Review Summary: Just another bird in a half-lit world
Back in 2021, I gave Villagers’ previous LP
Fever Dreams a quite positive review. Even then, though, I’d noted that the two most remarkable aspects of it weren’t the songs per se, but rather the gloriously striking album artwork (perhaps my favorite in recent years) and the wonderful production job (also among the finest in that time span). In comparison, follow-up
That Golden Time doesn’t stand out as remarkable in either of those departments, but the tunes themselves are a significant step up. Villagers here cultivate a similarly gentle psych-tinged ambience as the last time around, but the results are more reflective indie folk than dreamy pop. Conor O’Brien’s voice remains easy on the ears, even if it’s unique/unusual in a way difficult to describe. Subtle but catchy melodies are the order of the day, but this is an album built upon the lyricism. Said lyrics have a lot to say, much of it glum, dwelling upon the dark sides of human nature and of modern society, but there’s a certain wry playfulness which both gives the album its own identity - the witty “
spending my days cursing disparity, while you make the money and give to charity” from standout “First Responder” comes to mind as an example.
That Golden Time is an accessible listen, in the sense that it doesn’t demand much engagement to be pleasant, but repeated exposure will uncover nuances both musical and lyrical, while the ten song tracklist is impressively consistent in quality. Give it a try.
