Faber Music will publish the lyrics and artwork of Villagers, the Irish musical project of Conor J. O’Brien, on 12 September 2024. 

 

 

Passing A Message is an exciting new publication presenting the lyrics to over 80 songs collected for the first time in one volume, with artwork and photographs, along with previously unseen notebook lyric drafts and drawings curated by O’Brien. Presented as a full-colour hardback book, with a unique glow-in-the dark cover, the publisher will also release a super-limited Deluxe Edition containing the previously unreleased song, ‘Pictures of the Floating World’, as an exclusive 7” vinyl.

 

To launch the book, O’Brien will appear at exclusive events at Chapters bookshop, Dublin and Rough Trade East, London on 12 September and 18 September respectively. These Q&A events with short acoustic live set will be two of the few limited places where fans can get their hands on the Deluxe edition and have them signed. 

 

O’Brien said of creating Passing A Message: “It’s been a somewhat daunting, rewarding trip to trawl through these notebooks of mine. I’m undecided still about the concept of free will but I count those rare moments of unrestrained creative flow to be amongst the most persuasive arguments against its existence. To catch an epiphany before it flies away; to play with it, to prod it until it tickles you into submission - this is songwriting, and it’s been a lifeline for me as well as a pleasure, a privilege, and a pain in the ass. This book is dedicated to anyone who has been touched by these strange little musical maps of mine; thank you for your ears and here’s to many more x Conor”.

 

Speaking about the unreleased song, ‘Pictures of the Floating World’, which comes with the Deluxe Edition, he said:  “For me it captures a persistent, quiet bewilderment. I’ve always been fascinated by that old Japanese Ukiyo-e art, which is where the song title initially came from. In my mind it exists in the same world as the art of Hieronymus Bosch or Pieter Bruegel - that feeling of transcendence within, or in spite of, the dark and surrealistic iniquity at play with its sharp claws and its forky roads. The remarkable voice of Rachael Lavelle is floating right there beside you as you spot a fellow culprit, whispering in the cacophony, mooning the viewer and sunning itself.” 

 

Passing A Message is available to pre-order now and a limited number of event tickets are available to purchase. https://linktr.ee/passingamessage

 

Tues 28 May – Paradiso, Amsterdam 

Wed 29 May – LantarenVenster, Rotterdam  

Thur 30 May – Pop Seasons Christianskirche, Hamburg 

Sat 1 June – Passionskirche, Berlin  

Sun 2 June – Luxor, Cologne 

Mon 3 June - La Maroquinerie, Paris 

Wed 5 June – Wylam Brewery, Newcastle 

Thurs 6 June – Irish Centre, Leeds 

Sat 8 June – Royal Festival Hall, London 

Sat 29 June – Trinity College, Dublin 

Sun 7 July – Down the Rabbit Hole Festival, Netherlands 

Sun 21st Jul – Englefield House, Reading w/ Elbow 

Fri 26 Jul – Ludlow Castle, Shropshire w/ Elbow 

Fri 2 Aug – Dranouter Festival, Belgium 

Dublin has a long and legendary tradition of writers, and since Conor O’Brien adopted the name Villagers, the singer-songwriter-instrumentalist-dramatist has joined the club with a rich, deep and diverse body of work. The new Villagers album, That Golden Time, underlines O’Brien’s unwavering commitment to a uniquely nuanced, literate and melodic fusion of folk, pop and rock that has won awards and accolades from peers such as Paul Weller, Elvis Costello, Damon Albarn, Guy Garvey and The National.

 

O’Brien launched Villagers on stage in 2008 and on record in 2009, but it was not until his 2010 debut Becoming A Jackal that he truly made a mark. From a whisper to a literal howl, Becoming A Jackal startled and soothed in equal measure and topped Ireland’s Album chart, received nominations for the Mercury Music Prize and Choice Music Prize Irish Album of the Year whilst the title track won the Ivor Novello award for Best Song.

 

2013’s more band-orientated album {Awayland} paid off by going two better, a #1 Irish album and winning the Choice Music Prize, alongside a second Mercury nod. 2015’s Darling Arithmetic was a sparser, acoustic-leaning step forward that revealed even more of O’Brien’s songwriting nous and intimate thoughts, suitably rewarded with an Ivor Novello award for Best Album and another nomination for the Choice Music Prize (all O’Brien’s records have received that honour.)

 

After 2016’s interim release Where Have You Been All My Life?, a live collection of re-recordings, 2018’s The Art Of Pretending To Swim knitted Villagers’ multi-faceted approach with added soulfulness and rhythmic swing, a sound and vision that 2021’s wilder, kaleidoscopic Fever Dreams expanded further. That Golden Time showcases O’Brien’s more minimalist side, adding subtle enhancements on woodwind, strings and electronics, and sociopolitical comment that nevertheless reads as exquisite poetry.

 

A fearless reinventor of his songs on stage as well as on record, Villagers remains a thriving live band and 2024 will include headline shows at Dublin’s prestigious Trinity College and London’s Royal Festival Hall. O’Brien is a prolific collaborator too, writing for Charlotte Gainsbourg, Nico Muhly and Paul Weller, as well as duetting with John Grant and Lisa Hannigan, performing with André de Ridder and Stargaze, recording Nick Drake and Carly Simon covers, and remixing Weller and Saint Etienne. But it’s his own songs, and his own dulcet voice, that has forged O’Brien’s reputation as Ireland’s premier melody-maker.