Villagers

Recorded in just one day at London’s RAK studio is Villager’s collection of songs from the past five years to create ‘Where Have You Been All My Life?’. The 12 track album has been produced into one flowing narrative to mould a masterpiece. Alongside the other known tracks is new recording ‘Memoir’ to make the album that little bit more exciting for the fans.

Creating an interesting beginning to the album that immediately enthrals you is ‘Set The Tigers Free’. The absolutely stunning vocals alongside the silvery harmonies gives you goose bumps. Arguably, this live version at the RAK is better than the original.

The tracks trickle into each other so smoothly that it’s hard to believe that all the recordings were done in just one or two takes. O’Brien’s carefully crafted lyrics absorb you throughout the whole album. This is especially shown in ‘Courage’ with fascinating lyrics such as “Do you really wanna know about these lines on my face? Well each and every one is testament to all the mistakes I've had to make”. The catchy but calming track is undoubtedly beautiful and represents the progress Villagers have made over the past 5 years.

New recording ‘Memori’, which O’Brien wrote for Charlotte Gainsbourg but he himself has never recorded until now, is a bit different from the other tracks being a tad more upbeat. The track is so unbelievably addictive that all fans shall be extremely glad O’Brien decided to cheekily “steal it back”. The track is the highlight of the album by far.

‘Hot Scary Summer’ and ‘Darling Arithmetic’ sound similar, if not exactly the same as the originals, making them pointless assets to the album but this can all be forgotten when ‘The Waves’ begins. With a 2 minute instrumental of pure passion, it is a memorable moment.

Villagers have created an unforgettable album laden with harmonies, remarkable vocals and emotive lyrics that could be the zenith of their career.