I just am not getting sick of Okkervil River. Usually I gorge on a band and it ends up being a consumable, quickly digested and discarded. But listening to "The Stand Ins" for the first time today, I really did think that this Will Sheff fellow has done something pretty impressive, which is going from relative obscurity to a bona fide super-songwriter, in my estimation, on the strength of three albums. (Out of a number of memorable lines, I'm going with "you've got taste / yeah you've got taste / man, what a waste that it's all you've got..." or something close to that.)
And I know I've touched on this before, but while his style of songwriting is perhaps a bit affected, it's also surprisingly formal and erudite. It's dripping with references, and anyoneon who enjoys the careful development of literary themes should be able to sit down with their albums and the lyric sheet and just have a field day following the narratives, which are richly layered, full of details and knowing winks.
And Sheff manages to avoid fatuousness or obviousness. For all his apparent sincerity, the songs tend to be shrouded in ambiguity. For a good read, check out this pitchforkmedia (I know, I know) interview with him, which is sprawling and insightful. For a good listen, look below.
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