The… Read Full Bio ↴Villagers are an Irish band from Dublin fronted by Conor J. O'Brien.
They have performed at several music festivals and toured with Tracy Chapman, Bell X1 and Tindersticks. They have one EP, titled Hollow Kind (2009). Their debut album Becoming a Jackal was released in 2010 and was shortlisted for that year's Mercury Prize and their second album {Awayland} was released in 2013.
Conor O'Brien formed Villagers after the break-up of his previous band The Immediate. The very next day, O'Brien wrote the first song after waking up with a hangover. O'Brien's time as a guitarist in Cathy Davey's band was also critical to the development of his style as he had never before performed alongside anyone outside of The Immediate. Villagers gave their first live performance as a support act with The Chapters at a show in Whelan's in November 2008. At that point the band had previously only rehearsed together on two occasions. They had only seven songs, written by O'Brien and passed on to the rest of the band to learn.
Villagers performed on the seventh series of RTÉ Two's Other Voices television programme in 2009. The band's debut EP, titled Hollow Kind, was released in February 2009. It contained four tracks, all of which were written by O'Brien and performed by him too. The EP brought comparisons with Bright Eyes and Sparklehorse. Villagers then went on tour. They were a support act for Neil Young and toured across Europe with Tracy Chapman.
Villagers appeared at several festivals in 2009. They supported Bell X1 when they performed at Live at the Marquee in Cork on June 26, 2009. They performed at several music festivals in Ireland, including on the Sunday of Oxegen 2009, at Indie-pendence on August 2 and at Electric Picnic 2009, as well as at Latitude Festival in the UK. The Irish Times's Jim Carroll recommended their performance in the Body Soul Arena at Electric Picnic 2009 as "A must-see for those who dig ragged pop, eerie folk and heartfelt, emotional songs and sounds". They headlined Hard Working Class Heroes in 2009, with O'Brien attracting the ire of the audience when he requested some quiet during the performance. They gave a live performance at The Music Show in Dublin's RDS in October 2009.
The debut single of Villagers was "On a Sunlit Stage" and was released in October 2009.
On January 15, 2010, Villagers represented Ireland at the Eurosonic Festival in Groningen, the Netherlands. They were involved in efforts to raise funds in the aftermath of the 2010 Haiti earthquake. They embarked on a tour with Tindersticks in March 2010 and released the single "Becoming a Jackal" on April 17, 2010. A debut album Becoming a Jackal was released in Ireland on 14 May 2010, with a UK release in May and a US release due on 8 June 2010. The album immediately went to number one on both the Irish Albums Chart and the Irish Indie Albums Chart. It proceeded to continuously top the indie chart.
Said by Conor J. O’Brien himself:
- “Ultimately, I’ve learned that a song is not an isolated thing. You have to wash the dishes before you write a song. It should never be taken too seriously. It must be treated with joy and humour, regardless of the subject matter,” muses Conor, as he strokes his hairless chin.
- “The aim is to feel the songs out. If I don’t surprise myself, then it is a worthless endeavour. Indeed, I would apply this attitude to all aspects of this project. The songs are quite decisive, but I have no idea what I am doing, or where I am going.” Again, he strokes his chin, this time with a look of resigned confusion. “Once the songs took shape, I asked some friends of mine to help me play them to people. When they kindly agreed, I decided that we would present ourselves as ‘Villagers’ – I don’t really know why. I think I like the name because it doesn’t offend the songs.” With this, he puts his clothes back on and bids me farewell. On returning to my office, I slip on a banana peel and subsequently die.
In a Newfound Land You Are Free
Villagers Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
So viciously free
So careless and wild
With the eyes of a saint and the soul of a thief
In a new found land
The windows reveal the spinning sea
Which ripples and rolls as it runs underneath
In a new found land
Born in the birth of the mild month of May
And your gentle repulse I could never betray
But for now I am burnt by a lifetime too brief
And with this new found land
Comes a new found grief
But in a new found land
You are free
You are free
You are free
The lyrics to Villagers' song "In a Newfound Land You Are Free" explore the paradoxical nature of freedom and the complexities of life in a new and unfamiliar place. The opening lines, "How heavy you are my new born child / So viciously free / So careless and wild," describe the contradictory essence of freedom embodied by the singer's newborn child. While the child is free from the constraints and responsibilities of adult life, they are also weighed down by the burden of their unknowingness and innocence.
The following lines, "With the eyes of a saint and the soul of a thief / In a new found land," further highlight this paradoxical nature of freedom. The child is simultaneously pure and corrupt, innocent and guilty, in a new land fraught with possibilities and dangers. The second verse paints a vivid picture of the singer's surroundings, with the "spinning sea" and ongoing sense of disbelief adding to the disorienting nature of this new land.
Line by Line Meaning
How heavy you are my new born child
The weight of responsibility that comes with a new born child is significant.
So viciously free
The freedom that comes with a new found land can be incomprehensible
So careless and wild
People in this new found land tend to be carefree and unrestrained.
With the eyes of a saint and the soul of a thief
Some people who live in this new found land possess a hypocritical nature
In a new found land
The environment described so far is a description of a recently explored territory by its first inhabitants
The windows reveal the spinning sea
The surrounding environment is characterized by a vast ocean which is constantly active and unpredictable
Which ripples and rolls as it runs underneath
The ocean is not just tranquil and calm. On the contrary, it is always in motion
And I smuggle this sense of sheer disbelief
The beauty and uniqueness of the new found land isn't easy to believe, as it's completely different from the known world.
Born in the birth of the mild month of May
The child was born in a relatively mild month of the year
And your gentle repulse I could never betray
The artist is obligated to protect the child regardless of their personal preferences
But for now I am burnt by a lifetime too brief
The singer isn't sure how long they can protect the child because life is fleeting
Comes a new found grief
The artist realizes that as they continue to live in this new found land, there is going to be sorrow and understanding that will come with it
But in a new found land
Despite the potential difficulties, this newfound freedom is worth cherishing
You are free
The child born here, just like its other inhabitants, enjoys an unmatched degree of freedom.
You are free
The child born here, just like its other inhabitants, enjoys an unmatched degree of freedom.
You are free
The child born here, just like its other inhabitants, enjoys an unmatched degree of freedom.
Contributed by Alyssa H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.