Starting with 2005's Black Sheep Boy and continuing with The Stage Names (2007) and The Stand Ins (2008), Okkervil River have put together a sequence of almost faultless indie rock albums. I Am Very Far extends that sequence to four, and quite possibly it is the best of all of them. Lyrically, lead singer Will Shef has moved away from the directness of previous albums to operate in a more ambiguous area, and once again he proves he is one of the greatest lyricists working today. Musically, the album is accessible whilst still moving the band forward to places they haven't been before. This combination of forward-thinking music and unbeatable lyrics makes for a really potent mix, and one which Okkervil River's contemporaries will find difficult to match. Shef and his bandmates have put down an early marker for album of the year.
Rating: 9/10
Top Tracks: Piratess, Hanging From a Hit, Your Past Life as a Blast
Release Date: 10 May 2011
No comments:
Post a Comment