Okkervil River 'The Stand Ins'

Okkervil River return with 'The Stand Ins' which is an extension of last year's thrilling 'The Stage Names'. They have form for this kind of stuff, following up 'Black Sheep Boy' with the accurately named 'Black Sheep Boy Appendix' and releasing a few mini albums over the years. The story behind this one is that 'TSN' was originally intended to be a double album and this is the stuff that got left off when it wasn't....but also 'The Stand Ins' focuses mainly on music and musicians as a theme, whereas it's predecessor was mainly interested in films and actors.

The band have certainly embarked on a change of direction in recent years. The country noir of their first three albums is now largely gone and this new record continues the in-your-face indie rock of recent years, musically this is one of their more interesting releases though. Opener 'Lost Coastlines' starts quietly and acoustically before building into an expansive sound with a motown feel and a 'la la la' finish. 'Singer Songwriter' and 'Pop Lie', both condemnations of knowing rock singers writing cynical sing-along choruses that don't mean anything, enjoy rollicking guitar licks.

Elsewhere 'Calling and not calling my ex' relates a tale of an ex-girlfriend appearing on the cover of a magazine, which reminds me a little of J Geils Band's 'Centerfold', a favourite of mine when I was a child! This is nicely done. 'Bruce Wayne Campbell Interviewed...' is slow burning and bittersweet. 

Its not a perfect record by any means. 'Starry Stairs' is an inferior update on 'Savannah Smiles' and 'Blue Tulip' is forgettable, save the stunning guitar break at the end. The instrumental interludes meanwhile are interesting but, y'know, not that interesting and sound like filler. Despite the fact that the themes are different, although similar', a mix of the best songs from here and 'The Stage Names' would have been quite some album. There is enough that is good to make this an essential buy for fans and anyone interested in some superb and very clever songwriting.

7.5

['The Stand Ins' is out now on import via Jagjaguwar. Out in the UK in October]

Okkervil River 'The Stage Names' first couple of listens

I remember being handed a flyer at a Bonnie Prince Billy gig announcing a new album by a band called Okkervil River. It described them as a mix of tindersticks, nick cave and american music club. After reading that, I didn't exactly have any choice but to buy their album.

'Down The River of Golden Dreams' (9.2) turned out to be a lovely album. A mix of the lush orchestration of tindersticks and the overwrought angst of Bright Eyes. Vocalist Will Sheff is a great storyteller and this album was one of my favourites of 2003. It led me to check out their earlier album 'Don't Fall In Love With Everyone You See' (8.5) which was not quite as great but did contain the epic 'Listening To Otis Redding Alone at Christmas' which was worth the price of the cd on it's own.

2005's 'Black Sheep Boy' (7.4) was a bit of a disappointment, to Tracksandgigs anyway. The lush melodies were largely absent and the tone was dark. All in all it felt like quite a depressing listen, although it did have some nice songs, Tracksandgigs objected to the production which made the record sound as if it was recorded in a dungeon.

So, The Stage Names is finally out. Well sort of. Its not actually released until August but if you pre-order the cd from their record company, you receive a free digital download of the album. TracksandGigs has done this, so that you don't have to.

So, this 'review' must come with a warning. TracksandGigs have listened to this album TWICE so far. Both times on an ipod. So, until proper listening (on a record player at home) has taken place, this review is a work in progress, but I feel sure enough to say that this is a return to form! The Stage Names is a very lovely album.

Opening with the epic and just fantastic Darkness-esque 'Our Life is Not a Movie Or Maybe' the record sets out to entertain. The opener is nothing short of thrilling. Will Sheff's voice reaches hights that you never thought it could reach and listening to the song is genuinely exciting. 'Unless It's Kicks' follows in the same vein, with a really catchy guitar riff and you realise that most of these songs are about performance or acting or at least playing a part.

Track 4, 'Savannah Smiles' is simply lovely. The music is pretty, with a xylophone throughout, although the lyrics are dark. Tracksandgigs would like to say Hi to Amber at this stage, since she is a huge Okkervil River fan and her sister is named Savannah...

Of the remaining songs, 'A Girl At Port' is gorgeous, reminding me of old style OR track 'Yellow', 'You Can't Hold The Hand of a Rock Star' and 'Title Track' are, so far, a little disappointing but the closing song 'John Allyn Smith Sails' is great.

This is a really good album, that much is clear. Tracksandgigs likes the lighter feel of the album and the return to the more acoustic sound of earlier OR records, however the standout tracks are two rockier numbers...

This review is a work in progress and I will update again next week when I have listened more, but at the moment The Stage Names is a 9.0