Okkervil River - The Stand Ins - COMPACT DISCS [CD]

This record dynamites the moss-covered castle walls of 2005's InchBlack Sheep BoyInch to let in the glaring sun. Riddled with characters real and fake, with the relics of high culture and the crumpled up trash of low culture, InchThe Stage NamesInch is a cinemascopic take on the meaning of entertainment in the modern world. Reverberant with echoes of Motown snap and girl group pop, redolent with ripe whiffs of dirty rock 'n' roll, shining with the shimmy of Bo Diddley, with the shimmer of the Velvets, with the swagger of the Faces, and with a glittery sprinkling of cheap perfume to disguise the stink, InchThe Stage NamesInch is a relentlessly paced and ruthlessly thrilling journey. Album Tracks 1. Our Life Is Not a Movie or Maybe 2. Unless It Kicks 3. Hand to Take Hold of the Scene, a 4. Savannah Smiles 5. Plus Ones 6. Girl in Port, a 7. You Can't Hold the Hand of a Rock and Roll Man 8. Title Track 9. John Allyn Smith Sails

Bonsai Bop marks the recording debut of a truly outstanding pianist. Ryoko's skills emanate from a classical background - she is at once both dynamically percussive - building impressive crescendo, yet incredibly sensitive with a magical, intimate touch for bringing out the true melodies and harmonies as she caresses each note on her ultra sensitive ballads. She has an amazing rapport with virtuoso bassist Marc Peillon and the dynamic drums of Le Fakir Abou making this a trio in the real sense of the word - a truly integrated band who play perfectly for and with each other. Ryoko's fascinating stylistic mix is inspired by her Japanese roots, allied to her passion for jazz and classical music. Album Tracks 1. Bouches D'or 2. Mata Kimasu 3. Bonsai Bop 4. Ryoko@Ravel 5. Cacurembo (Cache-Cache) 6. Love Is Forever 7. I Wish You Hope 8. Sketches of Japan 9. Early Blossom 10. Voyage to Kagoshima 11. Que Reste-T-Il de Nos Amours?

The goal was to push my brain to places it didn't want to go. The idea was to not have any idea to keep myself confused about what I was doing, frontman Will Sheff says about Okkervil Rivers newest album. The resulting record, I AM VERY FAR, is a startling break from anything this band has done before. By turns terrifying and joyous, violent and serene, grotesque and romantic, it's a celebration of forces beyond our control. On I AM VERY FAR, Sheff emerges not only as a songwriter of the highest caliber, but a producer and arranger of singular vision. Abandoning the tidy conceptual arcs of Okkervil Rivers previous albums, I AM VERY FAR is a monolithic, darkly ambiguous work, one that doesn't readily offer up it's secrets. Album Tracks 1. The Valley 2. Piratess 3. Rider 4. Lay of the Last Survivor 5. White Shadow Waltz 6. We Need a Myth 7. Hanging from a Hit 8. Show Yourself 9. Your Past Life As a Blast 10. Wake and Be Fine 11. The Rise