The Frames

Dublin, Ireland, alternative pop band the Frames are led by the gifted singer/songwriter Glen Hansard, who quit school at age 13 to begin busking on local streets. At 17, he borrowed money from his parents to record a demo, pressing 50 copies that he distributed to family and friends; one of the copies made its way to Island Records' Denny Cordell, who successfully lobbied label founder Chris Blackwell to sign Hansard to the roster. With the jump to Island, Hansard founded the Frames, taking the name from his childhood fascination with bicycles; he regularly repaired his friends' bikes, and with the frames scattered about his family's yard, their home was consequently known as "the house with the frames."

The group, which included guitarist Dave Odlum, vocalist Noreen O'Donnell, bassist John Carney, violinist Colm Mac Con Iomaire, and drummer Paul Brennan, made its debut at an Irish music festival in September 1990, and -- after a brief hiatus to allow Hansard to co-star in Alan Parker's hit film The Commitments -- issued its debut single, "The Dancer," in early 1992. With producer Gil Norton, whose work with the Pixies was a major sonic influence on the sessions, the Frames (sometimes credited as the Frames D.C. to avoid confusion with an American group of the same name) completed their debut album, Another Love Song, but a scheduled U.S. tour was canceled when Mac Con Iomaire fell ill and Carney quit; bassist Graham Downey was quickly added, but following a subsequent shakeup in Island's roster, the band was left without a label. Moreover, O'Donnell left the lineup in the midst of recording the follow-up, the 1994 ZTT label release Fitzcarraldo. Bassist Joe Doyle soon replaced Downey, with Dave Hingerty assuming Brennan's drumming duties for the Frames' third full-length, 1999's lo-fi Dance the Devil.

Again, the band switched labels, signing to Chicago-based indie Overcoat to record its fourth and finest effort, 2001's haunting For the Birds. Where previous Frames records often suffered from over-production, For the Birds (recorded in part by Steve Albini at his Electrical Audio Studios) boasts an intimacy and fragility perfectly complementing Hansard's quivering vocals and heart-wrenching compositions. Despite critical hosannas, Odlum left the band in November 2001 to focus on production work, with Simon Goode stepping in on lead guitar duties. A U.S. tour planned for the following month was suspended in the wake of the death of Hansard's close friend and sometime collaborator Mic Christopher, former frontman of the Mary Janes. The Frames finally made it to the States in support of the New Pornographers during the winter of 2002. Earlier that year they released their first live album, Breadcrumb Trail. The Frames' next release was 2003's The Roads Outgrown, a nine-track collection of studio outtakes. Their first for Anti, Set List, was released in February 2004. Burn the Maps arrived a year later, followed by Cost in 2007. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Music Guide