News
That Golden Time Due Out This Friday via Domino
May 08, 2024
By Mark Redfern
Villagers (aka Irish musician Conor O’Brien) is releasing a new album, That Golden Time, this Friday via Domino. Now he has shared the album’s latest single, “I Want What I Don’t Need,” via a lyric video for it. More
That Golden Time Due Out May 10 via Domino
Mar 13, 2024
By Mark Redfern
Villagers (aka Irish musician Conor O’Brien) is releasing a new album, That Golden Time, on May 10 via Domino. Now he has shared the album’s latest single, “You Lucky One,” via a self-directed video for it. It is O’Brien’s directorial debut. Watch it below.
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Plus Bobby Gillespie and Jehnny Beth, Ade & Connan Mockasin, POND, and a Wrap-up of the Week’s Other Notable New Tracks
Jul 02, 2021
By Mark Redfern (with Caleb Campbell)
Welcome to the 25th Songs of the Week of 2021. This week we were feeling a bit indecisive and couldn’t really narrow it down to a Top 10, so we went with a Top 12 instead. More
Fever Dreams Due Out August 20 via Domino
Jul 01, 2021
By Mark Redfern
Villagers (aka Irish musician Conor O’Brien) is releasing a new album, Fever Dreams, on August 20 via Domino. Now he has shared the album’s second single, the seven-minute “So Simpatico,” via a video for it featuring two competing clowns. More
Plus UV-TV, CHVRCHES, Iceage, Pom Pom Squad, Yola, and a Wrap-up of the Week’s Other Notable New Tracks
Apr 23, 2021
By Mark Redfern (with Joey Arnone and Emma Goad)
Welcome to the 15th Songs of the Week of 2021.The big Under the Radar news was that on Wednesday we announced our new print issue. The issue features Japanese Breakfast and HAIM on the two covers and is another edition of The Protest Issue, which examines the intersection of music and politics and features musicians photographed with protest signs of their own making. More
Plus Yorkston/Thorne/Khan, Graham Coxon, Jehnny Beth, and a Wrap-up of the Week's Other Notable New Tracks
Nov 08, 2019
By Christopher Roberts
Welcome to another Songs of the Week. The last three weeks we could only come up with a Top 8, instead of our customary Top 10, but this week’s choices were surprisingly much stronger once we did some deeper digging. More
New Four-Song EP Out Digitally Now, On Vinyl November 22 via Domino
Nov 04, 2019
By Christopher Roberts
Villagers (aka Irish musician Conor O’Brien) has surprise released a brand new four-song EP, The Sunday Walker EP. More
Plus Suede, Beak>, Steve Mason, Petitie Noir, and a Wrap-up of the Week's Other Notable New Tracks
Sep 22, 2018
By Christopher Roberts
In many instances an album’s strongest songs are shared before the album’s release. There were several albums released this week, however, that featured standout tracks that were not advance singles and so this week’s Songs of the Week features some of those, filtered in with other new singles released this week. More
Plus Danielson, Jungle, Django Django, Farao, and a Wrap-up of the Week's Other Notable New Tracks
Sep 14, 2018
By Christopher Roberts
We spent the week wondering if Hurricane Florence was going to hit us here at our headquarters in Southwest Virginia. Lucky for us, it seems to have angled further south, and while we may still get some heavy rains and winds in the coming days and week, it likely won’t be as devastating to Virginia as feared. More
The Art of Pretending to Swim Due Out September 21 via Domino
Sep 10, 2018
By Christopher Roberts
Villagers (aka Irish musician Conor O’Brien) is releasing his new album, The Art of Pretending to Swim, on September 21 via Domino. Now he has shared another new song from the album, “Again,” the strongest pre-release single we’ve heard from the album yet. More
Plus Lost Under Heaven, Lala Lala, J Mascis, The Goon Sax, and a Wrap-up of the Week's Other Notable New Tracks
Aug 24, 2018
By Christopher Roberts
This week’s Songs of the Week is packed. Firstly boygenius, the new supergroup featuring Julien Baker, Lucy Dacus, and Phoebe Bridgers, released three songs this week and all were worthy of the list. Thus we decided to expand it from a Top 10 to a Top 12, so that 10 separate artists were still included, be even that wasn’t enough, so we added one more for an unlucky Top 13. More
The Art of Pretending to Swim Due Out September 21 via Domino
Aug 20, 2018
By Christopher Roberts
Villagers (aka Irish musician Conor O’Brien) is releasing his new album, The Art of Pretending to Swim, on September 21 via Domino. Now O’Brien has shared a video for another new song from the album, “Fool.” More
True Meanings Due Out September 14 via Parlophone/Warner Bros.
Jul 12, 2018
By Christopher Roberts
The Modfather himself, Paul Weller, has announced a new album, True Meanings. It is the 14th solo album from the former frontman to The Jam and The Style Council and is fittingly due out September 14, via Parlophone/Warner Bros. More
Last Weekend in Oslo, Norway
Jun 30, 2015
By Laura Studarus
Last weekend, Oslo, Norway hosted Piknik i Parken. More
New Album Darling Arithmetic Out April 14
Mar 26, 2015
By Mike Hilleary
Singer/songwriter Conor O’Brien, a.k.a. Villagers, is poised to release his third studio album Darling Arithmetic on April 14. More
Feb 02, 2015
By Mike Hilleary
Singer/songwriter Conor O’Brien, a.k.a. Villagers, has announced the release of his third studio album, Darling Arithmetic. More
Out April 9 in North America
Nov 20, 2012
By Mike Hilleary
After earning himself a Mercury Prize nomination with his debut album Becoming a Jackal Irish singer/songwriter Conor J. O’Brien (a.k.a. Villagers) has announced the release of his sophomore follow-up {Awayland}. More
Free Track Available for Download via Band's Website
Sep 20, 2011
By Mi Tran
Irish band Villagers announced that they are taking a break from touring, but have released a new video for “Cecelia & Her Selfhood.” More
Apr 13, 2011
By Laura Studarus
Things have been quiet on the Charlotte Gainsbourg front for awhile, but today the French chanteuse came out with two big announcements.
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Interviews
One Man Leads a Community
Nov 03, 2010
By Danielle Sills
Conor J. O’Brien has been making music for years, but for the first time, he’s leaving his Dublin hometown to play around the world. He started Villagers the day after his previous band, The Immediate, dissipated. While O’Brien is used to touring the pubs in Ireland, his stateside tour with Villagers is an entirely new experience for him.In the couple short years since he started writing songs under the name Villagers, O’Brien has been nominated for the U.K.’s prestigious Mercury Prize, and his debut album, Becoming a Jackal, has shot to the top of the Irish Albums Chart and the indie charts in the U.K. More
Reviews
Sep 21, 2018
By Ben Jardine
For Villagers’ Conor O’Brien, “folk” is more than just a genre of music. Rather, the music he creates with his project, Villagers (who have now released their fifth studio LP, The Art of Pretending to Swim), has shifted to embody an atmosphere far beyond the folksy proclivities of the group’s first full-length, 2010’s Becoming a Jackal. More
Jan 04, 2016
By Dan Lucas
Conor O’Brien’s discography under the Villagers moniker is a restless one, as each of his three albums has carried its own distinct aesthetic, refusing to rest on the stylistic laurels of its predecessor. More
Apr 14, 2015
By Billy Hamilton
While much of modern pop surrounds itself in bravado, Villagers are a curious anomaly. The Irish quintet are as honest as they come. More