 | Okkervil River |
Okkervil River’s newest, The Stand Ins, surfaces after a short one year turnaround behind the fantastic album from 2007, The Stage Names. Much about these two albums links them very closely to one another, aside from the small time gap. Most obviously, the two respective covers fit together as one image; The Stand Ins is above; put it together with The Stage Names’ cover. Despite the obvious relation between the two of the outreached hand, it’s clear that this album is the darker, more depressed of the two as the cover of The Stage Names conveys hope and rebirth, while this one shows only death and a haunting desperation. In a way, the visuals sum up the difference between the two records. Hit the jump for the full review.
The Stage Names was an almost self-depricating story about a “midlevel band” that had problems with everything from women to success, but was never hopeless or sorrowful. The Stand Ins takes a decidedly darker tone across the album, seeming to dwell on the past and the mistakes carried with it, as from the start, the first proper song is the musically bright, yet lyrically dark Lost Coastlines. The theme of Coastlines is that of someone leaving what they know behind yet who has no loved ones, and spends his time at sea with no real purpose, other than to be in the service of “some fated, foreign lord.”
This record routinely addresses loss on many levels as on Starry Stairs and Blue Tulip, whereby Will affirms “Hats off to my distant hope, a little lie, a puff of smoke.” There are definitely some bleak stretches on this album, but that doesn’t make any of these songs bad; it’s just a stark contrast to The Stage Names where even the darkest stuff had some hope or positivity behind it. Okkervil River can make some fantastic chilled out songs (see Girl in Port, A from The Stage Names), and continue that here with what is undoubtedly the most depressing of this record’s songs with On Tour With Zykos, which is carried by a sweet piano melody and keeps things introspective in a really nice, yet dark way. It and Calling and Not Calling My Ex are more songs about loss, desire for what you can’t have, and living life without any real purpose.
The Stand Ins is definitely not without its flaws, and a good example is the somewhat flat Singer Songwriter. The lyrics are sometimes jealous, soemetimes mean spirited, and to be honest, I can’t really figure out how this song fits in the album; lyrically it’s a little off, and musically it definitely does not have the usual variety and creativity that I have come to expect from Okkervil River. At first blush, Pop Life seems to be the same kind of exercise; a little off, a little dull. However, this song actually is a fairly clever deconstruction of all those catchy yet empty pop songs; such kind of song (and singer) which Pop Life’s lyrics eviscerate and who’s music completes the pop song satire. Clever, sure, if not the best song, but in my Lollapalooza review, I did call Okkervil River “the smartest band out there,” and they are still living the part quite well.
In case the obvious needs clarification, with Okkervil River, the lyrics really are the superstar of the songs. The music is, for the most part, excellent – showing off great variety in tempo, structure and instrumentation. Most of the time it is a real pleasure to listen to. However, I’m not sure that Okkervil River is quite ready to make a Modest Mouse album in terms of awesomely depressing lyrics, and I think the whole feel of this album misses the mark a bit. The amusing yet positive self depcricating quality of The Stage Names gave that album a surprising and refreshing quality which never feels tired, whereby The Stand Ins feels a little exhausted from the beginning. Will himself sings, ”If I tried that long ride looking deep inside, but I don’t want to look so deep inside yet.” I think he’s right: he is not ready for this type of a look inside.
Will is currently doing a mini solo tour:
12/11/08 – Music Hall of Williamsburg – Brooklyn, NY
12/17/08 – Herbst Theatre – San Francisco, CA
12/19/08 – Cafe du Nord – San Francisco, CA
12/20/08 – Hollywood Forever Cemetary Masonic Lodge – Los Angeles, CA
