The Stage Names

Today's Music That Jason Likes Kinda But Also Is Angry At Himself For Liking is Okkervil River's The Stage Names.

I'm not sure what to make of this album, exactly. It's kind of popular folk music, something evolved from John Denver and James Taylor, ultimately descended from Bob Dylan, only taken to its most rambunctious and emotional. The lyrics are generally pretty good, and I like the song titles as well. The singer has a pretty good voice but he borders on being too 'emo' at times. This can be good; in an age where too many bands embrace irony but don't realize that they are still its bitch, a singer who allows himself to really cut loose is a welcome aspect of a band. That is, if the singer isn't too cloying and whiny, and for as much as I like this band, sometimes the singer (Will Sheff is his name) is, at least for me. But the music is pretty good; I would say it rocks as hard as folk-rock can without having to drop the 'folk'. The music isn't too slow, even the ballads move a little. The drums are boisterous without dominating, which is good; the guitars are generally electric, which also helps. Maybe it's a rock structure built on an old folk burial ground.

For as much as I criticize the band in the above paragraph, they still manage to give me a sense of importance and awe when I listen to their music. The opening track to The Stage Names, "Our Life is Not a Movie or Maybe", is pretty damn good. I challenge you to listen to it and not get into it when the piano and drums kick in and Sheff is really howling. So I guess on a scale of 1 to 10, this album would get both a D and an A. I'm so on the fence about it that I have splinters. This band is opening for the New Pornographers next month, and I'm actually looking forward to seeing them, even if they are a little bit of a guilty pleasure. I guess I would recommend this album to you, but not if you can't enjoy music for what it is as opposed to what it is mocking.

In other news:
This might be the best that I've handled daylight savings time in recent memory. It's still lame though.