Album review - Villagers 'Becoming A Jackal'

Villagers
‘Becoming A Jackal’
(Domino)

RARELY has an Irish album release been accompanied with such universal expectation. Likewise, it is rare that such expectation is accompanied by a fulfilment of potential.
This is the exception to the rule.
Villagers - essentially Conor J. O’Brien - finally release debut album Becoming A Jackal after whetting many appetites with the superb Hollow Kind EP, released in February of last year.
The first Irish act signed to trendy UK record label Domino (home to Franz Ferdinand, Arctic Monkeys etc), this is an album that began life as a nameless collection of musical poems, but has become a heart-wrenching, melodic odyssey that should see O’Brien become the biggest act to come out of Ireland in many moons.
O’Brien was once in The Immediate, who imploded just as rave reviews began to see them appear set for stardom, and then spent the latter part of the last two years touring as Cathy Davey’s guitarist - notably standing out in her shows. But O’Brien was always meant for bigger and better things, such is the vividness of his lyrics, and the epic soaring scale of his vocals and musicianship (he recorded this album largely by himself with the help of producer Tommy McLaughlin).
This is quite simply a stunning album, one that will inevitably see the Dubliner compared to Eliot Smith or Conor Oberst, but there is more of a older-style feel to his debut, epic at times, subtle in others, not unlike Neil Young’s Harvest in that sense, for example.
Indeed, on the superb title track and first single, O’Brien channels Simon and Garfunkel in a song with off-kilter rhythms and popping bass lines, mixed in with soaring harmonies. It is something of a relief in the middle of two dark and subversive songs - the eerie I Saw The Dead and the unsettling and up-tempo Ship of Promises.
The Meaning of the Ritual follows, one of two songs included here that was also on the EP (the other being Pieces, in which O’Brien moves from slow, Burt-Bacarach croon to a wild, howling, finish - think Radiohead recreating the Beatles’ orchestral antics on A Day In The Life), and has been tweaked to include some impressive horn sections.
But it is the gentle lullaby of Home that is the centre-piece of this album, and shows a lighter, more playful side of the musician. The Crosby, Stills and Nash-esque The Pact is another standout, as is the subtle Set The Tigers Free.
Subtle is a defining word for this album, one that crawls under your skin, O’Brien’s lyrical abilities literally eye-opening in scale.
Quite simply, this is the finest Irish album released in many years.
RATING: 5/5

Interview with Cathy Davey

CATHY DAVEY has always seemed to me to be the perfect indie performer; not in a spiky, PJ Harvey-type way, but rather the type of performer who can furrow her own path, and not listen to the demands of a meddling record label.
On her third album, the just released ‘The Nameless’, the Wicklow chanteuse has released the record on her own label, Hammer Toe Records.

The album is an astonishing piece of work; dark and eery at times, soaring and epic in others, delicate and often vulnerable, like Davey’s voice, which is simply captivating. But Davey, whose superb second album ‘Tales of Silversleeve’ saw her scoop a Meteor award and Choice nomination, plus double platinum sales in this country, has really had to go through the wars, as it were, to reach this point.

Signed initially to Parlophone's Regal Recordings, Davey released her debut Something Ilk in 2004, which was, in her own words, confused. Struck by stage- and studio-fright, Davey enlisted Liam Howe of Sneaker Pimps fame for her follow-up, which she recorded in a house and away from the pressures of a fancy studio and was released on EMI.
However, despite the album’s success in Ireland, she was dropped from the monolith label in 2008. This may have been the best thing that happened to her, we venture.

Davey, who was crippled by nerves when performing, was pushed out of her comfort zone to find a place she is conversely more comfortable in.

“It is the right time for me to independent, definitely,” she says by way of agreement, speaking from Belfast where she has just performed.
“I really didn't know my own head or what I was capable of or what my limitations were. By the time I got to recording this album, I had a definite sense of how I wanted to come across, and not feeling I had to disguise it for fear of being seen as being too theatrical or affected,” she adds.
She rules out any measure of success having an effect on her confidence, pointing more figuratively to the “experience of having success”.

“The larger the shows were that I played, the more I had to dig out of myself to perform in front of more people than I was used to, or rise to the occasion, that all helped me bring out, I guess, a more performing side of myself that I never imagined I had,” says Cathy.

