The literary cliche in literary circles of “writing the next great American novel” is just that; cliche. So why not think out of the box? Maybe the next great American novel is an album.
The Stage Names is an agglomeration of sung short stories dealing with the disaster of actors. Okkervil River frontman Will Scheff approaches lyricism with a poet’s touch for detail and a screenwriter’s grandiose flair. The results at times are awe inspiring. With vivid imagery and one hell of a band in support, it’s hard to not get swept away by The Stage Names.
Clunky muted guitar first greets the listener on “Our Life is Not a Movie or Maybe.” When the beat arrives it builds until a cataclysmic explosion of sound. Each line is so precise and full of life. It’s a wide-eyed engagement that’s almost crazed; as if Scheff would grab a stranger on the street and sing this to them. It’s got that sense of vitality. To follow it up, “A Hand to Take Hold of the Scene” is probably hits most closely to The Stage Names‘s general theme, as it addresses an actor’s insecurity. With a touch of bravado and some party tambourine, Scheff crams in the lyrics. His delivery has a distinct flow, not unlike great hip-hop MCs.
“Plus Ones” is a song that may be overlooked for it’s sheer brilliance if the listener is not a devoted music fan. It is essentially a story strung along by adding one to dozens of famous numerical song references; from Nena’s “99 Luftballons” to R.E.M.’s “7 Chinese Bros.” While this may sound like a cheesy gimmick, it does not play that way. Instead it tells a better story (one of a conceited young lady) better than most of the songs it derives from.
“A Girl In Port” paints the story of a seagoing womanizer, who is painfully self-aware of his flaws. As he goes from port to port laying with whichever lass will have him he realizes a strained detachment from reality and human connectivity has befallen him. The song is a spiritual cousin of Brand New’s “Me Vs. Maradona Vs. Elvis” in that aspect.
Every tune seems to have something different that makes it pop. One moment the band indulges in its twangy Texas roots (“Unless It’s Kicks”) and a moment later the listener is enduring gentle pain in an exercise of breath and space (“Savannah Smiles”). “You Can’t Hold the Hand of a Rock and Roll Man” has a gleefully sloppy air to it; like Scheff is spurting out some spontaneous drunken rambling. Okkervil River understands how to diversify.
The album triumphantly ends with “John Allyn Smith Sails” a tragic tale of an intellectual. It’s another self-aware tune, starting by accurately proclaiming, “By the second verse dear friends my head burst, my life will end…” From there the song methodically grows in scope until ending big by covering (sampling?) a bit of The Beach Boys’ “Sloop John B.” As Okkervil River lyrically sail off into the sunset and out of sight, the listener is left with only the memories of the vivid sweeping scenes of Sheff’s imagination.
Your favorite book of the summer is waiting to be deciphered, it just happens to be nestled between album sleeve instead of a hardcover.
Review Score: 9.1
3 Comments
Comments RSS TrackBack Identifier URI
I always got the feeling “Girl In Port” was also about groupies. Will Sheff seems to include a lot of references to sailing in his songs when refering to playing in a band(see lost coastlines off the stand-ins).
Either way, it’s an awesome album.
Oh I agree 100%. I’m nearly certain it’s about groupies. Probably should have mentioned what the song is really alluding to, but I mean, I don’t feel compelled to spell everything out. I like to allow some room for people to listen and interpret meanings beyond simple face value.
[...] (Full review here.) [...]