Norah Jones Enlists Ryan Adams, Will Sheff For Forthcoming LP

Norah has carved out a special space for herself in the Living Room/Rockwood Music Hall side of the LES music hang; in a circuit full of singers and sidemen with jazz in their roots, she's the chosen one who at... CONTINUE READING NORAH JONES ENLISTS RYAN ADAMS, WILL SHEFF FOR FORTHCOMING LP»

Posted on August 20, 2009 (10 comments)
Tags: Norah Jones | Okkervil River | Ryan Adams

Coachella 2009: Cure, MBV, Antony Assault The Sound System

Surprise, it wasn't My Bloody Valentine's 15-minute aural assault "You Made Me Realise" that caused Sunday's biggest audio mishap. Organizers cut the speakers during the Cure's "Fire In Cairo" (two songs into a third encore) only to watch the band... CONTINUE READING COACHELLA 2009: CURE, MBV, ANTONY ASSAULT THE SOUND SYSTEM»

Stream Shins, Bright Eyes, National Covering Merge Classics

Merge Records turns 20 this year and the celebration is well underway. Last week we told you about the five-day summer fest in North Carolina with Superchunk, Spoon, Conor Oberst, M. Ward, Destroyer, and others. If that's a party you... CONTINUE READING STREAM SHINS, BRIGHT EYES, NATIONAL COVERING MERGE CLASSICS»

Okkervil River Tell Letterman A "Pop Lie"

Okkervil River's performance of "Pop Lie" on David Letterman last night wasn't sweetly sung or especially succinctly stated. The The Stand Ins track sounded pretty shaggy dog (like hirsute Will Sheff, trying out for Mastodon in the accompanying screengrab), especially... CONTINUE READING OKKERVIL RIVER TELL LETTERMAN A "POP LIE"»

Posted on January 8, 2009 in Video (33 comments)
Tags: Leeds | Okkervil River | Yeah Yeah Yeahs

Okkervil River Deliver A Singing Interview

Interviews can get boring for a band on the promotional trail. Okkervil River, telling people why they should buy The Stand-Ins, came up with a good solution to keep it interesting: Sing your responses. Will Sheff didn't make Rolling Stone's... CONTINUE READING OKKERVIL RIVER DELIVER A SINGING INTERVIEW»

Posted on November 14, 2008 in Video (10 comments)
Tags: Okkervil River

New Okkervil River Video - "Lost Coastlines"

Okkervil's stayed true to The Stand Ins chosen themes of band anxieties and replacements in 2008, losing Jonathan Meiburg to Shearwater, even asking various artists to stand-in for them on the YouTube covers project. That said, when prematurely evaluated the... CONTINUE READING NEW OKKERVIL RIVER VIDEO - "LOST COASTLINES"»

Posted on September 26, 2008 in Video (4 comments)
Tags: Okkervil River

Ola Podrida Cover Okkervil River

It's not "Singer Songwriter" as covered by a singer songwriter, nor is it "On Tour With Zykos" as covered by Zykos, but Ola Podrida's cover of "Calling And Not Calling My Ex" provides just reason to check in with Okkervil's... CONTINUE READING OLA PODRIDA COVER OKKERVIL RIVER»

Posted on September 4, 2008 in Video (1 comments)
Tags: Okkervil River | Ola Podrida | Vampire Weekend

Bon Iver Covers Okkervil River

Another one from The Stand Ins Sessions. Chapter Four brings us Justin Vernon, wearing a shirt with sleeves for the first time all summer, applying the upper reaches of his internet-famous falsetto to Okkervil River's "Blue Tulip." Like the others... CONTINUE READING BON IVER COVERS OKKERVIL RIVER»

David Vandervelde Covers Okkervil River

Chapter 2 of The Stand-Ins Sessions -- Okkervil River's publicity project inviting friends to cover their great new album -- comes courtesy of David Vandervelde (whose own work we just revisited the other day). As the Will Sheff & A.C.... CONTINUE READING DAVID VANDERVELDE COVERS OKKERVIL RIVER»

Posted on August 21, 2008 in Video (7 comments)
Tags: David Vandervelde | Okkervil River

Will Sheff And Carl Newman Try Out "Lost Coastlines"

Okkervil River's kicking off a new series of performances, to be added over time to their YouTube channel, featuring songs from the prematurely approved The Stand Ins as performed by various guests you've probably heard of. The first album track... CONTINUE READING WILL SHEFF AND CARL NEWMAN TRY OUT "LOST COASTLINES" »

New Okkervil River - "Lost Coastlines"

When we evaluated The Stand-Ins, we highlighted "Lost Coastlines" as (a) a standout and (b) a continuation of The Stage Names's and the group's seafaring themes and metaphors via its discussion of the turbulent ups and downs (aka waves) facing... CONTINUE READING NEW OKKERVIL RIVER - "LOST COASTLINES"»

Posted on August 12, 2008 in MP3 (11 comments)
Tags: Free Moral Agents | Grizzly Bear | Okkervil River | Shearwater

Premature Evaluation: Okkervil River - The Stand-Ins

It doesn't feel like a year, but we just double checked and its true: We excitedly evaluated The Stage Names late last July. Now, 12 months and change later, Will Sheff & Co. are back with The Stage Names' sequel... CONTINUE READING PREMATURE EVALUATION: OKKERVIL RIVER - THE STAND-INS»

Posted on August 8, 2008 in Premature Evaluation (25 comments)
Tags: Modest Mouse | Okkervil River

