Okkervil River - The Stage Names

I too am psyched. "Our Life..." is great, and also shows off the Spoon connection to a surprising degree.

considering it was produced by Jim Eno of Spoon, that's hardly surprising ;p

i've heard about 3-4 songs off the album at their Austin show a month ago (with a 15piece horns and strings ensemble!!) and they are gooooooood

Christ, does anyone have this yet? I'm dying to hear some impressions, especially after reading that their producer loathed one of the tracks, "Plus Ones".

it has leaked, IT HAS LEAKED!

happy boy

http://www.jagjaguwar.com/thumbs/JAG110.jpg

This album doesn't seem as cold and creepy as their older ones, it's very warm and dense instead. That's the best way I can think of to describe it. And the ending of the last track really threw me off guard.

I'm not sure if I like it as much as the previous 3.

I enjoy the cold and creepy aspect of Okkervil River, so I'm kinda hoping this one isn't too warm

my favorite Okkervil album has always been this one

http://ec1.images-amazon.com/images/I/51zH9BPVPnL._AA240_.jpg

which has always been to me their warmest, coziest album - really easy to live inside the songs like a blanket, feeling each song's personality, etc. - so i'm not sure warm is an entirely bad thing here

I love the new one after all. Weird bits jutting out in every direction as opposed to the perfectly formed previous album. A charmingly masochistic record, just begging to be ripped up for any number of reasons - and there are many. They try desperately to fuck up their formulas, I think, and it worked in their favor. I don't think many others will agree with me, though.

Also, against the odds, "Plus Ones" is a charming tune.

i love this album as well. it's no Black Sheep Boy, one of the best albums from this decade, but very impressive. i think fans will really like this album as well as i had no let down.

can't wait to buy it next week.

And even though the album has already leaked online, Sheff is still feeling jittery in the last few weeks prior to its release.

"You've finally gotten recognized after nine years, and then follow it up with something different. It is a bit unnerving. But, I think I had to do that artistically," he says.

it seems like i'm the only one on ILM who is excited about this release. anyways the reviews are starting to come in Pitchfork gave it a 8.7 with Stylus gave it a solid B (also saying Black Sheep Boy one of this decades best records.

this record is great and i'm happy that there doesn't seem to be a backlash against them. if you make great music it will be heard.

"a hand to take hold of the scene" is a really good song

I am still super excited about it Bee!

That Stylus review is godawful though. Besides the poor writing itself, thereès nothing more tired than the old rockcrit trope of "boy they sure were better when they couldn't play their instruments or sing!".

Picked up the double-disc edition of this album at lunch, the one with the full extra disc of solo acoustic demo-tracks or whatever, supposedly limited to 1,500 copies...interesting.

First song is alright, second one is fucking great, and I'm going to listen to the rest of it tonight.

The Stylus review of this really was poorly written.

I kinda doubt that special edition is limited to 1,500 copies considering my local Best Buy had three of them. Haven't listened to the demo disc yet, but the album itself is fantastic.

The Stylus review of this really was poorly written.

Wow, you're not kidding.

I haven't understand the love for this group up to now. I liked the idea of the band -- rugged, gritty indie rock -- but the execution felt flat and lifeless to me. Their sound is fuller and richer on this disc, though, and the expanded musical palette suits them (and, to be fair, I did love the song Black from Black Sheep Boy).

The Stylus review of this really was poorly written.

Wow, you're not kidding.

can we on ILM, because we have connections, demand that Stylus has another writer take a crack at reviewing this great album?

can't wait to pick up the double disc, a full acoustic disc of the album itself on disc two, at Amoeba Hollywood this weekend.

Holy shit is that review terrible. All the comments call out the awkward fourth paragraph, but the fifth reads even worse to me.

This must be one of the worst bands I have heard recently. Not a single good thing to say about them.

I'm with you filthy dylan - I've borrowed their rekkids from a friend that raves about them - listen to them once and march them back over to their rightful owner - God knows I won't buy anything by them - overhyped tripe - sure they seem like they can play, but damn they can't write a hook ...

"one of the worst bands I have heard" and "listen to them once." :rolleyes:

everyone is not into the same thing but they are one of the best bands out there now.

i finally understand what they were doing with this new album. not a huge fan of the first song but then after that it's one of the best of this year...have yet to play my bonus CD.

first album i heard was Down the River of Golden Dreams but it didn't sink in immediately, knew that there was something there that drew me to the album. took awhile but was on solid rotation after around six spins. Black Sheep Boy hit me over the head when i was listening, walking and watching the sun go down. it was one of those perfect moment that made it album of that year. still have yet to hear their debut.

