Listen: Villagers - "Passing A Message"

Today, Irish band Villagers released their second single "Passing A Message" and it proves that they electronic sound the featured on "The Waves" wasn't just some fluke. It's real, very very real. Their sophomore record Awayland will probably be full to the brim of the stuff. So if you liked Conor O'Brien being all folksy and brooding, you'll have to play Becoming A Jackal on infinite repeat until maybe Villagers third album?

However, if "The Waves" was totally up your alley (and even if it's wasn't) then you are by far in luck. "Passing A Message", in my honest opinion, is the better of the two glimpses at Awayland. It's simpler, groovier, more poetic lyrically (or rather, the lyrics are far easier to appreciate), and I have a hard time believing anyone wouldn't be a fan of it. Diehard folk fans included. It's short and sweet and has just the right amount of jazz chords getting thrown down to make it kinda dance-y. Basically this time round, O'Brien decided to at least sound more upbeat and that's turning out to be a good thing.

Watch/listen to Villagers new single "Passing A Message":


Villagers' sophomore effort Awayland is out January 2013 on Domino Records.

Watch: Villagers - "The Waves"

Irish band Villagers are back from a relatively long radio silence while they worked on new stuff with a brand new single. The first new music from the band since the release of Becoming A Jackal is kind of everything the album wasn't. Folky and built around Conor O'Brien's poetic songcraft, "The Waves" is more or less the antithesis of the folky sound I associated with Villagers. And that's not necessarily a bad thing. "The Waves" is a sort of synthy semi beat-driven track that still manages to serves as the appropriate vehicle for O'Brien's lyricism.

Even among its poppy dressings, "The Waves" still shambles around with the sparse, haunting effect Villagers are most known for. It's definitely a new direction for the band but the keystone of the band's effectivenes is still present and that's good enough for me. The jury's still out on if I'd like an full album of the stuff but "The Waves" certainly makes a strong case for it.

Check out Villagers' colorful video for "The Waves" here:


The official single release for "The Waves" happens on October 22nd but you can, if you're so inclined, purchase the digital single on iTunes right now here.

Villagers - Becoming A Jackal (2010)

I was introduced to Villagers when the fine folks at NPR featured Villagers' Conor O'Brien in an intimate three song set as part of their Tiny Desk Concert series. The set was enchanting and melancholic but in no way prepared me for the debut album itself. Beginning with haunting "I Saw the Dead", O'Brien's poetic lyricism paints pictures of strangely mystical encounters that seem as deeply familiar as any everyday happenstance. It's songcraft that doesn't take itself too seriously and benefits greatly from it - able to dress up "Becoming A Jackal" in something deceptively upbeat and poppy or dramatically elevate a seemingly mundane experience in "Twenty Seven Strangers".

Becoming A Jackal is, simply put, an utter masterpiece. If you were to take each song and inspect it, you'd find each one to be virtually flawless. Each song manages to have it's own distinct sound while contributing greatly to the whole. What's even more surprising is when you learn that O'Brien played almost every instrument you hear on it.

Get a taste of Villagers with the video for "Becoming A Jackal":