Okkervil River's The Stand-Ins

After a few days of listening to Scott Walker, I needed some cheering up: sorry about the bleakness of that last post. Fortunately, Okkervil River's new album is actually upbeat, which is difficult to image given their past albums.

After a short, pointless intro, The Stand-Ins sets the tone with "Lost Coastlines". A catchy melody and a danceable R&B rhythm are a perfect way for Will Sheff and Jonathan Meiberg (now of Shearwater fame) to duet. It's reminiscent of "A Hand To Take Hold Of The Scene" from the Stage Names but even more fun; this band has definitely developed an ear for pop music. This leads to "Singer Songwriter", which takes several cues from Blonde On Blonde: the squealing organ, the driving roots-rock guitar, and the snarky kiss-off lyrics. These first two songs are catchier and more fun than just about anything they've recorded and are two of Okkervil River's best songs.

"Starry Stairs" and "Blue Tulip" are indie-rock versions of power ballads. The former boasts Memphis horns straight out of an Al Green album, the later builds on slow, drawn-out drama. "Pop Lie" is almost a Weezer tribute - this one hasn't grown on me yet, but it does have some cheesy 80s synths, so it is at least a good joke. The album's other highlight is "Calling And Not Calling My Ex", a mopey mid-tempo pop song that sound like what the Cure were trying to do in the mid-90s.

While The Stand-Ins isn't their best album, it's an easier introduction to them than Black Sheep Boy and it the perfect compliment to The Stage Names, which I suppose was the point. Put these three albums together with Down The River Of Golden Dreams and you have one of the best catalogues by an American band this decade. They don't need more fans and they don't need more critical acclaim: they just need to keep doing exactly what they are doing.