Songs You Need To Hear: Villagers, “That Day”

What if Scottish folk singer Donovan and Arctic Monkey’s Alex Turner had a love child? It’d be Conor J. O’Brien, lead singer of the Villagers, whose debut album, Becoming A Jackal, was nominated for a Mercury Prize.

“I’m spitting words but there’s no meaning,” sings the young Dubliner on “That Day,” the album’s third single. But he’s really weaving a wispy tale, “embedded in this written story.”

Speaking of stories, O’Brien tells a great one in his band’s bio. When he was twelve, he got his first guitar, and wrote his first song a week later. The lyrics included this phrase: “When I’m walking down these streets, I feel like a monkey in the Arctic”.

He explains: “The song was called ‘Psychic’, which was about being afraid of a psychic friend because he could read your thoughts. Yes, it was a weird one…”

Villagers and Arctic Monkeys share a label, Domino.

Check out the video for “That Day,” and Villagers’ US tour dates, below.

VILLAGERS US TOUR DATES:

& = solo
* = Full band w/ Givers, Ra Ra Riot
$ = Full band headline

9/22 – Minneapolis, MN @ 400 Bar &
9/23 – Milwaukee, WI – Discovery World (Milwaukee Film Fest Opening Night)
9/24 – Chicago, IL @ Schubas Tavern &
9/27 – Toronto, ON @ Drake Underground &
9/28 – Ottawa, ON @ Mavericks &
9/29 – Montreal, QC @ Casa Del Popolo &
10/19 – San Francisco, CA @ Rickshaw Stop $
10/20 – Los Angeles, CA @ Music Box At The Henry Fonda *
10/21 – Solana Beach, CA @ Belly Up Tavern *
10/22 – Tempe, AZ @ The Clubhouse *
10/24 – San Antonio, TX @ White Rabbit *
10/26 – Austin, TX @ Emos *
10/27 – Houston, TX @ Warehouse Live Ballroom *
10/28 – Dallas, TX @ Granada Theater *
10/29 – Little Rock, AR @ Revolution Music Room *
10/30 – Nashville, TN @ Exit In *
11/1 – Philadelphia, PA @ Kung Fu Necktie $
11/2 – Brooklyn, NY @ Knitting Factory $
11/3 – New York, NY @ Mercury Lounge $
11/4 – Boston, MA @ Great Scott $