Since this whole "blag" thing was a snap decision, I'm going to start with something I know and actually do some work and research next time. I suppose its relatively new to me, I mean, I've *had* the album for months now, but I have desperately been trying to track down a physical copy of it most of that time. I finally got hold of one yesterday and I'll admit it doesn't disappoint. There's still something to be said for handing over some hard-earned cash for a musical artifact, ripping open the vacuum wrap and wrangling with the sticker seal (the bane of my existence). The CD is not dead my friends. Call me sentimental.
So anyway, Okkervil River, an folk-indie band out of Austin, Texas. Wid-West sentiment sung with a Southern wail. Down The River Of Golden Dreams is their second major release on the Jagjaguwar label but it is their first of consequence. Down The River marks the shape and sound of a band arriving in their own right. It's not their greatest, but it is great.
The album's strength, unmistakingly, lies in the lyrics of wordsmith Will Sheff, the frontman and by all accounts the heart and soul of Okkervil River. Sheff is a poet, but not in the way Dylan was a poet. Okkervil's songs read as novellas, short stories inviting us into the lives of protagonists, and it is easy to find yourself completely immersed in the story. Metaphors are abundant, but rather than distracting, muddling or generalizing the heart of the narrative they add a depth necessary to flesh out a tale crammed into 3 minutes.
It would be remiss, however, to relegate all of the charm of this album to the lyrics and give Will Sheff a single gold star. It's the arrangements that make the stories worth hearing, deceptively simple melodies hidden amongst thick, boisterous layers of music. Jonathan Meiburg's piano playing is the first sound on the album, and never really leaves us until the end. His shining moment is on the album's dramatic peak, "The War Criminal Rises And Speaks." The remaining members cycle constantly through a wide array of instruments to turn simple melody into thick, luscious harmony.
If the Arcade Fire is a large indie band bred on Joy Division and Lou Reed, then Okkervil River is that same band bred on the Band and Tim Hardin. The end result is a beautiful, cohesive, accesible and startingly deep group of songs much deserving of a listen, made only more remarkable since it acts as a launching point for more interesting and profound music.
Album Highlights: "It Ends With A Fall," "The War Criminal Rises And Speaks," "Maine Island Lovers"
Further Listening: Black Sheep Boy, The Stage Names
www.okkervilriver.com
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