Awayland

Last updated

{Awayland}
Villagers Awayland Artwork.jpg
Studio album by
Villagers
Released11 January 2013
RecordedAttica Audio, Donegal, Ireland
Genre Indie folk
Length41:04
Label Domino Records
Producer Conor O'Brien & Tommy McLaughlin
Villagers chronology
Becoming a Jackal
(2010)		{Awayland}
(2013)		 Darling Arithmetic
(2015)

{Awayland} is the second studio album by Irish indie folk band Villagers, released on 11 January 2013 on Domino Records. [1] Co-produced by band members Conor O'Brien and Tommy McLaughlin, the album was preceded by the single, "Nothing Arrived".

Contents

Like its predecessor, Becoming a Jackal (2010), the album has been nominated for the Mercury Prize.

Background and recording

During the writing and process for {Awayland}, primary songwriter Conor O'Brien was influenced by Radiohead, Aphex Twin, Tricky and Björk, noting, "I bought my first synthesizer and learned how to use that and got a drum machine and a sampler and started making terrible techno music. Slowly words started appearing out of all these ambient soundscapes I was making and then I picked up the acoustic again and learnt how to finger pick properly. The whole album is really a by-product of that steep learning curve." [2] At one stage, O'Brien considered recording an instrumental album, inspired by electronica and Krautrock. [3]

O'Brien subsequently spent the next year recording rough demos for the album, before rehearsing them with the rest of the band: guitarist Tommy McLaughlin, pianist Cormac Curran, bass guitarist Daniel Snow, and drummer James Byrne. O'Brien noted, "After a year of working on my own, I spent four days kicking them around with the band, and it just became more visceral and groovier. I got rid of most of the electronic beds that I had made the song on. Stripping things back exposed the lyrics a bit more. Sometimes you can throw too much at something, and it just becomes weaker." [2]

The band spent five weeks recording the album in Donegal, Ireland, at live-in studio, Attica Audio Recording. [3]

Writing and composition

Comparing {Awayland} to the band's predominately acoustic debut album, Becoming a Jackal (2010), primary songwriter Conor O'Brien noted, "After two years of touring, I started feeling like the worst writer in the world. There wasn't enough depth to maintain my interest every night. There’s no way I can sing “My love is selfish” a hundred time and it continue to feel pure and true. I felt, in a very childish way, I had romanticized sadness, and I was using the music to wallow. Even the acoustic guitar started sounding terrible to me." [2]

O'Brien's initial demo recordings for the album ultimately differed from the final full band recordings. The track, "Passing a Message", was initially nine minutes long, with O'Brien describing it as "a big, ambient soundscape that peaked in the middle," which was inspired by astronomer Carl Sagan's writings. [2] The album's first single, "Nothing Arrived", was at first, "a pretty mental, drum and bass electronica [song], [with] lyrics about cities crumbling and people dying, sounds of fire and apocalyptic things." After rehearsing the song with the rest of the band, the track became "a pretty straightforward folk rock song about smiling into the void." [2]

Regarding his band mates contributions, O'Brien stated, "When I am on my own, it’s like an oil painting, I can put that on top of that and build up layers. But with the band, it turned out more watercolour, you’re leaving white bits of paper exposed, so that nothing is too overworked." [2]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
AnyDecentMusic?7.9/10 [4]
Metacritic 80/100 [5]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [6]
The Guardian Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [7]
The Independent Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svg [8]
The Irish Times Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svg [9]
Mojo Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [10]
NME 7/10 [11]
The Observer Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [12]
Pitchfork 5.5/10 [13]
Q Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [14]
Uncut 8/10 [15]

The album received mostly positive reviews, and holds a Metacritic score of 80 out of 100, based on 27 reviews. [5]

AllMusic's Scott Kerr gave the album a positive review, praising the contributions of the full-band recording: "The songs feel fuller as a result, and without the burden of playing every instrument, the Irishman [Conor O'Brien] has concentrated his efforts into his lyrics. [...] The creative progression O'Brien exhibits here leaves no lingering questions of doubt whether he would succumb to the dreaded second album syndrome, and regardless of awards, {Awayland} sees the Irishman at his best, both musically and lyrically." [6]

Writing for The Guardian , Dave Simpson issued the album with another positive review, stating: "The dazzling imagery comes with a rollercoasting voyage through acoustic soul, brass and – a new development – electronica. Drake's gentle, ghostly hand is most audible in the damaged beauty of the title track and depression-conquering "Rhythm Composer". The soaring "Waves" and joyful, piano-led Waterboysy stomp of "Nothing Arrived" may be the best Villagers tunes to date." [7]

NME 's Lucy Jones gave the album a favourable review, paying praise to Conor O'Brien's vocals, stating that "O’Brien’s smiling-through-tears vocal that makes him sound like he’s going to explode with sorrow or joy at any minute is extraordinary." [11]

Track listing

All songs written by Conor O'Brien.