Lollapalooza 2008: Saturday In Photos, Rage Delivers Bruises

By Scott Lapatine & Amrit Singh Saturday was mostly just your standard, hot, sold out, music-filled day at Lolla. Until Rage. Wilco were great and photogenic in the Nudie, but after getting texts about some hairy stampede action at the... CONTINUE READING LOLLAPALOOZA 2008: SATURDAY IN PHOTOS, RAGE DELIVERS BRUISES»

Okkervil River's The Stand Ins Album Art, Tour Dates

Will Sheff may have lost Jonathan Meiburg to the "Talk Talk" covering Shearwater. He's the guy second to the right in the accompany photo. More fries for everyone else. But the show must go on. In this case, literally: Okkervil... CONTINUE READING OKKERVIL RIVER'S THE STAND INS ALBUM ART, TOUR DATES»

Posted on May 30, 2008 in Album Art, Tour Dates (8 comments)
Tags: Okkervil River

Sasquatch 2008 In Photos

On first blush we all agreed Sasquatch! pulled together one of the lineups to beat of this glutted summer festival season, which is why we're psyched that, despite not having made the trip ourselves, we were able to send photog... CONTINUE READING SASQUATCH 2008 IN PHOTOS»

Shearwater Cover Talk Talk

Shearwater hooked us into their new material with the lovely, melancholic, horn-threaded, feather-and-ambulance-themed lead track "Rooks" and now they've got us with the "Rooks" b-side as well. Surprise: It's a cover of Talk Talk's Spirit Of Edem opening epic, "The... CONTINUE READING SHEARWATER COVER TALK TALK»

Posted on May 15, 2008 in Tour Dates (3 comments)
Tags: Okkervil River | Shearwater | Talk Talk

Will Sheff In A Black Cab

It's all about the take-away these days. Earlier this week we hung with Lykke Li in the toilet and Thao Nguyen by the sea, and now we return to the back seat of a black cab ala the Raveonettes to watch the Okkervil bleater cover Big Star's "Big Black Car." Forget "Red," we think we're getting a feel for the black sheep boy's true favorite color. (via)

» Link

Posted on January 18, 2008 in VIDEO (1 comments)

New Free Okkervil River EP

So what are you giving your friends this Christmas? Likely trumping that pair of socks, Will Sheff & Co. are passing along the Golden Opportunities Mixtape, a nine-song collection of eight covers and one live original (the holiday appropriate "Listening... CONTINUE READING NEW FREE OKKERVIL RIVER EP»

Posted on December 11, 2007 (4 comments)
Tags: Okkervil River

Harp Puts Okkervil River Atop Its Top 50 CDs Of 2007

It's not even December yet, but the list-giving season's in full swing. Stylus's last bequest was naming LCD Soundsystem's Sounds Of Silver as '07s LP champion, Paste gave that honor to the National, and now Harp plucks Okkervil River from... CONTINUE READING HARP PUTS OKKERVIL RIVER ATOP ITS TOP 50 CDS OF 2007»

Posted on November 28, 2007 (90 comments)
Tags: Okkervil River

New Will Sheff Live Video - "A Girl In Port"

At some point last year, Will Sheff and director Mike Angelo Torres hooked up in Porto Sant'Elpidio, Italy to capture this solo acoustic take on The Stage Names' "A Girl In Port." In other words, we watched the opening second... CONTINUE READING NEW WILL SHEFF LIVE VIDEO - "A GIRL IN PORT"»

Posted on November 21, 2007 in Video (6 comments)
Tags: Okkervil River

Stereogum Does CMJ: Craig Wedren, Erik Friedlander & Will Sheff Play Solo At Saturday Day Shows

That headline's almost entirely true, too! Will and Erik really did play solo, at Music Hall Of Williamsburg and upstairs at Pianos, respectively; Craig was listed by his lonesome, but turned up with a backing band and a fan/friend we're... CONTINUE READING STEREOGUM DOES CMJ: CRAIG WEDREN, ERIK FRIEDLANDER & WILL SHEFF PLAY SOLO AT SATURDAY DAY SHOWS»

New Okkervil River Video - "Our Life Is Not A Movie Or Maybe"

Click play on the new Okkervil River vid below and you'll probably think exactly what we did: Hello advertising! Huh? Somehow "Our Life Is Not A Movie Or Maybe" got a big ol' corporate intro, but eventually we get the... CONTINUE READING NEW OKKERVIL RIVER VIDEO - "OUR LIFE IS NOT A MOVIE OR MAYBE"»

Posted on August 28, 2007 in Video (11 comments)
Tags: Okkervil River

Premature Evaluation: Okkervil River - The Stage Names

The Stage Names is Okkervil River's fourth full-length. More importantly, though, it's the follow-up to Will Sheff and company's most acclaimed album, 2005's Black Sheep Boy and subsequent spin-off, the Black Sheep Boy Appendix EP. We liked the Overboard &... CONTINUE READING PREMATURE EVALUATION: OKKERVIL RIVER - THE STAGE NAMES»

Posted on July 20, 2007 in Premature Evaluation (23 comments)
Tags: Kidz Bop | Okkervil River

Will Sheff On File Sharing

UPDATE: As xtro noted, turns out Will originally posted this a year ago! We had no idea; reader Eric clued us in to a MSN blog that posted it yesterday, which explains our tardiness. But hey, a year on and... CONTINUE READING WILL SHEFF ON FILE SHARING»

Posted on May 3, 2007 in MP3 (22 comments)
Tags: Okkervil River

New Okkervil River - "The President's Dead"

If you have less than three minutes to explain why Lou Reed identified Okkervil River as a standout indie band while doing post-VMA press, save your breath and let Will Sheff make his case with this new track, culled from... CONTINUE READING NEW OKKERVIL RIVER - "THE PRESIDENT'S DEAD"»

Posted on September 10, 2006 (15 comments)
Tags: Okkervil River