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10.0
75217
10.0 |
The Irish Times
Proves that O’Brien – stripped back and wilfully solo – is just as potent and pure
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8.5
74952
8.5 |
The Line Of Best Fit
In Darling Artihmetic Conor O'Brien has put together his best album under the Villagers moniker
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8.2
75115
8.2 |
Paste Magazine
O’Brien writes lyrics with a novelist’s eye for subtle detail, honing his songs into tight, lean narratives that are often at their most personal, and revealing, on Darling Arithmetic
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8.0
75205
8.0 |
God Is In The TV
It’s been great to see Villagers’ profile continue to rise over the past five years and I see no reason why this shouldn’t continue on the strength of this album
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8.0
75103
8.0 |
PopMatters
It’s a graceful, beguiling and sumptuous set of songs, one worthy of both patience and praise, an extension of the excellence the Villagers brand introduced so early on
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8.0
75299
8.0 |
The Music
Tender, intelligent and beautiful
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8.0
74944
8.0 |
musicOMH
It is rich pickings for those that savour the words so often masked by either sheer noise or mumbled vocals, as O’Brien proves how he has developed into a rather impressive poet
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8.0
74937
8.0 |
Q
It’s purging stuff, for sure, but clearly empowering and, as a listener, you’re with him every step by highly emotional step. Print edition only
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8.0
74938
8.0 |
Mojo
O’Brien’s most intimate album. Print edition only
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8.0
74939
8.0 |
Uncut
Nine luminous, clean-lined songs. Print edition only
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8.0
74942
8.0 |
Drowned In Sound
Rarely anything but elegant. There are a multitude of splendid noises across its focused path but never anything approaching a scream
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8.0
74983
8.0 |
Evening Standard
This time the full band steps away and his acoustic guitar and gentle, slightly cracked voice dominate
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8.0
74987
8.0 |
The Independent
An elegant, thoughtful album, rendered in deft, subtle brushstrokes
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8.0
75033
8.0 |
State
If the opening line of Darling Arithmetic sends Conor O’Brien on a journey of discovery, its parting words (“”I guess I got it figured out”) sees him reach a destination of sorts. Travelling alongside him has been a privilege
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8.0
75045
8.0 |
Exclaim
Darling Arithmetic — Villagers' third full-length record — is anything but trite: O'Brien manages to inhale stuffy themes of love and heartache and exhale fresh retellings
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7.5
75107
7.5 |
Under The Radar
It's a tumultuous listen, but one that sweeps you up in its compassion, bravery, and beauty. Honesty has never sounded so good
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7.0
75286
7.0 |
Clash
There's affinity being built here between artist and listener, which - as ever with Villagers – remains as honest as it is unsettling
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7.0
76641
7.0 |
Spectrum Culture
O’Brien has fully committed himself to a pretense-less and stripped down (emotionally and musically) Villagers
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7.0
75029
7.0 |
Pitchfork
If Darling Arithmetic is the sound of someone dipping their toes into the waters and finding it to their liking, then perhaps the next Villagers record will be the sound of O’Brien diving in headfirst
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7.0
74945
7.0 |
The 405
Pared-down arrangements place O'Brien's exceptional songwriting at the forefront of each track
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6.5
75272
6.5 |
Earbuddy
If you have an empathetic heart, you may be entranced by Villagers’ honesty and naturalistic compositions. If you’re looking for more than that, though, Darling Arithmetic provides a mostly passing interest
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6.0
75298
6.0 |
Loud And Quiet
It’s true O’Brien may not need friends in the studio, but sometimes a little collaboration can add up to a richer experience
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6.0
74943
6.0 |
The Skinny
Villagers’ two previous albums have managed to combine O’Brien’s polished songwriting and rich vocals with considerable bombast, so there’s no doubting that removing one of those elements leaves a sizeable hole
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6.0
75072
6.0 |
All Music
An album of songs that always seem born out of O'Brien's most personal experiences
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6.0
75037
6.0 |
DIY
This may not be quite the Villagers you know, but it’s easily the closest you’ll ever know Villagers
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4.0
75011
4.0 |
The Observer
With acoustic guitars, piano and bruised croons, there’s now not a lot separating the previously quirky O’Brien from more quotidian star-crossed singers, less Bright Eyes, you could say, and more Damien Rice
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4.0
74985
4.0 |
The FT
Meditations about life and love, conducted in trembling whispers and straightforward strumming
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4.0
74966
4.0 |
The Guardian
If someone wrote me love songs like this, I’d send them some balls in the post
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