The Red and Black

Issue date: 9/18/08 Section: Out & About

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OKKERVIL RIVER

The Stand Ins

Arriving hot on the heels of 2007's "The Stage Names" - and intended as its sequel - "The Stand Ins" finds the Austin-based indie-rock group picking up exactly where it left off.

The album bears an uncanny resemblance to its predecessor, but thankfully comes across as a development of its themes rather than a rehash. It distills much of the folk present on 2005's acclaimed "Black Sheep Boy" in favor of more electric guitars and rock components.

Frontman Will Sheff's lyrics are, as always, eloquent and professionally written, sung in an aching croon that falls somewhere between Bob Dylan's wry delivery and Conor Oberst's emotive bent. His distinctive lyrics and vocal style often take center stage over the harmonious music and paint him as a poetic bard with a curious air of detachment.

"The Stand Ins" finds Okkervil River trying new things. The biggest surprise comes in the form of the scornful "Pop Lie," which displays far more crunch and grit than the band's typically somber catalog would suggest.

Sheff's voice takes a turn for the baroque in the dynamic opener, "Lost Coastlines." The band cuts loose à la Pink Floyd on the slow-burning epic "Blue Tulip," while the ringing guitars that drive "Singer Songwriter" wouldn't sound at all out of place on a U2 or R.E.M. album.

Strong moments abound, but "The Stand Ins" suffers from the occasional moment of mediocrity. Aside from a few intriguing brass teases, "Starry Stairs" is pedestrian. Similarly, the pseudo-world beat of "Calling and Not Calling My Ex" shows promise but never amounts to anything outstanding.

Luckily, the lounge-y shuffle feel of "Bruce Wayne Campbell Interviewed on the Roof of the Chelsea Hotel, 1979" prevails over its unwieldy title and concludes "The Stand Ins" on a bright note.

VERDICT: It may falter here and there, but there's not much to overtly criticize. If anything, "The Stand Ins" is indicative of a bright future for Okkervil River.

- John Barrett

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