The music on the soundtrack ranges from whimsical (“Broken Hearted Hoover Fixer Sucker Guy”) to volatile (“Say It To Me Now” and “Leave”). The collaboration between the pair is beautiful and awe-inspiring, considering most of the songs were recorded in their home studio in the Irish countryside.

“Take this sinking boat and point it home/ We’ve still got time/ Raise your hopeful voice, you have a choice,” Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová tell us in their delicate ballad “Falling Slowly.” They are singing about a blooming love affair, but their “sinking boat” could just as easily be the state of popular music. Their “hopeful voice,” has come to save us all from drowning in monotony and commercialism.

The song is from the “Once” motion picture soundtrack, originally released in August, but re-released with a couple of bonus tracks—two Van Morrison covers, “And the Healing Has Begun,” and “Into the Mystic”— and a behind-the-scenes DVD.

“Once” is a film about an Irish vacuum repairman (Hansard) on the cusp of love: he’s just lost his girlfriend and begins to fall in love with a Czech girl (Irglová) he meets on the streets of Dublin. In a way the narrative chronicles the real-life love story of Hansard, 37 and Inglova, 19, who not only acted in the film but also wrote and performed all the music.

The music on the soundtrack ranges from whimsical (“Broken Hearted Hoover Fixer Sucker Guy”) to volatile (“Say it To Me Now” and “Leave”). The collaboration between the pair is beautiful and awe-inspiring, considering most of the songs were recorded in their home studio in the Irish countryside. Fans of Damien Rice will be familiar with Hansard’s “style,” which plays heavily with loudness. Their approach to the subject of love is as well; it is a bit reproachful and cynical, but has its moments of hopefulness. Additionally, the pairing of Hansard and Irglová functions musically similarly to Rice and Lisa Hannigan, the former rough and raw, the latter more polished.

The album opens with “Falling Slowly,” one of the more somber tracks on the album. The opening is slow and methodical, and as a result, has a haunting quality. Hansard’s voice, even subdued, dominates the track, but Irglová accents the song nicely. The song ends similarly to its beginning, and creates a nice circle.

Irglová takes the driver’s seat in “If You Want Me.” The song is direct and has the weariness of a woman who has been searching for love for a long time.

The transition between this track and the next, “If You Want Me” is nice and natural. The CD as a whole flows very well. Like acts of a play, one builds upon the next.

Knowing the backstory of Hansard and Irglová, it is fun to try to imagine the inspiration to their songs.

“Broken Hearted Hoover Fixer Sucker Guy” is playful and humorous, a palette cleanser after the heavy “If You Want Me.” The song is less than a minute, and leads directly into “When Your Mind’s Made Up,” and “Lies,” two rich duets between Hansard and Irglová that seems the most autobiographical of all the “Once” tunes.

Irglová’s delicate piano and Hansards ragged guitar dance flawlessly in both tracks. They flow so well together that “Lies” seems almost like an extension of “When.” Both deal with the confusing and complicated nature of new relationships.

Hansard returns to the land of the playful with “Fallen from the Sky,” a tune he wrote with his band, The Frames. The presence of a keyboard percussion set is delightful and refreshingly un-produced (in fact, the song was recorded at an unknown date in Hansard’s home). Again, the track serves as a nice relief from the album’s overall intense mood.

Irglová delivers again with “The Hill,” a track that is moody and contemplative. Her piano is hollow and gloomy, and the accent of violins enhances the overall solemn tone.

Irglová’s voice shines in the song; the music is oftentimes sparse, turning the piece almost a cappella at times. At points, her voice drops to a whisper and the listener has to strain to hear her poetic lyrics.

The true gems of the disc are sadly sans Irglová, “Leave” and “Say It To Me Now.” Hansard’s musical talent shines brightly through the track’s emotionally charged nature. They are raw, honest, and hit the listener at his or her very core. Both express discontent at a former unfaithful lover. “You said what you have to/ Now leave, leave/ Leave, leave/ Let go of my hand,” Hansard shouts in “Leave.”

Hansard seems to reach the pinnacle of his rage in “Say,” when he screams, “’Cause I’m picking up a message Lord/ I’m closer than I’ve ever been before/ So if you’ve got something to say/ Say it to me know.” There’s something cathartic about these tracks, as if the hints of aggression in the other tracks have finally surfaced and are resolved.

They are not placed back to back though, and are separated by the “Joshua Tree”-esque “Trying to Pull Myself Away,” which provides a nice tonal pause; the somber and poetic “All the Way Down,” a track that is angry but subdued; and “Once.”

The title track has a sadness to its lyrics and melodies. Its placement near the soundtrack’s conclusion is appropriate, as it functions less like a greeting and more like a parting.

The DVD is full of live performances, and a behind-the-scenes-featurette featuring the cute couple in their Irish home. It is also refreshing to see how minimal the production of the film and soundtrack were, relying on sheer talent rather than money. The bonus disc is clearly designed for “Once” fan boys and girls.

The last line of the “Falling Slow” stanza from above: “You’ve made it through.” “Once,” the little-movie-that-could, and its raw, and emotionally vulnerable soundtrack proves to all that sometimes the little guy wins. And that’s a story I always like to hear.

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