Premiere: Okkervil River: "Our Life Is Not a Movie or Maybe" [MP3]
They've killed the President in song and based an entire album on a Tim Hardin tune. But when the curtains come up on Okkervil River's new LP, the Austin rockers introduce themselves more modestly: "It's just a bad movie," River man Will Sheff begins on "Our Life Is Not a Movie or Maybe", opening track from The Stage Names (due August 7 on Jagjaguwar). Palm-muted guitar chords and tick-tocking percussion reinforce this new self-effacing directness.
By the time the song ends, Okkervil River have brought their bold-stroke anthemics more to the fore while keeping some of the rough edges of 2005's heroically ragged Black Sheep Boy. Sheff's quavering vocals now push toward Win Butler catharsis, backed by choir-like shouts of "ooh, ooh," but there's still room for haphazard piano plinking, discordant guitar squall, and yes, hyper-literate lyrics. If this is a bad film, we can't wait for the part where the moral kicks in.
MP3: > Okkervil River: "Our Life Is Not a Movie or Maybe"
[from Stage Names; due 08/07/07 on Jagjaguwar]