Villagers - Becoming A Jackal
The odd lull weakens the set, but doesn't detract from the perfect moments elsewhere.
Despite all the praise Villagers have been attracting, it's still surprising that they are not even bigger. This is, after all, a band that reached number one in the Irish album chart with this record in May.
It is immediately obvious why there has been all this acclaim – opener 'I Saw The Dead' is darkly mystical, in a very English folk way (although the band are from Malahide, near Dublin). Pianos canter, while big cruising guitars a la 'Asleep In The Back' era Elbow emerge in the crescendo. 'Becoming A Jackal' quickly follows, its chorus built on a choppy melodic sequence. In essence, this is fairly classical pop with slight modern twists. That it does not become dull as a result is a mighty achievement. Third track 'Ship of Promises' is reminiscent of Eugene McGuinness's best moments, a melodic swoon and a burble of words and guitars through the verses.
This sequential treatment of the tracks might deceive, for not all of the album follows the quality of the openers. That strong start is slightly negated by a run of two tracks halfway through that are bland, excised of the parts that breakaway from typical arrangements and sequences ('The Pact (I'll Be Your Fever)' and 'That Day').
However soon they get back on track, with the downbeat, departure inspired 'Set The Tigers Free' - “A sea of written promises to make me stay / But it really doesn't matter anyway / I'm leaving” - the levels never quite reach the same heights - the impetus dissipates, as if Villagers ran out of puff after the first few numbers, filling the rest with acoustic led pop songs. Only 'Pieces' recaptures the swagger, as it breaks between mellow strummed verses and stirring violin led beauty, before principal member Conor J. O'Brien wolf howls over the fade out.
Jackals, symbolically are associated with death and cemeteries, and these morbid concerns also inflict Villagers. The lyrics are simple, but they're effective, based on rhymes and clever turns of phrase - “The bus was late / They forced us all to congregate / Twenty seven strangers made to stand and wait.” While Villagers, based on many of the tracks here, justify the hype, 'Becoming A Jackal' is not quite the perfect breakthrough album that it has been made out to be. The odd lull weakens the set, but doesn't detract from the perfect moments elsewhere.
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