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Where Have You Been All My Life?

Villagers

Where Have You Been All My Life?

Stripped-back reworkings of songs from previous albums from the Dulbin indie-folk act, each recorded live in one or two takes

ADM rating[?]

6.8

Label
Domino
UK Release date
08/01/2016
US Release date
08/01/2016
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  1. 9.0 |   Gig Soup

    Villagers have helped put their music in a new light and made it far more winning than before
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  2. 8.0 |   The Irish Times

    Mostly highlights just how good a songwriter O’Brien really is, regardless of his style, tempo or methods
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  3. 8.0 |   Loud And Quiet

    Here we can feel the intense and heartfelt atmosphere of Villagers’ music, free from electronic stopgaps and excessive baroque scores
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  4. 8.0 |   God Is In The TV

    It’s easy to see why Villagers get the recognition they so rightly deserve
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  5. 8.0 |   Mojo

    Breathes fresh life into its poetically abstracted predecessors. Print edition only

  6. 8.0 |   The Music

    The band is note perfect and O'Brien's voice undeniably affecting
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  7. 8.0 |   Spectrum Culture

    The songs themselves are by no means live recreations of the original album versions but reinterpretations of songs old and new
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  8. 7.5 |   Pitchfork

    Villagers have restructured the older songs to fit the sound of the newer material, unifying them in their delicate harmonies, brushed drums, and double bass arrangements
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  9. 7.0 |   musicOMH

    Villagers’ latest LP does succeed in producing some very worthy reinterpretations and weaving them seamlessly together, which is often easier said than done
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  10. 7.0 |   The Digital Fix

    In many ways this is a pointless collection but isn’t it worth listening again to hear the wonder of that voice and the personal qualities of those lyrics?
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  11. 7.0 |   Uncut

    Emotionally resonant songs suit the warmth and intimacy of a live setting. Print edition only

  12. 6.0 |   Q

    There’s nothing new here, but it’s very likeable. Print edition only

  13. 6.0 |   The FT

    Its songs, fleshed out by his touring band and re-recorded in one or two takes, take on new life, a better framework for O’Brien’s emotive voice
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  14. 6.0 |   State

    A pleasant enough snapshot of where he was at on one day in 2015, it may not be as essential as what’s come before
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  15. 6.0 |   The Guardian

    As with Bright Eyes, Damien Rice and other artists to whom Villagers are often compared, O’Brien shows signs of a visceral intensity
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  16. 6.0 |   NOW

    An excellent intro to Villagers, a summary of five years in one album.
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  17. 6.0 |   Clash

    Die-hard fans who have followed O’Brien’s’ story from the very beginning, are sure to revel in the subtle changes and twists on Villagers best work to date
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  18. 6.0 |   Drowned In Sound

    While the record will prove to be an enjoyable distraction for ardent fans, it’s hard to shake the feeling that these revamps might have been better saved for the live setting
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  19. 5.0 |   Under The Radar

    A live album with no atmosphere, too polished to convey any energy, too technical to invite empathy and too isolated to evoke intimacy
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  20. 4.0 |   The Observer

    Neat arrangements and accomplished musicianship, but with wit and character seemingly in short supply
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Villagers: Where Have You Been All My Life?

  • Download full album for just £8.49
  • 1. Set the Tigers Free £0.89
  • 2. Everything I Am is Yours £0.89
  • 3. My Lighthouse £0.89
  • 4. Courage £0.89
  • 5. That Day £0.89
  • 6. The Soul Serene £0.89
  • 7. Memoir £0.89
  • 8. Hot Scary Summer £0.89
  • 9. The Waves £0.89
  • 10. Darling Arithmetic £0.89
  • 11. So Naïve £0.89
  • 12. Wichita Lineman £0.89
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