Most Helpful Customer Reviews
|
|
11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
It was your heart hurting, 11 Aug 2007
Some bands recycle their sound from album to album, until they implode into a creative vacuum.
And some bands refine, rework and polish their talent, turning out increasingly brilliant, full-blown music. Fortunately Okkervil River fits into the second category, amping up the sound of their previous opus "Black Sheep Boy" and giving it a rollicking, lovable rock sound... without losing the freakfolk/alt-country edge.
It opens with a tight little riff, and Will Sheff moaning, "It's just a bad movie, where there's no crying... It's just a life story, so there's no climax/No more new territory, so pull away the IMAX." It unfolds into a blazing, thumping, piano-riddled rock song that sweeps the listener in its wake, just before letting you drop into quiet interludes.
So what's it about? Basically, about a person who sees their life as a movie, but is being told that it isn't all about them: "No fade in: film begins on a kid in the big city/And no cut to a costly parade -- that's for him only!/No dissolve to a sliver of grey -- that's his new lady!".
It's a strong start, and it's a good springboard to what comes next: sizzling rockers, bouncy indiepop flavoured with horns, plinky piano and "doo-doo!" vocals, smooth twinkling ballads, and rollicking alt-country. It doesn't sound that cohesive, but the songs do mesh well -- they all have a wistful, expansive quality that seems to spill over their edges.
Lots of people encountered Okkervil River by their 2005 album "Black Sheep Boy," but "The Stage Names" just evolves and expands the same kind of music. It's a bit less angular, a little more introspective, and a lot catchier -- it hasn't gotten any less poignant, but the melodies are rollicking fun.
They embrace the rock'n'roll with lots of driving riffs and great drumming, but the few songs when they don't do much else -- like "Unless It's Kicks" -- are a bit ordinary. The songs really shine when the core instruments are mingled with others: sweeping violins, xylophone, maracas, horns, plinky piano and a ticking clock, all wound around the guitar and drums like coloured ribbons.
And Sheff's voice is one you either love or hate -- either you'll hate it for being so waily, or love it for its passion. And the man knows how to pen beautiful songs ("I am all out of love... and not above letting a love song disappear/before it's written"), full of jumbled symbolism, painful loneliness, and jagged imagery ("She rises up like a yawn/grips my heart like a claw/splits apart like a jaw, like an eye...")
"The Stage Names" is a new high for Okkervil River -- brilliantly expansive alt-freakcountry songs, with bittersweet songwriting and fun tunes. Brilliant.
|
|
|
3 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Superb stuff from Okkervil River, even if it isn't their finest moment, 17 Feb 2008
What makes 'The Stage Names', Okkervil River's fourth studio album such a fantastic listen is their approach - they have an organic, honest integrity, rather like Arcade Fire, and let the power of the music and strength of the lyrics speak for itself. The sound coming out of the speakers is almost like you're in the studio with them, listening to the instruments first hand and such a pure, unaltered, alive sound insprires, excites and connects. There is no indie miserablism here - even a song such as 'Savannah Smiles', which is a concerned father's narrative about his daughter, manages to be a delicate and sensitive song relaying feeling of self-doubt and guilt without being self-indulgent or over-sentimental.
This album contains some really fantastic music - lots of big tunes, upbeat melodies and also introspective, pensive moments of contemplation. It actually baffles me how a group such as U2 or Coldplay can command such attention when there are bands such as Okkervil River out there making music without pretention, without spin, without the thought of 'how will this sound in a football stadium'? In a world of music where marketing and production is king, The Stage Names, along with much alternative music which really deserves to be the mainstream, is a breath of fresh air. I love it.
As with Black Sheep Boy, their previous studio album, Okkervil River intend to release an appendix to The Stage Names which include songs recorded during the same sessions and which weren't deemed suitable for the album. Black Sheep Boy's appendix was absolutely superb, containing some songs which were perhaps even stronger than those on the original release, so that should be well worth looking out for.
|
|
|
2 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Best I have heard in ages, 8 May 2008
I had this album on my list of reccommendations for ages but was initially put off by the very strange name and weird album artwork - well dont be!
I thought it would be some strange avant garde self indulgent material by a crazy acid tripping hippie....
How wrong I could be! I have had this album under a week and i just cant get enough of it - it is almost flawless throughout! its early days yet but i think this is going to make it into my top 5 albums ever. a big call and its companions are albums which i have known and loved for ages, so this may a heat of the moment thing but it is the best thing i have heard in a long long time.
For those of you puzzled by the name and cover - this is actually Indie Rock - and quite accessible too. the band is centred around the 20 something singer songwriter Will Sheff - who looks like the stereotypical geek form corny american teen movies - so they will certainly not be gracing the covers of NME.
The music is lavish yet always centred around a tune - it builds up and changes in all the right places and just when you think a song might be getting a little tedious it goes and does something else wonderfull.
I prefer louder fast tempo tunes and can often have little patience for softer slower songs but on this album Savannah smiles, Plus Ones, John Allyn smith Sails and Girl in Port all have engaging lyrics and lovely instrumentation, they all equal or better to the louder songs on the albums.
'Until it kicks' and the opener are fantistic songs to grab your attention - if 'Until it kicks' was played on the radio it would have a massive response - this is radio friendly music and could fit happily alongside modern day so called 'indie' music and for some reason it really reminds me of the Killers - but without the vast production and synthethisers. The singers sound similar too - so if any teeny popsters are reading this - dont be scared of the unusual name and cover - give it a go. This could be the album that will turn your attentions away from mainstream rock music and open your eyes to the wide vast world of alternative musicians and band sout there that have so much more to offer than a few slick tunes and an image to market to the music press.
all in all i think this is a fantastic listen - it only has nine songs but it feels fuller and richer than any album i have listened to in a long long time.
lots of other reviews may go into all the deep meanings of his lyrics and yes the lyrics and singer are very intelligent and literate but that just makes the great melodic tunes all the better.
I would say that if you like Bright Eyes, the killers, Neutral Milk Hotel, Ed Harcourt, any other good singer songwriters and modern 'indie' (and i mean indie as in recording on independant labels - not 'the kooks') then you will find something here to interest you - if you are still cautious - go to your nearest Zavvi store and have a listen - thats what i did and bought it on the spot.
This has enough meoldy and is polished enough to appeal to a wider audience and is still intelligent enough and well crafted to appeal to the market that seek something more than just a glossy sound and image.
Highly recommended.
|
|
|
Most Recent Customer Reviews
|
![Black Sheep Boy [Definitive Edition]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51zD0nv5znL._SL500_SS90_.jpg)
![Black Sheep Boy [Definitive Edition]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51zD0nv5znL._SL75_SS50_.jpg)
With an Amazon.co.uk Gift Certificate, you can get them what they want (even if you don't know what that is). 
Amazon Home