Villagers That Golden Time Vinyl LP Indies Gold Colour 2024
Tracklist:
1. Truly Alone
2. First Responder
3. I Want What I Donāt Need
4. You Lucky One
5. That Golden Time
6. Keepsake
7. Brother Hen
8. No Drama
9. Behind That Curtain
10. Money On The Mind
Following the kaleidoscopic adventure of Villagersā fifth album Fever Dreams, award-winning Dublin singer-songwriter-instrumentalist-dramatist Conor OāBrien returns with the intimate inventory that he has named That Golden Time.
No less intense than its more feverish predecessor, the exquisite new album un-furls OāBrienās trademark melodic flair, his gift for simultaneously vivid and subtle arrangements and lyrics that couch his hopes, fears and dreams in richly absorbing poetry.
After the band-centred sessions of its predecessor, That Golden Timeās solo-centric core was not forced on OāBrien by lockdown. āFor me, That Golden Time has an internalised voice, so much so that I almost found it impossible to let anyone else in,ā he says. āItās probably the most vulnerable album Iāve made. I played and recorded everything in my apartment, and finally, towards the end, invited people in.ā Invites went out to, among others, Irish legend DĆ³nal Lunny [Planxty, The Bothy Band] on bouzouki, American songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Peter Broderick on violin, and a group of players that OāBrien had first seen performing in a tribute to one of his great loves, Italian composer Ennio Morricone, who added soprano vocal, viola and cello.
The understated poetry within That Golden Time is effortlessly carried by gorgeous melodies and sublime instrumentation. In āNo Dramaā, as the narrator pleads for respite from the vicissitudes of life, OāBrien equates an orchestral swell with an appeal for quiet beauty and peace. āBehind That Curtainā is a rare moment of musical discombobulation as a solemn, soulful ballad hands over to a jazzy coda, āItās the sound of deafening alarm bells inside your head,ā remarks OāBrien. Exploring these themes further, there is also a secondary image of a coin on the artwork (an Irish twenty pence piece) to which OāBrien explains: āThe types of physical currency change throughout time, but the essential power relationships and bartering principles persevere throughout the cosmetic changes.ā
As the album comes to its conclusion with āMoney On The Mindā, we find a moment of serenity with a ray of hope. The very last line, softly crooned, is āMy moneyās on the mind, truth be told,ā a shout-out to the resilience of the human spirit. The moth might be disorientated, but it swerves the flame to live another day.
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Tracklist:
1. Truly Alone
2. First Responder
3. I Want What I Donāt Need
4. You Lucky One
5. That Golden Time
6. Keepsake
7. Brother Hen
8. No Drama
9. Behind That Curtain
10. Money On The Mind
Following the kaleidoscopic adventure of Villagersā fifth album Fever Dreams, award-winning Dublin singer-songwriter-instrumentalist-dramatist Conor OāBrien returns with the intimate inventory that he has named That Golden Time.
No less intense than its more feverish predecessor, the exquisite new album un-furls OāBrienās trademark melodic flair, his gift for simultaneously vivid and subtle arrangements and lyrics that couch his hopes, fears and dreams in richly absorbing poetry.
After the band-centred sessions of its predecessor, That Golden Timeās solo-centric core was not forced on OāBrien by lockdown. āFor me, That Golden Time has an internalised voice, so much so that I almost found it impossible to let anyone else in,ā he says. āItās probably the most vulnerable album Iāve made. I played and recorded everything in my apartment, and finally, towards the end, invited people in.ā Invites went out to, among others, Irish legend DĆ³nal Lunny [Planxty, The Bothy Band] on bouzouki, American songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Peter Broderick on violin, and a group of players that OāBrien had first seen performing in a tribute to one of his great loves, Italian composer Ennio Morricone, who added soprano vocal, viola and cello.
The understated poetry within That Golden Time is effortlessly carried by gorgeous melodies and sublime instrumentation. In āNo Dramaā, as the narrator pleads for respite from the vicissitudes of life, OāBrien equates an orchestral swell with an appeal for quiet beauty and peace. āBehind That Curtainā is a rare moment of musical discombobulation as a solemn, soulful ballad hands over to a jazzy coda, āItās the sound of deafening alarm bells inside your head,ā remarks OāBrien. Exploring these themes further, there is also a secondary image of a coin on the artwork (an Irish twenty pence piece) to which OāBrien explains: āThe types of physical currency change throughout time, but the essential power relationships and bartering principles persevere throughout the cosmetic changes.ā
As the album comes to its conclusion with āMoney On The Mindā, we find a moment of serenity with a ray of hope. The very last line, softly crooned, is āMy moneyās on the mind, truth be told,ā a shout-out to the resilience of the human spirit. The moth might be disorientated, but it swerves the flame to live another day.
