

Villagers formed from the ashes of Irish post-punk band The Immediate and could hardly differ further from their outlandish sound. Helmed by Conor O'Brien, Villagers' trademark is a haunted intimacy, though the way it manifests has mutated over the course of their career. Where 2010's Becoming a Jackal was menacingly bare, 2013's {Awayland} took its cues as much from countrymen The Waterboys as Radiohead's electronic period. By contrast, 2015's Darling Arithmetic saw the band explore subdued, confessional folk. One for dark nights of the soul.