Darling Arithmetic
by Villagers
  • Record Label: Domino
  • Release Date: Apr 14, 2015
Metascore
76

Generally favorable reviews - based on 20 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 16 out of 20
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 20
  3. Negative: 0 out of 20
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  1. AllMusic
    Apr 13, 2015
    60
    Admittedly, these are also slower-burning compositions that lack the hooks and pop immediacy of much of Villagers' previous work. Ultimately, however, the pulling back feels intentional and fitting for an album of songs that always seem born out of O'Brien's most personal experiences.
  2. Clash Music
    Apr 20, 2015
    70
    Darling Arithmetic finds O'Brien continuing to fashion his sound in this cherished manner, the tales he spawns both introspective and impressive.
  3. DIY Magazine
    Apr 13, 2015
    60
    Nevertheless for all the mature restraint and consummate mastery it can be hard not to miss the sheer energy and fury of previous albums, the restless experimentation.
  5. Drowned In Sound
    Apr 9, 2015
    80
    Darling Arithmetic is rarely anything but elegant.
  6. Exclaim
    Apr 10, 2015
    80
    O'Brien manages to inhale stuffy themes of love and heartache and exhale fresh retellings.
  7. Mojo
    Apr 13, 2015
    80
    With O’Brien running the gamut from one-night-stand shelf lurker (No One To Blame) and post-coital dewy (Dawning On Me) to resentful (Hot Scary Summer) and widowed (Darling Arithmetic). It’s a risky exercise but O’Brien pulls it off thanks to his trademark musical economy.
  8. musicOMH.com
    Apr 9, 2015
    80
    Lyrically 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.
  9. Paste Magazine
    Apr 14, 2015
    82
    Darling Arithmetic shows that O’Brien exists in a world unto himself.
  10. Pitchfork
    Apr 13, 2015
    70
    An album that delivers a gorgeous, if somewhat restrained, step forward. It’s a document of quiet, if not necessarily earth-shattering, revelations.
  11. PopMatters
    Apr 15, 2015
    80
    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.
  12. Q Magazine
    Apr 10, 2015
    80
    It's purging stuff, for sure, but clearly empowering and, as a listener, you're with him every step by highly emotional step. [May 2015, p.101]
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  13. The 405
    Apr 9, 2015
    70
    Pared-down arrangements place O'Brien's exceptional songwriting at the forefront of each track. His voice and words, a paradoxical mix of worldly weariness and childlike delivery, are still present, and as enduring and endearing as ever.
  14. The Guardian
    Apr 9, 2015
    40
    It never manages to be magical.
  15. The Independent (UK)
    Apr 10, 2015
    80
    It’s an elegant, thoughtful album, rendered in deft, subtle brushstrokes.
  16. The Line of Best Fit
    Apr 9, 2015
    85
    In Darling Artihmetic Conor O'Brien has put together his best album under the Villagers moniker.
  17. The New York Times
    Apr 14, 2015
    80
    While the album is willfully interior and musically conservative, it doesn’t ever feel cloistered, because of the emotional stakes that he keeps clearly in sight.
  18. The Observer (UK)
    Apr 13, 2015
    40
    A few more like the angry Little Bigot (“Take that hatred and throw it on the fire,” it goes, over a three-legged rhythm) or the minor-key plucked swing of So Naive and Darling Arithmetic would add up to more than just another record in which devastation is mourned too mellifluously.
  19. The Telegraph (UK)
    Apr 14, 2015
    80
    A sparse, mid-tempo acoustic account of lost love, almost the definition of a sensitive singer-songwriter album. Yet it is so focused in intent and precise in performance, it seems to mark an advance rather than a retreat, the mature arrival at the realisation that sometimes less really is more.
  20. Uncut
    Apr 10, 2015
    80
    Nine luminous, clean0lined songs focus on love's myriad complexities. [May 2015, p.84]
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  21. Under The Radar
    Apr 17, 2015
    75
    It's a tumultuous listen, but one that sweeps you up in its compassion, bravery, and beauty. [Apr - May 2015, p.88]
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User Reviews

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User Score
6.8

Generally favorable reviews- based on 10 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 8 out of 10
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 10
  3. Negative: 2 out of 10
  1. Ricko
    Dec 22, 2019
    8
    After the beautifully melodic debut "Becoming A Jackal" and the equally beautiful but more experimental follow up "Awayland", long playerAfter the beautifully melodic debut "Becoming A Jackal" and the equally beautiful but more experimental follow up "Awayland", long player number three from Villagers arrives in the form of the mellow, acoustic guitar focused "Darling Arithmetic". Featuring only main creative force of the band "Conor O Brien", the album started out as a collection of demos for what was supposed to be album number 3. In the end it was decided to just go straight ahead and release them in their raw form. As usual with a Villagers record, the song writing is sublime. Every track features cleverly put together lyrics alongside sweet melodies. The themes of the album primarily centre around O'Brien's relationships and with his "coming out" as gay. It is a far more somber affair than previous efforts and the subject material is intriguing. Opener "Courage" is a nice introduction to the album, softly strummed with vocals echoing throughout. "Everything I Am is Yours" is a relatively up-tempo ballad, acoustic guitar driven with a nice little piano lick coming in from time to time. The mood takes a down turn on "Dawning on Me", a maudlin but prettily plucked song - nice drum beat gently kicks in about a minute in. "Hot Scary Summer" has elements of mellowed out Van Morrison, a tale of how much hard work it is being gay in modern society. At the centre of the album is one of the standout tracks, "The Soul Serene", a delicate, self pitying flower of a track with a cello and some brass to add to the atmospherics of the song. Title track "Darling Arithmetic" could have been lifted off Villagers previous albums, with similarities to the mellow material from their earlier work. "Little Bigot" is my favourite track from the album, even if there is a sense of "always the victim" creeping in to proceedings. It builds from a simmering folk song to a angsty country song in a way that highlights Conor O'Brien's talent as a songwriter. "Noone to Blame" and closer "So Naive" finish the album off in consistent style with the rest of the album without being overly remarkable.At 9 tracks, the brevity of "Darling Arithmetic" helps it gets away with its lack of stylistic and thematic variety. A good album, well worth checking out but perhaps lacking the ambition of Villagers first 2 albums. I look forward to the next step in O'Brien's career.… Full Review »
  2. finners_99
    Apr 28, 2015
    8
    Not as musically exciting as Awayland it is elegant and very personal Its as if you are right in the room with Conor O'Brien and he is singingNot as musically exciting as Awayland it is elegant and very personal Its as if you are right in the room with Conor O'Brien and he is singing directly to you. An album I find my self coming back to again and again. A great hangover listen.… Full Review »
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