Search - Okkervil River :: Black Sheep Boy

Brilliant.

Michelle | Seattle, WA | 10/18/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Out of Austin comes the little-known band Okkervil River, playing some of the most imaginative, beautiful, and heartfelt songs I've ever heard. Okkervil River goes a bit rock and pop with songs like "Black" and "All the Latest Toughs"; they absolutely blister with the raw and wonderfully coarse "For Real"; quiet down with the delicate and sublime "A Stone". But the crowning glory on this album is "So Come Back, I Am Waiting": a desperate, clawing, nearly nine-minute epic crescendo, filled with wild emotion, great alliteration, and wonderfully descriptive imagery. The entire album is loosely woven around the theme of the black sheep boy-- but it's not a story, more of a feeling, with repeating elements and imagery that flicker in and out. Between the varied instruments, Will Sheff's emotive voice and his wonderful use of language, this is my favorite album, period."

Broken But Beautiful Black Sheep Boy

Dave | Verm | 04/25/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Can an album be depressing yet uplifting at the same time? Thats how i feel everytime i listen to this album. It always seems to find itself into my rotation when depressed, yet when i hear the song For Real i cant help but jam along to the thundering guitar. If you pay attention to the lyrics they are some of the darkest stuff written in a while, but you can't help but sing along. I would compare this to a darker (not more emo) Bright Eyes. Will Sheff spills everything he has into every word he spews, and the thundering rhythm section melds perfectly with his cracked voice. Great vocals and Amazing arrangements.

Key Tracks: For Real; So Come Back I'm Waiting; Black; Song of Our So-Called Friend; A Stone"