Sleep & Wake-Up Songs [EP]

Okkervil River | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (November 2, 2004)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: EP
• Label: Jagjaguwar
• ASIN: B00065TZ5U
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #118,364 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

'Sleep and Wake-Up Songs' is just a station on your way; it knows it’s not your lover. It’s a little shed; a lean-to constructed on the banks of some shaded stream between mountains. There is peace and quiet here. The late afternoon sun slants through logs set lazily on top of one another. There’s a Les Paul resting against a fallen bough, but there are few loud noises, little reason to panic. The smell of cedars hangs in the air. There’s a strange chill.

On 'Sleep and Wake-Up Songs,' Okkervil River and principal songwriter Will Sheff take advantage of a break between albums to present a small collection of five meditative songs that toss little boomerangs across the distance between what is and what could never be. They try on a loose-fitting felt suit of Tim Hardin folk-pop, wade until soaked in a misty psychedelic duet, strap on an electric guitar for a lark, stack the overlapping refrains of Sheff and Minus Story’s Jordan Geiger into a Phil Spector ecstasy of sexual confusion, and finally strip things down and initiate a straightforward love song. These five songs have a thematic unity and a serious purpose, but the modesty of the EP format allows the band to carry them off with a candid sense of playfulness. Next spring will see a new full-length from Okkervil River; in the meantime, rest awhile in these songs.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Okkervil keep getting better, November 29, 2004

By 

J. N. Forsythe "Good Music Hound" (Minneapolis, MN) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Sleep & Wake-Up Songs (Audio CD)

For Okkervil River fans, this is a must buy. The title Sleep & Wake-Up Songs is very suiting for the album. The album opens with "A Favor" which is an instant Okkervil River classic. The album then slows down, but picks up again on the closing track "No Hidden Track". The contrast between "sleepy" songs and "wake-up" songs is perfect for an EP. Rarely will I buy an EP, but I can't imagine this album being any longer or shorter. Will Sheff continues to improve his songwriting yet still keeping Okkervil Rivers' distinct sound. Again, this is a must buy for Okkervil River fans. For those who don't know Okkervil River, I suggest checking out Down the River of Golden Dreams or Don't Fall In Love With Everyone You See.