Okkervil River--any good?

[Futureman]

thanks in advance.

[johansen smith]

I've always liked them, and that in itself might be enough to scare you away. a lot of people who never cared for them in the past love the new album, but it sounds about as good as anything else they've done to my ears.

also, on a fun note, the lead singer used to write the music reviews for AudioGalaxy back in the day.

[miss understood]

Love them. Terrific (for the most part) on record, and even better live. In fact, their 45-minute opening slot for Earlimart (zzzzz) might still be my favorite live performance so far this year.

Their records are a bit uneven, tho. I strongly recommend either their new one (Black Sheep Boy) or the one before that (Down the River of Golden Dreams). If you're looking for particular tunes to sample, I suggest "Red," "The Velocity of Saul at the Time of His Conversion," "It Ends with a Fall," or especially "For Real." You can find them here--

http://jound.com/okkervil/mp3.html

[Wallerton]

Much better live than on record, IMHO.

I saw them open for The Decemberists earlier this year and was impressed by their energy and intensity--in these respects, if in no others, they reminded me a little bit of Arcade Fire.

[george]

they're one of my favorites. black sheep boy is my favorite album this year.

[SarahRide]

They're definitely growing on me.

[winterversion]

I've got Black Sheep Boy and am really digging it, although they've been compared to Bright Eyes, so if you don't like them....

[japanese_moon]

I don't think they sound ANYTHING like bright eyes. but what the hell do I know...

[Salman]

Someone told me they sounded like Neutral Milk Hotel, which I don't really hear. Pretty decent stuff though.

[johansen smith]

they surely sound nothing like Bright Eyes or NMH, though I like both bands, so what do I know.

[winterversion]

Well, I stand corrected on the Bright Eyes thing, so I guess I don't know a whole lot.

[johansen smith]

we still love you.

[hstencil]

if the band were emo kids and not grizzled canadian road veterans. and not as good.

[george]

they're from austin texas, which is not in canada.

[tinobeat]

capitalization would have made hstencil's post clearer...

"if The Band were emo kids, and not grizzled Canadian road veterans. and not as good."

[the Pawnbroker]

He means the band The Band.

Edit: tino beat me by a minute.

[george]

i see

that's actually a pretty good description now that i think about it.

[hstencil]

that is to say, i thought they were all right live. and i liked the main dude's dock boggs t-shirt (homemade???!?!?).

[www.lazy-i.com]

The new record's good, though I don't think anything they've done thus far eclipses Don't Fall in Love with Everyone You See.

[p.a. beaumonty]

I saw these guys last night and it didn't really leave an impression on me. I still want to hear the record, as everything I've read/ been told sounds promising. Too much emo and not enough The Band I suppose. In their defense, they had the misfortune of following Dixie Dirt who were on frickin' fire.

[johansen smith]

"Emo"? c'mon.

[Futureman]

Yeah, now that I've heard the album, the singer does perform with a sort of melodrama that occasionally evokes the emo description. Regardless, I really like the album.

[johansen smith]

don't make me get my wagging finger out.

[Futureman]

don't make me get my wagging finger out.

who knows where you've been putting that thing!