{"title":"Villagers","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eVillagers is an indie folk band hailing from Dublin, Ireland. Formed in 2008, the band has gained a dedicated following with their unique sound and heartfelt lyrics. Drawing inspiration from various genres, Villagers' music combines elements of folk, rock, and alternative to create a truly captivating listening experience.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eWith influences ranging from Fionn Regan to Laura Marling, Villagers have carved out their own distinct musical identity. Their introspective songwriting and haunting melodies have garnered critical acclaim and earned them comparisons to renowned artists such as Damien Jurado and José González.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eWhether it's the delicate guitar work or the emotive vocals of *Conor O'Brien*, Villagers' music has a way of resonating with listeners on a deep level. Fans of indie folk acts like Great Lake Swimmers and Lisa Hannigan will find themselves drawn to the evocative storytelling found within each track.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"that-golden-time","title":"That Golden Time","description":"\u003cp\u003eFollowing the kaleidoscopic adventure of Villagers’ fifth album \u003ci\u003eFever Dreams\u003c\/i\u003e, award-winning Dublin singer-songwriter-instrumentalist-dramatist Conor O’Brien returns with the intimate inventory, \u003ci\u003eThat Golden Time\u003c\/i\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAfter the band-centred sessions of its predecessor, \u003ci\u003eThat Golden Time\u003c\/i\u003e’s solo-centric core was not forced on O’Brien by lockdown. “For me, \u003ci\u003eThat Golden Time\u003c\/i\u003e has an internalised voice, so much so that I almost found it impossible to let anyone else in,” he says. “It’s probably the most vulnerable album I’ve made. I played and recorded everything in my apartment, and finally, towards the end, invited people in.” Invites went out to, among others, Irish legend Dónal Lunny [Planxty, The Bothy Band] on bouzouki, American songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Peter Broderick on violin, and a group of players that O’Brien had first seen performing in a tribute to one of his great loves, Italian composer Ennio Morricone, who added soprano vocal, viola and cello.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe understated poetry within \u003ci\u003eThat Golden Time\u003c\/i\u003e is effortlessly carried by gorgeous melodies and sublime instrumentation. In “No Drama”, as the narrator pleads for respite from the vicissitudes of life, O’Brien equates an orchestral swell with an appeal for quiet beauty and peace. “Behind That Curtain” is a rare moment of musical discombobulation as a solemn, soulful ballad hands over to a jazzy coda, “It’s the sound of deafening alarm bells inside your head,” remarks O’Brien. Exploring these themes further, there is also a secondary image of a coin on the artwork (an Irish twenty pence piece) to which O’Brien explains: “The types of physical currency change throughout time, but the essential power relationships and bartering principles persevere throughout the cosmetic changes.”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAs the album comes to its conclusion with “Money On The Mind”, we find a moment of serenity with a ray of hope. The very last line, softly crooned, is “My money’s on the mind, truth be told,” a shout-out to the resilience of the human spirit. The moth might be disorientated, but it swerves the flame to live another day.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Domino","offers":[{"title":"Black LP","offer_id":50415145877835,"sku":"2175082","price":27.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"Gold LP","offer_id":50415146991947,"sku":"2175235","price":25.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"CD","offer_id":50415149023563,"sku":"2175084","price":12.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/7fa19c6c-37e0-4eee-a417-44b98410254e_239a0446_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1726687887"},{"product_id":"the-sunday-walker-ep","title":"The Sunday Walker EP","description":"\u003cp\u003eVillagers release \u003ci\u003eThe Sunday Walker EP.\u003c\/i\u003e The four tracks collected are primarily songs recorded around the time of \u003ci\u003eThe Art Of Pretending To Swim\u003c\/i\u003e sessions – Conor O’Brien’s acclaimed fourth album.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn Conor’s words: \u003ci\u003e“The tracks that fell through the cracks; it turns out they had their own story to tell. The Sunday Walker EP is a collection of lost songs as much as it is an emotional arc. Songs of loss and songs of realisation. Songs of empathy and isolation.”\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Domino","offers":[{"title":"Black | 12\"","offer_id":50418469830987,"sku":"1081066","price":17.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/3c434802-8757-4788-a5b9-736a1acbaace_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1726741294"},{"product_id":"becoming-a-jackal","title":"Becoming A Jackal","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eBecoming a Jackal\u003c\/i\u003e introduces us to Villagers' vivid narratives, gripping poetry and melodic depth. Conor J O'Brien's clear and distinctive voice weaves a remarkable spell, delivering an album of rare, alarming beauty. from restrained to unleashed, from a whisper to a literal howl, \u003ci\u003eBecoming a Jackal\u003c\/i\u003e mutates, intrigues and beguiles in equal measure. \u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Domino","offers":[{"title":"Clear LP","offer_id":50432922419531,"sku":"2209473","price":29.