No.TitleLength
1."My Lighthouse"2:59
2."Earthly Pleasure"4:10
3."The Waves"5:01
4."Judgement Call"3:23
5."Nothing Arrived"3:46
6."The Bell"5:09
7."{Awayland}"2:35
8."Passing a Message"2:59
9."Grateful Song"4:24
10."In a Newfound Land You Are Free"3:31
11."Rhythm Composer"5:07
Total length:43:06

Personnel

Villagers

Additional musicians

Recording personnel

Artwork

Chart positions

Chart (2013)Peak
position
Irish Albums Chart [16] 1
Irish Independent Albums Chart [17] 1

Certifications

RegionCertification Sales/shipments
Ireland (IRMA) [18] Gold7,500×
×unspecified figures based on certification alone

Related Research Articles

<i>The Grand Illusion</i> 1977 studio album by Styx

The Grand Illusion is the seventh studio album by American rock band Styx. Recorded at Paragon Recording Studios in Chicago, the album was released on July 7, 1977, by A&M Records, intentionally choosing the combination 7th on 7-7-77 for luck. The release was a smash worldwide, selling three million copies in the US alone. Some estimates have the album at over 6 million copies sold. The album launched the band to stardom and spawned the hit singles "Come Sail Away" and "Fooling Yourself." The title track also received substantial FM airplay, but was never released as an official single.

<i>Equinox</i> (Styx album) 1975 studio album by Styx

Equinox is the fifth studio album by American rock band Styx, released in December 1975. The lead single "Lorelei" became Styx's second US Top 40 hit.

<i>Domino</i> (Squeeze album) 1998 studio album by Squeeze

Domino is a 1998 album by the British new wave group Squeeze. It was the band's twelfth studio album. After a career struggling with various major record labels, the band decided to record and release Domino independently, on Glenn Tilbrook's own Quixotic Records. Core members Tilbrook and Chris Difford were joined by three brand new Squeeze members for this album: drummer Ashley Soan, bassist Hilaire Penda, and keyboardist Christopher Holland.

<i>Born to Fly</i> 2000 studio album by Sara Evans

Born to Fly is the third studio album by American country music artist Sara Evans. It was released in October 2000 via RCA Records Nashville. The album produced four singles with its title track, "I Could Not Ask for More", "Saints & Angels", and "I Keep Looking", all of which reached within the Top 20 on the US Billboard Hot Country Songs chart. The title track reached number one, "I Could Not Ask for More" and "I Keep Looking" both broke the Top 5 at numbers 2 and 5 respectively, and "Saints & Angels" peaked at number 16. Born to Fly has been Evans' highest-selling album to date, having been certified 2× Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for U.S. sales of two million copies. The album was also one of the most successful of the year. Evans was nominated for five CMA Awards: Album of the Year; song, single, and music video ; and Female Vocalist of the Year. She won her first CMA award for music video of the year. The international version of the album includes a bonus track, "You", which was later released in North America as a bonus track on her 2005 album Real Fine Place. Born to Fly was a defining album for Evans. Her earlier albums had more of a neotraditional country sound, while all of her later albums had a more crossover-friendly country pop sound, similar to Martina McBride and Faith Hill.

<i>Classic Cash: Hall of Fame Series</i> 1988 studio album by Johnny Cash

Classic Cash: Hall of Fame Series is the 74th album by the American country singer Johnny Cash, released on Mercury Records in 1988. It consists entirely of re-recordings of songs already associated with Cash from his Sun and Columbia days. The album has been both criticized and praised because of the use of several modern production techniques, including synthesizers, in an attempt to update and modernize Cash's earlier songs.

<i>The Marshall Tucker Band</i> (album) 1973 studio album by The Marshall Tucker Band

The Marshall Tucker Band is the album by American rock band The Marshall Tucker Band. Released in April 1973, the album was recorded in 1973 in Macon, Georgia, at Capricorn Studios.

