Villagers



Another trip to The Granada last night did not disappoint.  What drew us there this time was Ra Ra Riot, who were fantastic!  But the big revelation for me was the opener, the Villagers, who is the remarkably gifted Conor O'Brien from Dublin.  So much talent compressed into such a compact frame, he was mesmerizing from the moment he walked out.

I thought I had never heard of them before until they performed “Becoming a Jackal” which is the title track on their debut cd.    I may have only heard this song once (I cannot for the life of me figure out where – probably KXT 91.7 – my public radio station) and I had most of the lyrics memorized – to my astonishment!  I think that’s what happens when I hear great writing – it gets burned onto my brain and I replay it as background music to my dreams while I’m sleeping.  Does this happen to you?  This has not happened to me in a long time.  Take a listen:

In case you haven't hear enough, here's a really good World Cafe Interview.  Could this be where I heard them?  Here's their official website where you can find links to their Facebook and MySpace pages or buy cds or tshirts.  Conor does all the artwork, btw.  LOVE that.  You can also download the album on iTunes.  But I bought a CD because I wanted to have the words.  Oh, the beautiful words.  The cd as a whole is a cohesive collection of slighty dark, deeply passionate, beautifully spun personal glimpses into a human experience.  And, lookie:  they even signed it for me!

If you still want more, here's a Tiny Desk Concert from NPR.   Happy Listening.