The Top 100 Songs of 2011 -- #42: "Wings of Desire" -- Marketa Irglova

As one half of indie folksters The Swell Season, Czech songstress Marketa Irglova has enchanted audiences across the world with her dulcet vocal and piano tones. Irglova first rose to prominence in 2007's Once film, starring in and performing on the soundtrack with Swell Season bandmate Glen Hansard. The band's last record came in 2009, but Irglova has certainly stayed busy.

In 2011, she released her first solo record, Anar. As expected, it was a quiet, subdued affair, featuring little more than Irglova and a piano, with the occasional strings to boot.

Let me start off by saying that I HIGHLY recommend this record. It's one of the sleeper hits of 2011, an album that flew under many's radars -- and criminally, if you ask me. If you're into sweet melodies and minimal, classical instrumentation, this is the album you've been waiting for this year.

"Wings of Desire" represents Anar at its absolute best. Featuring a resonating vocal and melody from Irglova, the song is simply the most beautiful thing on the album -- and, after listening to the entire album, you'll note that the distinction is a rather tall order to come by.



A pained love song, "Wings of Desire" showcases the potential Irglova has as a solo artist. The Swell Season are a great act and I hope they get back together to make new music soon, but if Irglova can continue to pull off music at such a high quality as this, I won't be complaining anytime soon, and I'm sure I'm not the only one.