Customer Reviews

THE STAGE NAMES [Vinyl]

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I would like to thank the customer reviewers of Amazon and the pros over at Metacritic. Without them, I would have never discovered my new favorite band: Okkervil River. If you've ever experienced the thrill of loving a brilliant band that no one has ever heard of (Neutral Milk Hotel, The Decembrists etc.) then you'll feel it again with Will Sheff (singer,writer) and the boys. The album begins with three killer tunes, slows in good way thru its soft creamy center and finishes the listener off with three Knock-out songs at the end (which comes far too soon). Poignant lines like, "Oh, but wise men know when it's time to go, and I should too. And so I fly into the brightest sun of this frozen town" abound. Sheff is so good, I could've picked dozens of lines just as moving. O.R's music is unpredictable and original. They resemble everyone from The Kinks To Magnetic fields (via Wilco, yes Wilco!) but somehow sound fresh and new. If you want music that makes you think, feel and connect with this crazy world in an artful way, then make The Stage Names your next purchase. Absolutely essential for Indie Rock fans...

One of the great joys of being a music fan is being able to hear the progression of a band or artist. Many bands continually redefine their sounds. Some get progressively worse, others better. Okkervil River is a band that consistently improves. With each album that they put out, this great band from New Hampshire via Austin strengthens their sound and finds new ways to impress their audience. Like their previous releases, "The Stage Names" is influenced by several genres without fully committing to a single style. Sometimes folky, sometimes rocky, sometimes emo, sometimes poppy; Okkervil River is always worth listening too!

Will Sheff's emotionally wrought wails and painfully insightful lyrics begin the album off on "Our Life Is Not a Movie or Maybe." The song is about how everyday life is nowhere as exciting (or contrived) as a major movie, yet the song itself is more exciting than most. You can almost imagine the band playing this song live, flailing their bodies about with all the energy that they can muster. "Unless It Kicks" keeps the energy from the opening track, but channels it into a more traditional rock sound. It continually builds throughout, before finally climaxing at around 3:35 with the band rocking out as hard as they ever do!

Though the music itself is brilliant throughout "The Stage Names," it is Will Sheff's songwriting skills that have impressed me most about the album. Every song gives the impression that Sheff spent hours slaving over each song, writing intricate stories and reflections. Take, for example, the clever, yet brilliant, "Plus Ones" in which Sheff weaves the titles of songs with numbers into the lyrics (adding 1 to the original). When he sings "No one wants to hear about your 97th tear" it's a direct reference to the classic song "96 tears" by ? and the Mysterians. When he sings "51st way to leave your lover, admittedly it doesn't seem to be as gentle or as clean as all the others," he's referencing "50 Ways to Leave Your Lover" by Paul Simon. While it's impressive that he could even weave so many song titles into the lyrics, it's even more impressive that the song itself is more than just a catchy gimmick but an extremely well-written piece of music.

Though "The Stage Names" is an absolute blast to listen to when the band is playing fast, energetic songs, it's when they calm things down that Okkervil River truly shines. On the stunning, "A Girl In Port," Sheff sings "These several years out on the sea made me empty, poor, and clear...pour yourself into me" over a shamelessly country arrangement. Soon after the song climaxes with a full brass section and guitar solo that is just as beautiful as it is entertaining. The title track, cleverly titled "Title Track," features minimal instrumentation from the band and only utilizes their talents when it's absolutely necessary. Sheff sings over the ambient guitars, saying, "The break dancers all broken down in their beds, are now intreveniously fed from a bag hanging over their heads." Again, his lyricism is unparalleled here, and it's especially apparent due to the lack of distraction from the rest of the band. The album wraps up with "John Allyn Smith Sails," in which Sheff asserts, "This is the worst trip I've ever been on" before following it with "I wanna go home." Nice.

In the end, "The Stage Names" is yet another fantastic album from Okkervil River. I had my doubts that the band would be able to top 2005's "Black Sheep Boy," but I can say with no doubt that this one tops it in almost every way. It's energetic moments are more powerful, and it's soft, reflective songs are more poignant. Simply put, "The Stage Names" is Okkervil River's best album to date and much more accessible than their previous releases. I would've liked for the album to be a song or two longer, but I'm still thrilled with what is presented here. If you're a fan of Okkervil River (which you totally should be), you absolutely need to hear "The Stage Names!" It will not be easily forgotten.

Recommended for fans of Okkervil River, The Honorary Title, and Two Gallants.

