The Swell Season originally refers to the 2006 album by Irish musician Glen Hansard and Czech singer and pianist Markéta Irglová. The title of the album as well as of the song The Swell Season is inspired by Hansard's favourite novel by Josef ?kvorecký from 1975 bearing the same title. Since their mutual rise to prominence after starring in the 2007 film Once, they now sometimes refer to themselves as "The Swell Season" when performing together, The initial album came about after Glen and Marketa were approached by the Czech film director Jan H?ebejk while touring in the Czech Republic, and were asked by him to record songs for his upcoming film Beauty in Trouble. It was the first album that Hansard, the singer for The Frames, had released independently of his band.