Tonight: XPN Welcomes Marketa Irglova at Theatre Of Living Arts

Marketa Irglova has transformed from a sheepish band member to self-assured front-woman. After her split from former band-mate and movie costar, Glen Hansard, Irglova announced that she would be putting out a solo album, Anar. She abandoned the grittier sound of The Swell Season and fully embraced her delicate piano ballads that had once heavily influenced the duo’s Oscar-winning compositions. It is painfully clear that Anar is the direct result of a break-up that resonates with and haunts its creator. The first track and hit song on the album, “Your Company”, is a sorrowful farewell to a previous relationship. Irglova’s extended vocals, almost yearning for resolution, are only accompanied by a sparse arrangement of dreary harmonies. The rest of the album follows suit, ultimately creating a bittersweet lament to love gone wrong. Irglova’s lyricism and instrumentation are brutally honest, her assertive nature has finally taken the spotlight. Marketa Irglova performs with Deigo Garcia at 7 p.m. at Theatre Of The Living Arts; tickets to the all ages show are $18–$23 ($23–$28 via Live Nation). —Caitlyn Grabenstein