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"LP | x2","offer_id":50432921305419,"sku":"324627","price":27.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"CD","offer_id":50432920191307,"sku":"324626","price":5.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/Becoming_a_Jackal_4339b2b2_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1726875201"},{"product_id":"becoming-a-jackal-rsd-2020","title":"Becoming A Jackal  (RSD 2020)","description":"\u003cp\u003e10th Anniversary edition of the classic debut album by Villagers. This edition features 5 bonus demos not on the original album, two of the demos have never been released before.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Domino","offers":[{"title":"Red | LP | x2","offer_id":50447637807435,"sku":"1097381","price":27.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/52e07007-f623-4388-a252-ab83eb3683d1_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1727080415"},{"product_id":"the-art-of-pretending-to-swim","title":"The Art of Pretending to Swim","description":"\u003cp\u003eAlways restless and inventive while always true to the power and glory of song-writing and melody, Conor O’Brien has made another great leap forward with Villagers’ fourth studio album, \u003ci\u003eThe Art Of Pretending To Swim\u003c\/i\u003e, released by Domino. Following the exquisitely sparse, intimate aura of 2015’s \u003ci\u003eDarling Arithmetic\u003c\/i\u003e, O’Brien’s new record reconnects with the multi-faceted approach of Villagers’ 2010 album debut \u003ci\u003eBecoming A Jackal\u003c\/i\u003e and 2013’s \u003ci\u003e{Awayland}\u003c\/i\u003e while adding a new-found soulfulness, rhythmic nous and dazzling panoply of sonic detail, both analogue and digital, creating feverish moods while writing effortlessly accessible tunes. Balanced with subtle aspects and lyrical themes that embrace existential fears and hopes in this desperate, technologically-centred dystopian age, \u003ci\u003eThe Art Of Pretending To Swim\u003c\/i\u003e is the most brilliantly realised Villagers album to date. The album was written, produced, mixed and primarily performed by Conor O’Brien in his Dublin studio.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Domino","offers":[{"title":"Purple LP","offer_id":50484676460875,"sku":"2209478","price":27.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"LP | x2","offer_id":50484670267723,"sku":"1039434","price":22.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"LP","offer_id":50484667351371,"sku":"1039433","price":24.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"CD","offer_id":50484673544523,"sku":"1039431","price":9.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/The_Art_of_Pretending_to_Swim_99cc5b63_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1727592114"},{"product_id":"where-have-you-been-all-my-life","title":"Where Have You Been All My Life?","description":"\u003cp\u003e'Where Have You Been All My Life?' is a collection of songs that distils five years and three albums of Villagers' songwriting into one flowing narrative. Recorded in one day at London's RAK Studio with Richard Woodcraft (Radiohead, The Last Shadow Puppets) and Villagers live engineer Ber Quinn, the album is a re-imagining of older material seamlessly woven with present glories from Villagers' most recent studio album, 'Darling Arithmetic'. Released in April 2015, Conor O'Brien's third album under the guise of Villagers was a more pared-back, intimate journey compared to the multi-faceted arrangements of 'Becoming A Jackal' (2010) and '{Awayland}' (2013). This fresh approach was extended on subsequent Villagers tours, where old songs were reinvented to match the new. Then for one day in July 2015, 18 songs were quickly captured and 12 songs chosen for the final album, making it Villagers' most intense, but satisfying, session to date. These recordings are all first or second takes, and the immediacy of the occasion was part of the magic that day, live and unadorned by overdubs or studio trickery. The unique nature of these arrangements is due in no small part to the musicians in the room at the time of recording: Cormac Curran on grand piano and analogue synthesizer, Danny Snow on double bass, Mali Llywelyn on harp, mellotron and vocals, and Gwion Llewelyn on drums, flugelhorn and vocals. The result is a lush, harmony-laden and vibrant document of a time and a place. Included in the album is a new recording of 'Memoir', which O'Brien wrote for Charlotte Gainsbourg; it can be found on her 2011 album 'Stage Whisper', but has never before been recorded by Villagers until now.LP - Black Vinyl with Download.LP+ - Deluxe Translucent Green Vinyl with Download featuring two bonus tracks.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Domino","offers":[{"title":"LP.","offer_id":50484907147595,"sku":"395644","price":25.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"CD","offer_id":50484908851531,"sku":"395642","price":14.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"LP","offer_id":50484910752075,"sku":"395643","price":27.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/0fb4da27-a572-4c4d-903b-b6860c98ef37_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1727592762"},{"product_id":"fever-dreams","title":"Fever Dreams","description":"\u003cp\u003eVillagers' release their fifth studio album\u003ci\u003e Fever Dreams\u003c\/i\u003e via Domino. Escapism is a very necessary pursuit right now, and\u003ci\u003e Fever Dreams\u003c\/i\u003e follows it to mesmerising effect. It works like all the best records - it becomes a mode of transport; it picks you up from where you are and sets you down elsewhere.