i quite like it, almost top 5 i think

Definitely a Top 5 album for me. I'm just trying to decide if it should get the #2,#3, or #4 slot.

I recently purchased Down the River of Golden Dreams and whilst it sounds good (in a Bright Eyes kind of way), I can't believe how much the band has changed since then. It seems to have really found its own sound and, for my money, Will Sheff is writing lyrics as good as anyone in music. for me, the Stage Names just keeps getting better with repeated listening.

This is one of a handful of albums that I know of this year that could be swapped in and out of the #1 position interchangeably without any fear of correction.

quote:

Originally posted by tomrainbow:
I recently purchased Down the River of Golden Dreams and whilst it sounds good (in a Bright Eyes kind of way), I can't believe how much the band has changed since then. It seems to have really found its own sound and, for my money, Will Sheff is writing lyrics as good as anyone in music. for me, the Stage Names just keeps getting better with repeated listening.

I completely agree. If you dig further back you will find that they were already growing in leaps and bounds when Down the River... came out. Read reviews from that period and you will see people talking about how they had finally matured as a band, and had produced their masterpiece. There are tons of great songs in their back catalog, but they have continued to grow and develop their personal "voice".

Although, I personally prefer Black Sheep Boy far more than Stage Names I can't deny that they are still absolutely growing, faster than most any other band I've seen.

Just listed it as my #1 of 2007. I reckon it's slightly better than Black Sheep Boy, though in all honesty that could vary depending on which one I listened to last. Definitely going to check out their earlier albums too, I think I'll go in chronological order, so I can hopefully see this growth people are talking about. If it turns out I think each album is better than the previous, boy I can't wait for the next one!

Hmmm....Black Sheep Boy or The Stage Names. I think The Stage Names' greatest strength is the density of the songs, the way they pack so much in, tiny variations in melody that keep you guessing after 50 listens, the way the lyrics have been so well put together within each song and yet also as an album (both albums do this) and the conciseness of the songs and the album. Every time the Plus Ones ends, I wish they tagged on a couple of extra minutes.

Black Sheep Boy was probably my favourite album of the decade before The Stage Names came out. The thing about BSB that really surprised me was the quality of the appendix that, for me, contains four songs as good as any in their canon. Such strength in depth!

By the way, Down the River is getting better with every listen.

quote:

Originally posted by tomrainbow:
Hmmm....Black Sheep Boy or The Stage Names. I think The Stage Names' greatest strength is the density of the songs, the way they pack so much in, tiny variations in melody that keep you guessing after 50 listens

Agree 100%, couldn't have put it better.

Anyone else loving the golden opportunities mixtape? Can't stop listening at the moment, especially Simon Smith and the Amazing Dancing Bear, crazy good.

this is a solid album. i just picked it up, its one of the best of the year. Plus ones and Unless its Kicks are two incredible songs...

shouldve just been an ep

our life is...
unless its kicks
plus ones
girl in port
cant hold the hand

Why don't the two of you just combine into one user named: I'm just so indie?

Naw, I'm enjoying the split personality effect.

quote:

Originally posted by tomrainbow:
I can't believe how much the band has changed...

Okkervil River is definitely a band that I have enjoyed watching evolve over the years. It's almost as if they purposely seek out a fresh, new, and in many ways more evolved sound for each new album, somewhat like Radiohead (supposedly) does.

quote:

Originally posted by im so indie:
shouldve just been an ep

our life is...
unless its kicks
plus ones
girl in port
cant hold the hand

I agree, but you left out Savannah Smiles, John Allyn Smith Sails, and A Hand to Hold . . . Add those three songs, and it would be one kick-ass EP.

Hmm. Wait a second . . .

Ha!

Yeah. I can't help but feel like it is really short though.

I don't know... I know I've said before that I like my albums long, but I'm still having a hard time with the new trend of cutting down on runtime and track number. Three more songs and I think Stage Names could have blown me away.

I moved The Stage Names to my number 3 due to shear number of tracks that displayed greatness. It definitely would've been number one if they had more tracks. They are was a great amount of quality over quantity but when you get it both it's a wash .

Okay, I'm coming around on this again. It's not best-of-the-year, but it's solid. "Title Track" can go soak its head though....

quote:

Originally posted by Chamberk:
It's not best-of-the-year

Oh yeah, it is. Just an amazing piece of music—from top to bottom—it’s remarkable.

Agreed. This is actually a behemoth of an album in a way. I think I'll still be on the road with the protagonists of this album years from now, not really knowing what the fuck is going on all the while.

quote:

Originally posted by FragileKidA:

quote:

Originally posted by Chamberk:
It's not best-of-the-year

Oh yeah, it is. Just an amazing piece of music—from top to bottom—it’s remarkable.

Didn't you hear me? I said it wasn't!

It does sound a lot better in a car, though. "Girl in Port" has grown on me, and once I listened to "Savannah Smiles" after hearing a bit more about it, it's a lot better. "Plus Ones" is easily one of the best songs they've ever done, I'll give them that.

Solid. Not spectacular.