Villagers - The Art of Pretending to Swim

Villagers
The Art of Pretending to Swim
2018
Spotify

Villagers' first album was a stripped down acoustic guitar exploration. The focus was on the deeply emotional lyrics and building vibe, something that 2010 was all about. However as times and tastes have changed that bare bones style is less and less en vogue. That is why on this album the band go a bit bigger, try new things and explore new areas. They have added electric drums and synths as well as some ambient noise to round things out. It makes them feel instantly different, but in a good way. The previous albums to this were stuck in the same lane that the Mercury Prize nominated debut record set for them, but now a sense of freedom really permeates this album. He even dives into the psychedelic on tracks like "Long Time Waiting" which has this somewhat normal base, but then expands into a cacophony of noise. You don't get the sense that Villagers are taking the experimentation too far, they are able to blend these new sounds into those that make them who they are. This is where a lot of musicians really get it wrong, when you take a hard directional change without allowing your audience to get on board you are setting yourself up for disaster. "Fool" bops along with this gentle drum beat, but underneath all this activity is occurring that finally bubbles up at the end leaving you with a sinister feeling in your mind.

The sound is almost Glass Animals lite, trying to get to the depth of sound that they are able to achieve but not quite crossing that threshold. Yet, it feels like the right idea, and the most natural progression from where Villagers began. They also fall into the same psychedelic traps that Glass Animals do. "Real Go-Getter" is fine and has some decent ideas but fails to really capitalize. Villagers tend to find a sound that works and hang there rather than push it forward. It gives you hope for what is coming next, but leaves you a little bit disappointed in what is in front of you. It's a decent album that could be a great one with a few tweaks here and there. Worth a listen and a nice change of pace for what has been a pretty hip hop heavy 2018.

7.7 out of 10