In the aftermath of Silversleeve’s release, Davey took herself off to a little town called Albi, near Toulouse, France. There she lived in a house once occupied by a family, with the woman - now widowed - who owned it living next door. Armed with a “bag of tricks” - recording unit, drum kit, mandolin - she cocooned herself from the outside world and found the mood of the album, rediscovering her love of “song-smithery”, she says.

“I did a month there and wrote about a third or maybe half of the album - I definitely got the bones of the idea or structure there,” Cathy explains. “The people who had lived in the house before me had left an atmosphere. Also I was there on my own and I don't really speak French, so I was kind of isolated. I had all these characters - and the Nameless character evolved and I enjoyed getting lost in that world.”

As a result, the album became loosely based on that character, a “fantastical story”, Cathy explains.
Armed with help from the peerless Conor J. O’Brien, of Villagers fame, Neil Hannon and her own father, Cathy developed the album into what it is now with the help of an engineer, and clearly revelled in the process.
As a result, she has carved out a niche for herself, and sounds happy in the process.

“I have never been the type of person who wants to do any breaking of countries or endless tours just to show the world my music,” she laughs.
“I would really like to make enough money to make another album. I guess I want the ideal world, but I want to be happy in that ideal world,” she adds.

Cathy Davey plays in Dolan’s Warehouse this Sunday night. ‘The Nameless’ is now on general release.

Album review - Cathy Davey ' The Nameless'

*We've just heard that this has gone to number one in the Irish charts, congrats to Cathy!

Cathy Davey

‘The Nameless’

(Hammer Toe Records)

THERE IS something astonishing about Cathy Davey’s voice; delicate, quirky, at times vulnerable, always soaring - she is possibly one of the most listenable female vocalists out there in this day and age.

Where debut album Something Ilk was a decent record, Davey was unwillingly pitched as a spiky PJ Harvey, something she was never comfortable with. On the superb follow-up, the Choice nominated Tales of Silversleeve, Cathy revealed her tender side, producing a beautiful album, one that was stirring and emotional as well as featuring some brilliant pop tunes, and which catapulted her to the forefront of the Irish music scene.

That wasn’t enough for EMI seemingly, who dropped her - and much of their roster - in 2008, granting Cathy an independence she probably always craved, but possibly wasn’t ready for. Until now.

The Nameless is a cracker; stuffed full of tunes that will require much digging to get to the bottom of, but an album that sees Davey revel in her strengths and not seeking to conform to an imaginary, stilted mainstream genre.

There is an eery darkness to the album, not the least of which is the mandolin inspired title track, a delicate and moody piece that swells and falls with Davey’s delightful timbre. Likewise the imperious Army of Tears, on which Neil Hannon stops in to help out on backing vocals.

There are some beautiful tunes, such as the emotional Lay Your Hand, smothered as it is in soaring strings, and the gorgeous finale End of the End.

Davey has kept her propensity for pop tunes intact also, as evidenced by the lead single, the folky, soulful Little Red, and the humorous Happy Slapping.

One of the strengths of this album is undoubtedly the pitch-perfect group of musicians that Davey has surrounded herself with, including the peerless Conor J. O’Brien, who no doubt added his own dark intensity to the album. A

ll in all, an astonishing and spine-tingling album that is definitely the best thing Davey has done to date.

RATING 4/5

Pictures from Africa Day 2009

True Blood Souljaz on the Hip-Hop stage

The Main Stage

Cathy Davey

A few drops of rain for Niwel Tsumbu

Mundy

Children of Soweto

The Loose get their groove on..

Africa Day 2009 in Limerick

Africa Day yesterday, though the weather gods didn't take much notice, bringing us a deluge of Limerick rain, rather than the more appetising and warming climes from faraway African lands.

Despite the on/off showers, it was heartening to see hundreds of local people come out to support this Irish Aid-sponsored event, held behind City Hall, in the shadow of King John's Castle.

A riot of colour - a bazaar if you will - greeted you on arrival, as food stalls, information tents and drumming groups dotted the inner sanctum of city hall and the delightful green space out the back.

Wandering through the festival, one was greeted by the hip-hop stage first, located conveniently across from the food stalls; the juxtaposition of fine Africa food, tinged with bouncing hip-hop made for a wonderful assault on the senses.