Down the River of Golden Dreams rules.

I'm super late to the party on this album but it has finally, finally taken hold of me. I've always been attracted to this band but never felt the urge to pull the trigger; "Our Life..." is not a great song, in my opinion, so I just wasn't compelled when the album came out.

Anyway, now I have the album and I'm still in the early stages of loving it - I sit at work all day looking forward to listening to it as soon as I walk out at 5. It's been a while since an album did that for me; probably early last year. "Unless It's Kicks" and "Plus Ones," in particular. And "Savannah Smiles" is emotionally manipulative, like a Lifetime movie, but it gets me anyway.

yah im late on this too, but talented, dour yet still charming would be good adjectives to describe the record. "one of the worst bands i have heard recently"-that i just dont get. but thats exactly how i felt about the hold steady last year, and i was all alone, so theres no accounting for taste, eh?

http://assets1.pitchforkmedia.com/images/original/51066.okkervil.jpg

info from somewhere else:

"Okkervil River's The Stage Names was supposed to be a double album, but was released last year as a single disc instead. Now, Will Sheff and company are seeing that creative concept through with the release of The Stage Names' sequel, The Stand Ins.

The 11-track disc is due on Sept. 9 through Jagjaguwar Records. The Stand Ins was recorded in the band's hometown of Austin, Texas and co-produced by the band and their longtime producer of choice, Brian Beattie.

The Stand Ins explores the stories and ideas introduced on The Stage Names in greater depth. It features former Okkervil River guitarist and current Shearwater frontman Jonathan Meiburg on "Lost Coastlines," which is about the difficulties of keeping a band together. The Wrens' Charles Bissell, who's been playing guitar with Okkervil River on tour, also contributed to the album.

The Stand Ins includes "Starry Stairs," the sequel to The Stage Names' "Savannah Smiles," a track about Shannon Wilsey, a porn star and groupie who had relationships with Gregg Allman, Slash and Billy Idol before committing suicide.

Okkervil River self-released their Bedroom debut EP in 1998, while their Stars Too Small To Use full-length followed the next year. They signed with Jagjaguwar for 2002's Don't Fall In Love With Everyone You See, and followed that with 2003's Down The River Of Golden Dreams and 2005's Black Sheep Boy before issuing The Stage Names."

Aside from Black, on one of their prior discs, I don't get this band at all.

i had no idea that their last album was suppose to be a double album.

i'm so happy about this and getting it now.

"Savannah Smiles," a track about Shannon Wilsey, a porn star and groupie who had relationships with Gregg Allman, Slash and Billy Idol before committing suicide.

AKA another Okkervil upbeat party starter.

this is not as awesome as the stage names, but still pretty decent. A couple of duds - "blue tulip" and "calling and not calling my ex" mainly - but "lost coastlines," "on tour with zykos" and "bruce wayne campbell interviewed..." (that's jobriath, folks) are excellent.

Aside from Black, on one of their prior discs, I don't get this band at all.

I prefer Shearwater, but I do like Black Sheep Boy and Stage Names; for some reason I think the hype around them is kind of wrong.... they're a really good indie rock band and it makes sense that someone from the wrens is playing with them. I don't really think of them as a new Neutral Milk Hotel or something which was what I originally expected.

The Stand Ins came out yesterday, love this band! will get this finally in about a week.

I think I might like the new one better than The Stage Names, though I just got it yesterday. I'm still getting the sense that they could have taken the best songs from both to make one great album instead of two very good ones, but so far I think the less-than-stellar tracks on The Stand Ins are better than the corresponding numbers on the earlier record.

To clarify/continue: I don't think there's anything on the SIs that's as sublime as "Unless it's Kicks" or "John Allyn Smith Sails" (or even "Our Life is Not A Movie," probably), but

1)it's got a more relaxed, looser feel to it, not so heavy on the conceptual stuff that boxes Sheff in a bit.
2)it's more consistent throughout, without anything near the lag of Plus Ones-Girl in Port-Can't Hold the Hand-Title Track.

Really liking "Blue Tulip," "Lost Coastlines," and "Starry Stairs".

"starry stairs" is incredible