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThese are songs with the strange, melted shapes and the magical ambivalence of dreams. The intent of the songs is both mysterious and as clear as a bell. With \u003ci\u003eFever Dreams\u003c\/i\u003e, there is a sense of a deepening mastery and an expanding reach by O’Brien. Inspiration for the album was found in many places and came in from all angles, from night swimming on a Dutch island to Flann O’Brien, Audre Lorde, David Lynch, L. S. Lowry via the library music of Piero Umiliani and Alessandro Alessandroni and jazz from Duke Ellington and Alice Coltrane.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Domino","offers":[{"title":"Green | LP","offer_id":50485049229643,"sku":"1120766","price":25.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"Black | LP","offer_id":50485049655627,"sku":"1120765","price":24.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"Orange LP","offer_id":50485050016075,"sku":"2209483","price":27.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"CD","offer_id":50485049033035,"sku":"1120763","price":12.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/24af5948-4a37-4e88-adcd-589e93bce340_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1727594776"},{"product_id":"darling-arithmetic","title":"Darling Arithmetic","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eDarling Arithmetic\u003c\/i\u003e is the third album from Villagers, released on Domino. The follow-up to Conor O'Brien's debut, \u003ci\u003eBecoming a Jackal\u003c\/i\u003e, and its successor, \u003ci\u003eAwayland\u003c\/i\u003e - both hugely acclaimed and Mercury-nominated - is a breathtakingly beautiful, intimate album entirely about love and relationships. \u003ci\u003eDarling Arithmetic\u003c\/i\u003e was written, recorded, produced and mixed by O'Brien at home - the loft of a converted farmhouse that he shares in the coastal town of Malahide to the north of Dublin - revealing a single-minded artist at the peak of his already considerable songwriting powers. It encompasses the various shades of feeling - desire, obsession, lust, loneliness and confusion, and deeper into philosophical and existential territory, across a cast of lovers, friends, family and even strangers. Backing up his supple and emoting vocal and guitar is the subtlest palate of instrumentation - piano, Mellotron (which accounts for the album's occasional horn and cello tones) and brushes. O'Brien plays every instrument on these exquisite, melodic songs in a sparse, spacious, acoustic-leaning fashion. On \u003ci\u003eDarling Arithmetic\u003c\/i\u003e, O'Brien doesn't only pare back his use of language but looks deep into his own heart and motives. The opening track and first single, 'Courage', concerns the most important kind of love - for yourself: \"It took a little time to get where I wanted \/ It took a little time to get free \/ It took a little time to be honest \/ It took a little time to be me.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Domino","offers":[{"title":"LP.","offer_id":50489221513547,"sku":"385853","price":23.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"Red LP","offer_id":50489222103371,"sku":"2209477","price":27.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"CD","offer_id":50489221153099,"sku":"385852","price":9.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"LP","offer_id":50489221677387,"sku":"385854","price":24.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/Darling_Arithmetic_Deluxe_Version_c54c6acd_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1727639913"},{"product_id":"awayland","title":"{awayland}","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe follow up to the mercury-nominated and ivor novello award winning debut, \u003ci\u003eBecoming a Jackal\u003c\/i\u003e, was written by Villagers' Conor O'Brien and was produced and mixed in ireland by Conor with bandmate Tommy Mclaughlin. \u003ci\u003e{awayland)\u003c\/i\u003e is a diverse album... it takes you on a trip through a musical landscape, as a tribute to your sense of wonder. it travels through space and time and leaves you back for dinner. it might take a few gobbles. maybe try it on headphones first, without interruption.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Domino","offers":[{"title":"Blue LP","offer_id":50491360379211,"sku":"2209476","price":26.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"LP","offer_id":50491359396171,"sku":"356393","price":24.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/Awayland_3921cee9_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1727685936"},{"product_id":"mountain-out-of-a-molehill","title":"Mountain Out Of A Molehill","description":"\u003cp\u003eWith its cinematic strings, cascading keys and Conor’s mellifluous tones, ‘Mountain out of a Molehill’ is a glorious addition to the Villagers canon. Backed by AA-side, ‘A Matter of Taste’, the two tracks are available on a limited-edition 7” release.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Domino","offers":[{"title":"Black 7\"","offer_id":51182648230219,"sku":"2242244","price":10.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/Screenshot_2025-01-30_at_15.30.49_83d5d61b_thumbnail_4096.png?v=1738254066"},{"product_id":"mountain-out-of-a-molehill-ms","title":"Mountain Out Of A Molehill","description":"\u003cp\u003eDiscover \"Mountain Out Of A Molehill\" by Villagers on limited-edition 7” vinyl from Domino. Cinematic strings and mellifluous tones await!\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Domino","offers":[{"title":"Black 7\"","offer_id":51641564463435,"sku":"2242791","price":11.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/2242791.jpg?v=1744714834"}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/collections\/test_98111ee4_thumbnail_4096_4d0de75e-692e-4238-872b-2d592ff3dbf8.jpg?v=1726029536","url":"https:\/\/shop.roughtrade.com\/fr\/collections\/villagers.oembed","provider":"Rough Trade","version":"1.0","type":"link"}