Key Tracks:
1. "Our Life Is Not a Movie Or Maybe"
2. "Unless It Kicks"
3. "Plus Ones"
4. "A Girl In Port"
5. "Title Track"

8 out of 10 Stars

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.

I know that these guys were one of the indie darlings in 2007 but I didn't get into this album until 2008. However, I am glad that I did. The album is a great mix of songs of varying tempos, and the 9 songs on it feel like just the right amount.

The first two songs are really great up-tempo numbers, with the second song, Unless Its Kicks, the real highlight of the album. The lyrics are fantastic, with each song telling a unique story and repetitive lyrics and choruses typically avoided. The writing is very clever this way as it really sounds more like stories rather than the typical verse-chorus-verse-chorus-bridge-chorus routine.

The slower songs are great as well. Savannah Smiles is a song about reading his daughter's diary and lamenting the innocence lost with youth. It seems like a wise-beyond-one's-years type of song as I'm assuming that the author isn't actually old enough to have the teenage (or older) daughter he describes in the song.

Plus Ones is a clever song that took me a few listens to realize what was going on. They've cleverly woven songs from the 70s onward into this song's lyrics. Essentially, songs such as 99 Luftballoons, 7 Chinese Brothers, 50 Ways to Leave your Lover, and others, get the "plus one" treatment. Very clever the way it was turned into a story.

Title Track is the only dud as I see it on the album. There are a couple of minor drawbacks. While I'm not concerned about foul language, there were just a couple of instances throughout the album that prevent me from playing it when the kids are around, which is a shame because there's so much to get out of the album otherwise. When they're just a little bit older and I don't care what they hear I'll certainly play it around them, then.

The album ends with John Allyn Smith Sails which re-works the Beach Boys' Sloop John B in a very energetic way and makes for a great ending to a great album.

This is a truly outstanding album from start to finish. Excellent songwriting and sensibility. Compared to OR's previous albums, this one injects a healthy dose of classic rock and roll, without losing the thoughtful lyrics and earnestness. Musically, this reminds me of the Kinks' great early 1970's albums with some strikingly similar songs and themes - check out "Everybody's In Show Biz" and the Lola album for example.

This is the first album I've had the pleasure of listeneing to by Okkervil River and i have to say it makes everything else I have been listening to sound like crap. My only problem is how short it is. I will soon be buying all of their other cd's and you should to.

Okkervil River's 4th album, 2005's "Black Sheep Boy" brought the band massive critical acclaim, and also some commercial success. The question was whether the band could continue expanding its sound or whether BSB would remain the peak. The new album is out, and the answer is clear. If you're not familiar with the sound of this up-and-coming band, think the Shins, Bright Eyes, Sufjan Stevens, even certain Ryan Adams, and the like.

"The Stages Names" (9 tracks; 42 min.) starts off with an urgent "Our Life Is Not a Movie or Maybe", and we're off on a whirlwind of great music. The first third of the album brings the harder sounding tracks of the album, including a rousing "A Hand to Take Hold of the Scene", matched in intensity only by a sneering "You Can't Hold the Hand of a Rock and Roll Man" towards the end of the album. "Savannah Smiles", "A Girl in Port" and "Title Track" are more pensive tunes, the latter with great lines like "All of the stage names evaporate/and it's just a blood-flushed and heart-rushing race/either to kick off too soon or to stick around too late/to be far too dear or too cut-rate", wow. The closer "John Allyn Smith Sails" eventually segues into the Beach Boys' "Sloop John B." and provides an exuberant ending of the album.

If you wonder where you can hear great indie music like this album, check out Cincinnati-based WOXY on the internet, truly the best place for indie rock in my book. Meanwhile, "The Stage Names" is a great album. I hope that Okkervil River will come to this area soon as I can't wait to see how it all translates in a live setting.

This album is incredible like all of their other albums, maybe the best. Check out Unless It's Kicks and A Girl In Port. Will Sheff spins complex and beautiful stories better than just about anyone.

Okkervil trumped themselves this time. Their most recent release is a little more upbeat, a little more thoughtful, and a little more genuine.... hard to imagine, I know. A fantastic album.

No es de extrañarse que cada material que escuchemos de esta banda de Austin Texas nos proyecte una atmosfera única y cada vez mas refinada. "The Stage Names", nos mantiene en el mismo nivel que su antecesor "Black Sheep Boy", sin llegar a repetirse, pero si conservando una línea ascendente que puede llevar a esta gran banda a solidificarse en la escena...100% recomendable!!