Villagers and Woodpigeon – Live at (Le) Poisson Rouge

Conor O’Brien may sport a fetching beard these days but the third album he’s recorded as Villagers finds the Dubliner shaving his music right back to the bone. By comparison, his 2010 debut album Becoming A Jackal and especially its 2013 successor [Awayland] – both hugely acclaimed and nominated for Britain’s Mercury Prize, while the latter won Ireland’s equivalent Choice Prize – were more detailed, multi-faceted affairs, so Darling Arithmetic is a brave and committed new step forward, eschewing the easier route. O’Brien plays every instrument on these exquisite, melodic songs in a beautifully sparse, spacious, intimate, acoustic-leaning fashion. He also recorded and mixed the album at his home, revealing a single-minded artist at the peak of his already considerable song-writing powers. [read more at LPR.com]