The Swell Season, Rachael Yamagata

Although Strict Joy may be a bit of an odd title for the sophomore effort from The Swell Season, it points to the direction the band has taken this time around. Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová have fleshed out the spare, introspective sound of their eponymous debut and their Oscar-winning material from the film Once, resulting in music that marries the emotional sweep of the band's songs with an equally rich sonic palette. The sparse arrangements and tepid tempos are largely replaced by lush strings, punchy guitars and a strong sense of momentum. Of course, there are certain elements of the Swell Season sound that can't be made brighter by a little bit of instrumentation and some up-tempo arrangements, but the lovely fragility of Irglová's voice and the often somber bent of the lyrics act as excellent foils to the peppier sound. The push and pull serves as an extended metaphor for the duality of all things, with the notions of joy and despair highlighting and playing off of one another just as the contrasting moods of the music do the same. Rachel Yamagata offers a nice accompaniment, with a mix of introspective singer/songwriter and harder-edged rock material.