With the release of Villagers third studio album ‘Darling Arithmetic’ back in April, Connor O’Brien unveiled a special live-edition of their new album ‘Where Have You Been All My Life?’
Returning to the heart and soul of his songs, Where Have You Been All My Life is a clever re-working and re-imagining of Villagers’ back-catalogue, highlighting material from 2015’s Darling Arithmetic, 2010’s Becoming A Jackal and 2013’s Awayland.
Recorded in one day at London’s RAK Studio with Richard Woodcraft (Radiohead), the intense recording session captured 12 songs on either their first or second take, giving it a sense of intimacy, rawness and authenticity. The instrumentation and arrangements are amped up throughout with piano, drums, double bass, harp, synths and vocals, giving the re-worked tracks more vibrancy.
From the fluid tempo and richer instrumentation of Memoir, to the elongated melodies and soothing vocals of Set The Tigers Free, and to the extended melodic re-working of The Wave, Where Have You Been All My Life breathes new life into much loved tracks, perfectly capturing Connor’s emotive vocals. Closing the album is a mellow cover of Glen Campbell’s Wichita Lineman.
Where Have You Been All My Life is available now via Domino Records and is available on Spotify, iTunes and Google Play. Upcoming dates for Villagers include Oran Mor Auditorium in Glasgow (Feb 2) and London’s Shepherds Bush Empire (Feb 11). Full tour dates can be found here.