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Album review: Okkervil River

Double albums are usually a bad idea. For every Physical Graffiti or Exile on Main St. there are countless bloated, self-indulgent protuberances on the musical landscape, causing many respectable musicians to suppress the urge to go long.

This, seemingly, was the mindset of Texan folk-rockers Okkervil River with their last LP The Stage Names, originally intended to be disc one to this release’s disc two.

A cursory glance to the track-list would suggest that Will Sheff and his colleagues made the right decision with three of the eleven tracks being, devoted to minute long musical interludes. Much as these add a sense of ambience, almost that of an orchestra warming up before a rousing performance, but they would have added little but track numbers to a double-LP.

However, the majority of the songs on offer here would’ve been more than mere filler. ‘Singer Songwriter’ bounds about like an eager puppy, Sheff’s cutting lyrics wrapped around a playful guitar line and accompanied by propulsive percussion. The song’s theme of cynicism directed at the foibles of the musical scene is revisited throughout.

From band-on-the-road opener ‘Lost Coastlines’ through to ‘Pop Lie”s examination of how fans’ idolisation of artists is often misguided, there is the strong suggestion the band have some real issues with the business they’re earning their keep from.

Ultimately, shorn of a few of the less arresting numbers (‘On Tour With Zyklos’ and ‘Blue Tulip’) and the aforementioned instrumentals, this could have made an excellent EP, but as a standalone, full-length offering feels oddly lacking, despite some career-best songwriting.

In avoiding the pitfalls of the double album they’ve unwittingly ended up with something just as unsatisfactory.

Three stars

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