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Okkervil River

post #1 of 10
11/21/07 at 8:54pm
Thread Starter 
Really digging the album "Black Sheep Boy" that I picked up from the library because I dug the music video for the song "For Real". Favorite song is definitely "Black".

To anyone who's familiar with them, how's the rest of their output compared to this?
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post #2 of 10
11/21/07 at 8:59pm
Their new album "The Stage Names" is really good, I like it more than "Black Sheep Boy." I like them, don't love them...now IRON AND WINE, there's a band I love more than my own cock.
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post #3 of 10
11/22/07 at 1:01pm
I saw these guys live not too long ago. I'm not very familiar with their discography. I've heard some things that I really enjoyed - they are a good band with a nice country-rock kind of sound. I'm a sucker for anything with lap steel or pedal steel. I've also heard some things that I really don't like - when they were playing the singer had this annoying tired rock-star persona. It was hard to stop getting annoyed by that and appreciate the music.
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post #4 of 10
11/22/07 at 2:36pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Martin Savage
The Stages Names is one of my favorites this year. Better than Black Sheep Boy.
The more I've listened to the both of them, I think SN has better individual songs, while BSB is better as an album listening experience. But needless to say, I love both and they rock the fucking house live. You can check out one of their concerts on NPR's podcast "All Songs Considered"
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post #5 of 10
11/23/07 at 12:25am
woops wrong thread.
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post #6 of 10
11/23/07 at 11:53am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Martin Savage
The Stages Names is one of my favorites this year. Better than Black Sheep Boy.
Agreed on both counts.

There's an interview that Will Sheff did with Pitchfork earlier this year, and he made a point of differentiating between how he wrote one and the other. Black Sheep Boy is supposed to have a sort of mythic, timeless vibe, so the lyrics tended to be very romanticized and dramatic. He intentionally dialed down the overblown lyrics on The Stage Names, as the subject matter is more mundane and about real (or realistic) characters. I think it suits him slightly better, since he's a fantastic wordsmith, and The Stage Names shows how he handles intricacy rather than blunt passion. He also has a uncanny knack for switching between story-songs ("Savannah Smiles") and clever wordplay ("Plus Ones"), to say nothing of the brilliant Beach Boys reference at the end of "John Allyn Smith Sails."

Also, I saw them live this year, and Sheff didn't have an obnoxious rock-star vibe at all.
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post #7 of 10
11/23/07 at 12:14pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Martin Savage
I missed their local show here last month. Are they worth making the effort next time?
Yeah, I'd say. It's not illuminating in the way that, say, the Arcade Fire is, but you'd pretty much get what you'd expect and no less. They're solid.
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post #8 of 10
11/25/07 at 3:17pm
Make sure to pick up the Black Sheep Boy appendix. Contains, perhaps, a couple of my ultimate Okkervil songs... also the Australian tour EP with has an amazing live version of 'Westfall.'

Defiantly a band to see live.
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post #9 of 10
11/26/07 at 12:04pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Winjer
also the Australian tour EP with has an amazing live version of 'Westfall.'
Yeah, Overboard and Down. When I burned a copy of the Stage Names, I threw that on afterwards, and it fits perfectly. The cover of Big Star's "O Dana" is also great, as is "The President's Dead."
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post #10 of 10
11/26/07 at 12:09pm
Just subscribe to that NPR podcast through iTunes, they post full concerts of a lot of great acts: John Vanderslice, Jose Gonzalez, Okkervil, New Pornographers, etc. All for free. Amazing.
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