Darling Arithmetic
by Villagers
  • Record Label: Domino
  • Release Date: Apr 14, 2015
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
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  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 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 albumAfter 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.… Collapse
  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 singing directly to you. An album I find my self coming back to again and again. A great hangover listen.

Critic Reviews

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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
  1. 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.
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  2. 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]
  3. 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.
    Read full review
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