Villagers at the Old Market back in April of last year. It was everything that I had hoped for and more – great songs thoughtfully arranged and masterfully performed. It wasn’t just the songs from the excellent 2015 release, “Darling Arithmetic” that impressed – the whole Villagers back catalogue shone. It seems Villagers must have been happy with the set, too, as they’ve just released “Where have you been all my life?” – a live album recorded at the legendary RAK Studio with what is essentially the same line up that toured “Darling Arithmetic”.

 
Consisting of recordings that are all single take, “Where have you been all my life?” features acoustic guitar, piano and synth, double bass, drums, harp, mellotron, flugelhorn and luscious vocals. The title itself is a key line from “Soul Serene” – a track that features prominently on “Darling Arithmetic”, and upon first listen, it feels like a reasonable question to ask. It was always going to be good, but this is special recording of a special set of musicians who are in a special place.
 
The band managed to record 18 songs in one day (that’s certainly one way to keep your recording costs down) which they whittled down to 12, resulting in an album that contains a clear identity, a nice cross-section of songs from the three previous studio albums, and a well-judged variety in mood.
 
“That Day” stands out. It is beautifully crafted; Connor O’Brien’s voice soothing and its careful, almost wistful arrangement enveloping the listener as it eventually winds down to the closing refrain of “can you hear me now?”
“Waves” offers a wide range of dynamics and a very different take on its hypnotic trippy original. Here drums crash, ghostly synthesizers howl and the band cut loose. At the other end of the scale, the song “Darling Arithmetic” really works, with the intimacy of the performance palpable, drenched in tender sadness.
 
Villagers throw in a couple of welcome surprises – “Memoir” was initially penned for Charlotte Gainsbourg, but has O’Brien’s DNA all over it with its eloquent lyrics and irresistible chord changes. A delicate cover version of “Witchita Lineman” appears as the final track and is maybe less of a surprise. This classic and timeless piece of songwriting is very much in keeping with O’Brien’s raison d'être as an artist.
 
You can read more about Villagers’ thinking behind recording “Where Have You Been All My Life?” in the exclusive BrightonsFinest interview with Connor O’Brien. Villagers are also performing on 12th Feb at St George’s Church – a perfect opportunity to experience these songs in a fantastic local venue.
Adam Atkins