Okkervil River has a talent for playful music that pulls on your heartstrings. Their fifth full-length album, The Stand Ins, is a strong and confident sequel to last year’s highly acclaimed effort The Stage Names.
Songwriter and multifaceted mastermind Will Sheff proves himself once again as a brilliant and articulate wordsmith, putting together lyrics that are both visceral and intelligent. His words immediately captivate listeners paired with music that is catchy and melodic, bestowing pieces of himself, presented in the form of narrative poetry with musical accompaniment. Intense yet accessible, both lyrically and musically, this is the kind of album that makes you feel like the band is reaching out to you- also clearly one of Sheff’s goals.
The introduction and interludes- each called “The Stand Ins,” a reoccurring theme with Okkervil River song titles- are the only parts of the album that leave something to be desired. The music isn’t inspired- or inspiring, for that matter- and there are no traces of Sheff’s trademark vocals. Other than those 134 seconds, the Austin-based band, entering their second decade together, has created an album worth listening to with musically upbeat, dance-along songs such as “Singer Songwriter” and “Pop Lie,” while others like “Blue Tulip” and “On Tour with Zykos” are gracefully written songs, wrought with fervent imagery.