Better Than Noodling: Okkervil River
You may be well familiar with the bands featured in this section, but Some Dude from Hits from the Blog wants to ensure there’s No Jambandfan Left Behind…
You know how they say that Christopher Columbus didn’t really discover America he just “encountered” it? Well that’s sort of how I feel about how I came to start listening to the music of Okkervil River.
How I can really lay claim to discovering a band that has been releasing albums (and I’m sure touring relentlessly) since late last century? I first encountered this Austin-based act some time last summer when every music reviewer was drooling over their latest offering, The Stage Names, a wordy, bombastic album with ruminations on the daily life of someone who happens to be in a rock band.
The reviews piqued my interest, but it wasn’t until I caught their performance on Conan that I knew they’d be my latest musical obsession. The song they played was big, brawny and cluttered with sound; it seemed like they could fall apart at any moment, but somehow lead singer Will Sheff’s vocals came in and tied it all together. Read on after the jump and take a listen to their cinematic tales…
