the people of this country have made to the Arts and Entertainment industries is noteworthy and considerable.

I recommend you watch “Once“. But more importantly I recommend you listen to it’s music.