I promised myself I wouldn’t do this, but –sigh!– there will be blog. Here are a few thoughts, in two penny increments.

No one was really less deserving than the Coen Brothers. It’s not, of course, that their film wasn’t good. But of all the assembled talent, they probably found it the most amusing.

And speaking of the Coens, the biggest disappointment of the evening was the failure of film editor Roderick Jaynes to snag the Oscar for his editing work on No Country For Old Men. I’ve been a huge Jaynes fan since he raked the Coens over the coals in a column for The Guardian. I would love to have seen him accept.

Diablo Cody over Tony Gilroy? Wha–??

Atonement’s only win was Dario Marianelli’s score. he beat out the excellent, minimal work done by James Newton Howard, which was my pick, but only because, thanks to his use of pre-existing works and a controversial Academy ruling, Jonny Greenwood wasn’t eligible for his stellar music for The Will Be Blood.

The continuing decline of the Best Song category was in full display. Luckily (and predictably) Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova clinched it over the three insipid selections from Enchanted. The night’s best moment came when Jon Stewart, who was obviously taken by the couple’s enthusiasm, brought Irglova back out for a chance to deliver the speech that commercials had prevented her from delivering first time round. That was cool.

Seriously, Diablo Cody over Tony Gilroy?

Guess we have to wait till next year to honor the late, great Roy Scheider.

Fashion round-up for the evening: the men wore ties. The women wore dresses.

I felt that the show could have gone on longer.

I bet the Oscar weighs a lot.

I think cheese is a fine snack.

It was a fine year for Glen Hansard. In January his band, The Frames, puts out The Cost, which, but for an unexpected development, might have amounted to just another futile attempt to knock on the door of American Awareness. That development was the unexpected success of a teensy independent Irish film called Once. Written (and directed) by John Carney, it’s the tale of a pair of offbeat street musicians, who meet, make “beautiful music” together and, on occasion, wrestle vacuum cleaners. Glen Hansard’s starring role in the picture, along with the use of the Frames music throughout, brought attention to both him and his band. And then to seal the deal, his co-star in the film is Marketa Irglova, with whom he also recorded his “solo” debut, The Swell Season. This all made for a sort of built-in promotion machine. The Movie plus The Frames plus the Soundtrack equaled something close to a critical mass.

I had only heard of the Frames when Coachella rolled around last year. I hadn’t heard them. But I made it a point at the festival after reading this Allmusic review which mentions that they “often get picked ahead of U2 at being the best live band at home.” The live show was excellent, as predicted. The film? Amusing and simple and not manipulative in the way that music films can be. And the music itself? Well, here we are.

I’m into this tune because it’s got everything I love about a Frames song. It’s serpentine in construction, heartfelt in delivery and it’s got those swelling strings for ample sonic hugging. Also, the other obvious choice, “Falling Slowly,” which Hansard and Irglova released on Swell Season, has achieved market saturation. It’s in the movie, on the soundtrack, on their album and then, on The Cost, reworked in a bigger, grander style. We don’t need it here.

To get a sense of what the Coachella show was like, check out this video at YouTube, which catches them in their set opener, “Dance The Devil.” Especially worth note is Glen Hansard’s energetic outburst at about minute 4:10.

The Frames: amazon, itunes, popmatters (review of Once)

Enjoy:

The Frames – “Song For Someone”