Further up through the festival and right in front of the Castle Tavern was the main stage, situated up against the back wall of the castle and boasting stunning views across and down the river. Surely one of the most picturesque spots in the city and a new festival venue? More on that anon.

As I arrived, the delightful Cathy Davey was just beginning her set, sprinkling favourites from her Tales of Silversleeve album with new, seemingly darker material from her forthcoming release, due to be recorded this summer.

A large crowd had gathered to hear Ms Davey, but were ultimately rewarded by a rain shower towards the end of the set.

Undettered, they remained in situ for Congolese guitarist Niwel Tsumbu - due to play at Electric Picnic this year - who impressed with his eclectic blend of rumba, jazz and flamenco inspired African rhythms, complete lyrics in his native Lingala.

Offaly native Mundy took to the stage next, warming up for a big finish with material from his less than inspiring recent release Strawberry Blood. However, when you can finish with the anthemic July and mix a cover of MIA's Paper Planes with the biggest hit of last year - Galway Girl - and receive this kind of reaction, you have to be doing something right.

Chatting to On The Beat back stage, Mundy seemed relaxed and happy, something he put down to the recent birth of his first child, a girl. Mundy said he thought Africa Day was a "a great thing. It is great to see the merge of two cultures and even to be asked to be involved in something like this - which is a bit different to what I would normally play - it is nice to be a part of something."

He added: "I was doing my rain dance, but I think July is what brought the good weather back out."

The Offaly man was followed by the Children of Soweto - a real highlight on a sodden afternoon. This trio of exuberant African performers gave us a lesson in gospel and acapella hymns, celebrating the core beauty of South African history through poetry and the pulsating rhythms of traditional dance and music. Fantastic.

Finally, the excellent and energetic Republic of Loose drew proceedings on the main stage to a close. Despite the rainfall, this seven-piece trio drew a smile from the sizeable, hardy crowd that stuck out the rain to see them - quirky frontman Mick Pyro doing his best to get the crowd bouncing, and succeeding.

A superb day all round, Irish Aid are to be congratulated for sponsoring such an event, one that drew two core cultures together, sprinkled liberally with diversity and positivity.

Word around the site was that this could be an annual event - possibly at least for the next three years - while local promoters are gearing up to use the site for a big commercial gig later in the year. The site can potentially hold up to 3,500 people On The Beat was told.

Let's get to it!

(pics courtesy of Don Moloney/Press 22)

Sing for your supper...

Heading to Cathy Davey in Dolan's tonight. Alright, I've seen her three or four times at this stage but each time have been more impressed. An interesting performer and even more interesting in conversation, as I found out in June when I interviewed her.

She revealed plenty about her relationship with EMI and how she used to suffer from crippling nerves - plus the fact that her first record, Something Ilk, was a "confused" and "embarrassed" debut.

"I was never prepared with the last album, I always felt so rubbish on stage. I think I had to go through it to not be worried this time around. There was an awful lot of the unknown about it, which freaked me out immensely.

I had just signed to a major label who wanted to put a lot of money into it, because they presumed they were going to get a lot of money out of it," she says matter-of-factly.

Fancy studios, producers, bands and money followed, but she got "red-light fever" in front of so many people.

"I didn't know that I couldn't perform under those circumstances until after I had done it. I am a very private performer and I can't record anything with people looking. The result for me is an album that always sounded embarrassed. Like everything I sang I sounded embarrassed because I was embarrassed to be there and being, well, judged I guess by everyone."

Undeterred, she recorded the second album, Tales of Silversleeve, at home in her house, and finally enlisted Liam Howe (of Sneaker Pimps fame) to set up his computer in her front room to help with the recordings.

"He wasn't like a producer, and that was really important, that I didn't have anyone there who had grand ideas about my music. I don't think I'll ever be able to record in a studio again, for me, the torture side of making an album, I don’t really want that. "

She says she is pleased with the result, that she didn’t want to make a "dirgy, angsty-sounding album, but a happy one".

She should be pleased with what is possibly one of the finest Irish albums of last year. Songs like Mr. Kill, Moving or Reuben will get you dancing; Sing for your Supper, or All of You will break your heart.

"Music goes on. I am not writing music for anyone and the day that I am is a day that would be pretty depressing to think that you are. "

Cathy Davey plays in Dolan's Warehouse tonight, doors at 9pm.