VILLAGERS – That Golden Time – Black Vinyl

LP – Standard Edition 140g Black Vinylwith 12 page A5 booklet.LP sleeve with spot gloss on front and back covers, polylined inner and download card.

Following the kaleidoscopic adventure ofVillagers fifth albumFever Dreams,award-winning Dublin singer-songwriter-instrumentalist-dramatistConor OBrienreturns with the intimate inventory that he has namedThat Golden Time.No less intense than its more feverish predecessor, the exquisite new album unfurls OBriens trademark melodic flair, his gift for simultaneously vivid and subtle arrangements and lyrics that couch his hopes, fears and dreams in richlyabsorbingpoetry.

After the band-centred sessions of its predecessor, That Golden Times solo-centric core was not forced on OBrien by lockdown. For me, That Golden Time has an internalised voice, so much so that I almost found it impossible to let anyone else in, he says. Its probably the most vulnerable album Ive 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 Dnal Lunny [Planxty, The Bothy Band] on bouzouki, American songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Peter Broderick on violin, and a group of players that OBrien 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 No Drama, as the narrator pleads for respite from the vicissitudes of life, OBrien 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, Its the sound of deafening alarm bells inside your head, remarks OBrien. Exploring these themes further, there is also a secondary image of a coin on the artwork (an Irish twenty pence piece) to which OBrien explains: The types of physical currency change throughout time, but the essential power relationships and bartering principles persevere throughout the cosmetic changes.

As 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 moneys 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.

Tracklist:

1. Truly Alone
2. First Responder
3. I Want What I Dont 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

Irish upcoming live date (at time of publishing, more may be added):
Saturday 29th June Trinity College, Dublin