Villagers are an Irish band from Dublin fronted by Conor J. O'Brien.
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.

Passing a Message
Villagers Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I was carving my name out
Of a giant sequoia tree
I was blind to its beauty
Now it's all I can see

See I've learned how to listen
To the folks on TV
They are passing a message

That means nothing to me

My vertebrate evolution
Easy as ABC
Baby steps from the ocean
Feather trails to the sea

Paddlefish to salamander
Honeybee to atrophy
I guess I'm losing my trail here
But it takes loss to be free

Now I work in a nightclub
At the Burj Khalifa
And I'm blind to its beauty
But it ain't all that I have

So I'm passing a message
Like the folks on TV
Guess I'm getting the words out
But they don't come from me

Paddlefish to salamander
Little girl to atrophy

I guess we're losing our trail here
But it takes loss to be free

Overall Meaning

In "Passing a Message," Villagers singer-songwriter Conor O'Brien tackles themes of personal growth, evolution, and finding meaning in life. The song starts with O'Brien reflecting on his past ignorance and how he previously failed to appreciate the beauty of nature when he carves his name out of a Sequoia tree. However, he later realizes that meaningful discoveries come from listening intently to the world around you, including the messages passed on to us from the media.

As the song progresses, O'Brien ponders the natural evolution of life seen through a multitude of animals such as paddlefish, salamanders, and honeybees, ultimately concluding that it "takes loss to be free." Despite working in a nightclub at the Burj Khalifa, one of the world's tallest buildings, O'Brien still feels like he's missing something. He decides to pass on the message he's learned about self-discovery and change, regardless of whether it was coming from him or not.

In summary, "Passing a Message" is an introspective track about the importance of growth and listening to the world around us, along with our evolution as individuals and as a species.

Line by Line Meaning

I was carving my name out
I used to be self-centered and focused on my own achievements

Of a giant sequoia tree
I was so focused on the grandiosity of my actions that I missed the beauty of the natural world

I was blind to its beauty
I failed to see the beauty of nature because I was too focused on myself

Now it's all I can see
After changing my perspective, I now realize the importance of appreciating and preserving nature

See I've learned how to listen
I have learned to be attentive and receptive to the ideas of others

To the folks on TV
I have started paying attention to the messages that are being broadcasted on television

They are passing a message
Television broadcasters are trying to communicate something to their audiences

That means nothing to me
However, I am not able to fully comprehend or connect with their messages

My vertebrate evolution
The process by which my spine has evolved over time

Easy as ABC
This process seems simple and uncomplicated

Baby steps from the ocean
My evolution and development can be traced back to the vastness of the ocean

Feather trails to the sea
My physical features have evolved in accordance with my environment, in this case, towards the ocean

Paddlefish to salamander
Similar to the evolution from paddlefish to salamanders, my personal growth has been characterized by transformation and adaptation

Honeybee to atrophy
Just like how honeybees may experience muscle wasting, I may have lost some of my abilities or faculties in the process of evolving

I guess I'm losing my trail here
I feel like I am losing track of my personal journey and purpose

But it takes loss to be free
However, I recognize that sometimes losing something can lead to freedom or new opportunities

Now I work in a nightclub
My current work environment is a nightclub

At the Burj Khalifa
Specifically at the Burj Khalifa, a highly acclaimed and popular skyscraper

And I'm blind to its beauty
Despite working in a beautiful location, I still fail to appreciate its magnificence

But it ain't all that I have
However, I realize that there is more to life than just my work environment

So I'm passing a message
Therefore, I am trying to communicate a message to others

Guess I'm getting the words out
I believe that I am successfully expressing myself and communicating my message to others

But they don't come from me
However, I also recognize that my message is influenced by the thoughts and ideas of others

Little girl to atrophy
Similar to my evolution process, the growth and development of individuals can lead to decay or decline

I guess we're losing our trail here
It seems like we as a society may be losing our way or purpose

But it takes loss to be free
But again, we must recognize that sometimes losing something can lead to freedom or new opportunities