<i>Vocalese</i> (album) 1985 studio album by The Manhattan Transfer

Vocalese is the ninth studio album by Jazz band The Manhattan Transfer, released on September 3, 1985 on Atlantic Records. Recording sessions took place during 1985. Production came from Tim Hauser and Martin Fischer. This album is considered to be The Manhattan Transfer's most critically acclaimed album. It received 12 Grammy nominations, making it second only to Michael Jackson's Thriller as the most nominated individual album. It also received extremely high ratings from music critics, including a 4.5 out of 5 stars rating from Allmusic. The album peaked at number 2 on the Top Jazz Albums and number 74 on the Billboard 200. The album's title Vocalese refers to a style of music that sets lyrics to previously recorded jazz instrumental pieces. The vocals then reproduce the sound and feel of the original instrumentation. Jon Hendricks, proficient in this art, composed all of the lyrics for this album.

<i>Carolina Dreams</i> 1977 studio album by the Marshall Tucker Band

Carolina Dreams, released in 1977, was the Marshall Tucker Band's sixth album and an ode to the band's home state, South Carolina, USA. Focusing on Western themes, it spawned their biggest hit to date, "Heard It In a Love Song", which rose to #14 on the Billboard Hot 100, taking the album with it to #22 and #23 on the Country and Pop charts, respectively. They toured early that year to promote the album. A bonus live version of "Silverado" appears on the 2005 reissue which was recorded the year after the death of bassist and founding member, Tommy Caldwell.

<i>Waking Up Laughing</i> 2007 studio album by Martina McBride

Waking Up Laughing is the ninth studio album by American country music singer Martina McBride. It was released on April 3, 2007, through RCA Nashville. This album is the first in McBride's career in which she has both co-written songs and been involved in the production single-handedly. This album produced three chart singles for McBride on the US Billboard Hot Country Songs chart with "Anyway" at #5, "How I Feel" at #15, and "For These Times" at #35. The album was certified Gold by the RIAA.

<i>Emotion</i> (Martina McBride album) 1999 studio album by Martina McBride

Emotion is the sixth studio album by American country music artist Martina McBride. It was released in September 1999 by RCA Nashville. The album produced four singles with "I Love You", "Love's the Only House", "There You Are" and "It's My Time" on the US Billboard Hot Country Songs chart. The song "I Love You" became McBride's biggest hit single to date after it reached number one on the country charts and peaked at number 24 on the Billboard Hot 100. The album ends with two covers, "Goodbye" by Patty Griffin and Gretchen Peters' "This Uncivil War" from Peters' 1996 debut album The Secret of Life. The album was certified Platinum on by the RIAA.

<i>After Gods Own Heart</i> 1987 studio album by Steve Camp

After God's Own Heart is a contemporary Christian music album by Steve Camp and was released by Sparrow Records in 1987. This album is best known for featuring his version of the song "Revive Us, O Lord", which he co-wrote with Carman

<i>Rhythm of Love</i> (Anita Baker album) 1994 studio album by Anita Baker

Rhythm of Love is the fifth album by American R&B/soul singer Anita Baker, released in 1994. The album peaked at #3 on the U.S. Billboard 200 and #1 on the Billboard Top R&B/Hip Hop chart and was certified double platinum, giving Baker her fourth platinum selling album.

<i>Electric Dreams</i> (John McLaughlin album) 1979 studio album by John McLaughlin

Electric Dreams is the fifth solo album by English jazz guitarist John McLaughlin and his "One Truth Band" released in 1979. Between his third and fourth solo albums he spent several years leading the Mahavishnu Orchestra, and Shakti.

<i>Catacombs</i> (album) 2009 studio album by Cass McCombs

Catacombs is the fourth full-length album by Cass McCombs released on June 1, 2009 in the UK, and on July 7 in North America via Domino Records. The first single, "Dreams Come True Girl", was released on May 25, 2009. The single also features Academy Award-nominee Karen Black as backing vocals. The album was voted one of the 50 greatest albums of 2009 by Pitchfork Media. Music videos have been released for the songs "Dreams-Come-True-Girl", "You Saved My Life", and "The Executioner's Song".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Villagers (band)</span> Irish indie folk band

Villagers are an Irish indie folk band and the musical project of the sole long-term member, Conor J O'Brien who is a singer-songwriter based in Dublin, Ireland.. Widely known for his production, arrangements and thought-provoking lyrics, O'Brien currently releases Villagers material via Domino Recording Co.

