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'Becoming A Jackal' poses the question surrounding the indie-folk narratives that have weaved themselves into mainstream album charts recently: Is there actually room for another one, or are the woods already too full of fabled beasts?
Villagers is the brainchild of Conor J. O’Brien. Fresh from touring Ireland and opening for Neil Young, Wild beats and Tindersticks, 'Becoming A Jackal' sees O’Brien play each instrument himself, creating an intimate and waveringly simple debut album.
Each track jars against the next like warped floorboards, upping and downing in fairytale fashion like Simon and Garfunkel exploring a musical Narnia. The eponymous Becoming Jackal has been enjoying a bit of a playtime on BBC 6 Music recently. A doddering bassline plays sweetly against a hyberbolic array of rhyming couplets. 'Ship of Promises' quickens the pace with drum loops, synths and sinister guitar slices.
The twinkling pianos of 'Home' contrast a dark tale of unfamiliar surroundings with the hook “will you call me when you’re almost halfway” drifting along like a haunted traveller.
As with any concept album, there are slow points as the story wispily drifts from theme to theme. When Villagers pick up key repetition however to haphazardly stitch the whole piece together; each track a standalone offering in its own right, but linking together soundly enough to call 'Becoming A Jackal' a long-play piece that can be followed quite amiably.
Soaring and nerve-jangling it may not be, but it’s sweetness and dark moments are touching enough to ensure that will mark a little spot in the dreamy forests of indie-folk.
