It's been just under three years since Villagers released one of the most eagerly-anticipated debut albums in Irish music history - and the Ivor Novello Award-winning, Mercury Prize and Choice Prize-nominated Becoming a Jackal MORE than justified the hype which preceded it. The record showcased Conor J O'Brien as both a dynamic songwriter and an innovative musician, and took the troubadour and his Villagers on a globe-trotting adventure. {Awayland}, set for release this coming Friday on Domino Records, undeniably has a hard act to follow - but if anyone is up to the challenge of topping their own modern-day masterpiece, it's O'Brien.

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