Villagers made their U.S. debut last week with shows in New York City and at SXSW. Jon Pareles of the New York Times caught one of songwriter Conor J. O'Brien's solo sets in Austin and said, "With fast fingers, he plucked quickly alternating chords and ballooning, hypnotic crescendos. He has the particularly Irish gift, which he shares with the Frames and U2, for painful sincerity without mawkishness, and at times-this is high praise-he approaches the bitter romanticism of Leonard Cohen."

'Becoming a Jackal was recorded in Villagers guitarist Tommy McLaughlin's home studio, with Tommy engineering and co-producing alongside Conor. Conor created the album art and played all the instruments, except for the strings and French Horn which were arranged by Villagers pianist/organist Cormac Curran. From restrained to unleashed, from a whisper to a literal howl, 'Becoming a Jackal' mutates, intrigues and beguiles in equal measure. Watch the Ferry Gouw directed video for the first single "Becoming A Jackal" on YouTube here: http://bit.ly/aA4UY3