1.
Villagers‘ sophomore album {Awayland} is out now, and as a whole most certainly lives up to the quality of its first three singles, “The Waves,” “Passing A Message” and “Nothing Arrived.” The album sees the band experimenting with a wider range of sounds than their debut album, introducing subtle electronics and full-bodied horn and string sections to the mix, whilst lead singer Conor O’Brien’s often self-flagellating, always inventive, imagery filled lyricism remains constantly impressive, and worthy of comparison to another Conor – namely Conor Oberst of Bright Eyes (who’s 20 best songs you can hear here).
The video for “The Bell,” which was directed by Alden Volney, puts a new spin on the “band playing in their studio” video, with vivid animation reflecting the peaks and troughs of the song. Check it out below.
