NO RECENT Irish act has commanded as much respect as Villagers, the musical outlet of Conor O’Brien - so it’s no surprise that new album Darling Arithmetic is already a contender for album of the year.
Released by indie powerhouse Domino, the next few months will see him take the album across the globe, with a six-week European tour already in the diary, another US trip planned and his festival schedule filling up fast. In the calm before the storm, he talks us through his latest and greatest creation...
You’ve previously said the process of making Awayland was long and labourious — is the stripped-down sound of Darling Arithmetic a reaction to that?
This was long and labourious as well. I didn’t go into a proper studio, which was liberating, but it also gave me a whole set of other problems. I had to take on a lot of different jobs — I was mixing it and arranging it completely on my own and writing it at the same time as recording it. It was a lot of fun but also a lot of stress.
You have awards, nominations and critical acclaim, but do you take notice of negative reviews and comments?
When it comes to criticisms, I usually agree with nearly every point someone says, whether it’s positive or negative. Anything that’s been said, I’ve usually thought about it in the process of making a song. The only thing that annoys me is when they’re bad at writing. That’s really depressing. A lot of journalists still can’t string a sentence together.
Were there any new cultural influences with this album?
I was really influenced by The Bicycle Thieves by De Sica. It’s an Italian film from the 1940s, it’s black and white and really beautiful. It had a really simple plot: a man’s bike gets stolen — that was the whole plot, except by the end of it you’re in tears. So I thought I’d love to make something that has a simple plot but a lot of emotion in it. That was a good starting point.
Was that the only factor to becoming more open lyrically?
You mean, the ‘gay’ thing?
That, and writing more transparently…
There were lots of different factors. Singing with John Grant was a big deal. I did a few shows with him and I really got a real energy off him — the way he lays it all bare and puts it out there. I realised it was an untapped well of creative energy I could explore with my own writing. Also I went to see Martha Reeves and the Vandellas when I was writing the album — they had real, simple love songs.
How much did you pore over the lyrics?
It was completely different for each song — there would be some I’d pore over, and others that would slip out easier. A couple of songs were just written chronologically from the first sentence to the last. For Courage, the verses were written in a short amount of time, and I already had the chorus swimming around in my head for months.
Is Little Bigot — with its refrain of “So take the blame, little bigot, and throw that hatred on the fire” — as straightforward as it sounds?
It was a contentious one on the album. I had a couple of other more aggressively-worded songs than that, which I left out because I didn’t want the album to go that way. But I definitely wanted a song that directly addressed “all the pretty young homophobes” as I say in Hot Scary Summer. So this song was like dousing them with love — embracing them and telling them it will be okay.
Hot Scary Summer also alludes to violence from these homophobes — did you ever get beaten up?
No, I got threatened a couple of times, and I got chased. I’m a pretty good runner though. That was in Dublin, but also one of our band members got a little bit of homophobic abuse in Amsterdam. When we’re touring, our bass player and drummer, James and Danny, like to hold hands in every new city we’re in, just for fun. And in Amsterdam, they got shouted at, and Danny got pushed around.
Did you feel it important to talk about experiences like that?
I suppose so. But I was really aware of not making the songs too didactic. I didn’t want them to be moral in tone. I wanted them to be universal and human and full of emotion and love — that’s the way I wanted to express it.
Are you going to vote in the Marriage Equality Referendum?
Definitely. It’s on the day of our second Olympia show in Dublin, luckily enough.
You’re still in Malahide, were you ever tempted to move to the music industry capital of London?
Maybe for short periods of time, but I have a nice way of life here. I live in a house with a bunch of other people, and I have a studio set-up. I don’t feel the need to move to a bustling city environment — I don’t know how conducive it would be for creative output.
Is it a fallacy that bands need to move to London, or does it actually help?
I can only speak for myself, but I don’t think it would make too much of a difference. I suppose it would save on airfare, but I don’t even travel that often — only when I need to do shows or press. If I was to move it would be to Brighton. That’s the best of both words: you’re right beside London but it’s a seaside town.
How is it going Stateside?
I just got back from New York, where I did a show with Laura Marling, which was amazing. I was opening for her but there was a full capacity crowd there and there was pin-drop silence throughout. It was magic. Then I did my own show, plus lots of press and lots of sessions. We’re going back there in June for a West Coast tour, and then back to the East Coast.
Did you get comparisons to Hozier?
I haven’t had them from America, but I’ve had them from Ireland. There were a couple of questions about his success and whether I would have wanted that. I said it was great and I was happy for him. He’s a super talented dude but I don’t think I would have seen myself at the Grammys with Annie Lennox. I don’t think I would have lent myself well to that situation.
Do you still keep in touch with your former band, The Immediate?
Dave Hedderman, who was in the band, did the artwork for this album. So if you get the vinyl, there’s artwork inside where every song has a corresponding painting. It’s really beautiful. I’d send Dave all the demos while I was writing them and he’d paint listening to he music, so it’s intertwined with the music.
What are your plans for playing it live?
We’ve already done a couple of shows. It’s already sounding different to the album, which I like. I feel you can play with the energy of the tunes. I want to put on a show that has the intimacy of the album, but perhaps the textures will be different according to the room that night. I’m rearranging the older songs too — they’re going to be more in line with these songs. These shows are going to have more of a meditative quality.
Have you started the next album?
I have a few sketches. It’s weird for me, because I’ve used up all my finished songs, so the next album will be the first where I don’t have any back catalogue of songs ready to be added. It’s going to be a completely blank slate, which is terrifying. But it’s exciting as well; it’s going to be very different for that reason.
Darling Arithmetic is out on April 13 on Domino Recordings. Villagers begin their British dates on April 14 – see www.wearevillagers.com for full details
