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Artwork for the article 'Villagers' from One Eye Open Issue #1.
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Five seconds of silence. Slowly jangled bells fade in, then a quiet organ, before a violin. A minor key piano melody starts, then a whisper. “Have you got just a minute, are you easily lead, let me show you the backroom, where I saw the dead.” sings Conor O’Brien, an Irish singer-songwriter who performs under the guise of Villagers. This is the first minute of his debut album ‘Becoming a Jackal’. Beautifully dark, sincere and well written - it is easy to see how he was chosen to support Elbow on an arena tour early this year.
Delicate and tuneful yet at the same time haunting, there is a certain poetry to ‘Becoming a Jackal‘. Although songs like ‘Ship of Promises’ are anchored by relentless drums and rhythmical guitar strums, they are equally reliant on vocals. O’Brien’s lyrics articulate to absolute perfection, from a forceful whisper to a wolf-like howl. It is in that element of Villagers’ aural aesthetic that the listener can truly engage.
It is not only the execution of vocals in which O’Brien excels; in the great acoustic tradition, there is some great storytelling on show too. On the most part O’Brien seems to be lamenting his younger years, with themes such as family in the aptly named ‘Home’, fragile relationships in ‘That Day’ and even a bus journey in ‘Twenty Seven Strangers’. Everyday ideas as they are, O’Brien’s pulls you into his experiences with the beauty of his lyrics. Wholeheartedly honest; we cannot help but draw parallels to our own childhood.
And while Villagers can slowly ascend from delightful acoustic (‘The Pact’) to dense instrumental crescendo (‘Pieces’), everything about this album seems considered - nothing out of place or without justification, in the same way fine detail can sometimes bring an illustration or painting to life. ‘Becoming a Jackal’ is a brilliant debut, which throughout it’s duration is enchanting and emotive
Article and artwork by Nick Byrne. Originally published in One Eye Open #1. Available here: [link]
--
Five seconds of silence. Slowly jangled bells fade in, then a quiet organ, before a violin. A minor key piano melody starts, then a whisper. “Have you got just a minute, are you easily lead, let me show you the backroom, where I saw the dead.” sings Conor O’Brien, an Irish singer-songwriter who performs under the guise of Villagers. This is the first minute of his debut album ‘Becoming a Jackal’. Beautifully dark, sincere and well written - it is easy to see how he was chosen to support Elbow on an arena tour early this year.
Delicate and tuneful yet at the same time haunting, there is a certain poetry to ‘Becoming a Jackal‘. Although songs like ‘Ship of Promises’ are anchored by relentless drums and rhythmical guitar strums, they are equally reliant on vocals. O’Brien’s lyrics articulate to absolute perfection, from a forceful whisper to a wolf-like howl. It is in that element of Villagers’ aural aesthetic that the listener can truly engage.
It is not only the execution of vocals in which O’Brien excels; in the great acoustic tradition, there is some great storytelling on show too. On the most part O’Brien seems to be lamenting his younger years, with themes such as family in the aptly named ‘Home’, fragile relationships in ‘That Day’ and even a bus journey in ‘Twenty Seven Strangers’. Everyday ideas as they are, O’Brien’s pulls you into his experiences with the beauty of his lyrics. Wholeheartedly honest; we cannot help but draw parallels to our own childhood.
And while Villagers can slowly ascend from delightful acoustic (‘The Pact’) to dense instrumental crescendo (‘Pieces’), everything about this album seems considered - nothing out of place or without justification, in the same way fine detail can sometimes bring an illustration or painting to life. ‘Becoming a Jackal’ is a brilliant debut, which throughout it’s duration is enchanting and emotive
Article and artwork by Nick Byrne. Originally published in One Eye Open #1. Available here: [link]
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Nice work, but that blue line - river or road?