<i>Nothing Like This</i> (album) 2010 studio album by Rascal Flatts

Nothing Like This is the seventh studio album by American country music group Rascal Flatts. Released on November 16, 2010, it was the group's first album released by Big Machine Records, after Lyric Street Records closed its country division in 2010. The album's lead-off single, "Why Wait," was released on August 2, 2010. This song became their first number one single on the Hot Country Songs charts since "Here Comes Goodbye." The album's second single, "I Won't Let Go" was released to country radio on January 10, 2011. The third single, "Easy" was released to country radio on June 27, 2011. This was the band's last album to go platinum.

<i>Underground Sounds</i> 2010 studio album by Lexia

Underground Sounds is the debut album of American recording artist and guitarist of Eyes Set to Kill, Lexia. The album was released October 12, 2010 by BreakSilence Records. Recording took place at Shire Recorders, Austin, Texas. The album is different from her band because it is pop. The album consists of new original pop, acoustic, and electronica songs as well as covers from her band and a Radiohead cover. "Let Me In" was released as the first single with a video which is featured as a bonus track on Broken Frames.

<i>Belo Horizonte</i> (album) 1981 studio album by John McLaughlin

Belo Horizonte is an album by English guitarist John McLaughlin, released in 1981 through Warner Music Group. The album reached number 172 on the Billboard 200 and number 11 on Billboard's Jazz Albums chart.

<i>Joy of Nothing</i> 2013 studio album by Foy Vance

Joy of Nothing is the second studio album by Northern Irish singer-songwriter Foy Vance. It was released on 26 August 2013.

<i>The Unbroken Circle: The Musical Heritage of the Carter Family</i> 2004 various artists compilation album

The Unbroken Circle: The Musical Heritage of the Carter Family is a 2004 compilation album featuring various artists performing the work of country music pioneers The Carter Family.

References

  1. ↑ "Home | Domino".
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 McCormick, Neil (11 January 2013). "Villagers interview with Conor O'Brien". telegraph.co.uk. Retrieved 14 September 2013.
  3. 1 2 Traynor, Cian. "Interview: Villagers". thestoolpigeon.co.uk. Archived from the original on 23 January 2013. Retrieved 14 September 2013.
  4. ↑ "{Awayland} by Villagers reviews". AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved 31 December 2019.
  5. 1 2 "Reviews for {Awayland} by Villagers". Metacritic . Retrieved 8 May 2019.
  6. 1 2 Kerr, Scott. "{Awayland} – Villagers". AllMusic . Retrieved 14 September 2013.
  7. 1 2 Simpson, Dave (10 January 2013). "Villagers: {Awayland} – review". The Guardian . Retrieved 14 September 2013.
  8. ↑ Gill, Andy (12 January 2013). "Album review: Villagers, {Awayland}, (Domino)". The Independent . Archived from the original on 15 January 2013. Retrieved 8 May 2019.
  9. ↑ Carroll, Jim (4 January 2013). "Villagers: Awayland". The Irish Times . Retrieved 8 May 2019.
  10. ↑ "Villagers: {Awayland}". Mojo (231): 86. February 2013.
  11. 1 2 Jones, Andy (8 January 2013). "Villagers – '{Awayland}'". NME . Archived from the original on 15 January 2013. Retrieved 8 May 2019.
  12. ↑ Mardles, Paul (13 January 2013). "Villagers: {Awayland} – review". The Observer . Retrieved 8 May 2019.
  13. ↑ Cohen, Ian (14 January 2013). "Villagers: {Awayland}". Pitchfork . Retrieved 8 May 2019.
  14. ↑ "Villagers: {Awayland}". Q (319): 110. February 2013.
  15. ↑ "Villagers: {Awayland}". Uncut (189): 82. February 2013.
  16. ↑ "Top 100 Artist Albums, Week Ending 17 January 2013". Chart-Track . GfK. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 19 January 2013.
  17. ↑ "Top 10 Independent Artist Albums, Week Ending 17 January 2013". Chart-Track . GfK. Archived from the original on 19 April 2013. Retrieved 19 January 2013.
  18. ↑ "2013 Certification Awards". irishcharts.ie. Irish Recorded Music Association . Retrieved 3 February 2014.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.