Okkervil River
The power of saying "yes"
Here is a list of questions people usually answer “Yes!” to:
Do you want ice cream? Do you want me to do your laundry? Do you want me to stop traffic before crossing the street? Would you like a panda bear to give you a hug? Do you want pudding? Would ending world hunger be acceptable to you? Can I sign my name on your cast? Do you want to kiss Scarlett Johanssen (my girlfriend says it’s a question applicable to both sexes)? Do you want to hear a new Okkervil River song?
Honestly, who would shoot down any of those suggestions, especially that last one? Who wouldn’t want to hear new Okkervil River material? What’s not to want to hear? Especially when you consider that Lost Coastlines is another escape into the heart-bursting, yearning musical universe which made The Stage Names such a wonder to behold.
As the first taste we get to savour of the upcoming The Stand Ins LP, Okkervil River shows us that their artistic acumen is imperturbable and performed with steadfast proficiency, even though the song was composed to be a reflexive inspection of the harrows of keeping a band together. In fact, Lost Coastlines is full of contradictory signals, for as effulgent and eager their musicianship is, as towering their command of this epic melody is, as vast a sonic journey this song turns out to be, there quakes a delicate insecurity which pulsates from its very core. Ironically enough, the voicework on the track is shared by frontman Will Sheff and fellow bandmate Jonathan Meiburg, who recently left the band to focus his efforts on Shearwater, adding a certain sullen sense of impending fate to the song’s self-examining nature. And it’s just that measure which gives the song its tangible, human sensibility.
Also of note, the band openly commits The Stand Ins as a direct sequel to The Stage Names, which is quietly exemplified by the sequential relationship both album covers share:
And for those who feel they need to say yes more, accepting an offer to listen to this song is a surefire way to get a positive return on your yes-spreading endeavor.
MP3: Okkervil River - Lost Coastlines
www.okkervilriver.com
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