Dark Island
Sonic, 2023
9/10
The Canadian folk-rock sensations Villages return with a sophomore album, where Matt Ellis, Travis Ellis, Jon Pearo and Archie Rankin are in fine form across songs that form a love letter to their Nova Scotia home.
“Wearing Through The Pine” starts the listen with a Celtic influenced version of folk-rock that’s quite harmonic and flows with a retro-spirit, and “Love Will Live On” follows with bright, expressive singing that suits the slight jangle and strong attention to melody.
In the middle, “Lost Again” recruits a sublime dreaminess that builds into a swift strummer, while “Willow” brings a bit of haze to the cautious, poetic album highlight.
Arriving near the end, “Pink & Grey” offers a louder, dynamic version of indie-rock that might remind you of Teenage Fanclub or Belle and Sebastian, and “Rocks In The Field” exits with a charming, English demeanor that makes me want to dig out my Frank Turner records.
Formerly called Mardeen, Villages sprinkles images of fields, waves, trees, rivers and rock amid their formula and there’s plenty of atmosphere present, too, as they continue to prove just why they’re one of the most exiting bands in Canada today.
Travels well with: Mo Kenney- Covers; The Jerry Cans- Inuusiq/Life