OKKERVIL RIVER...

I was up too late last night. I should know by this late age that going out on a school night only leads to a day of spacey often trying non-productiveness. It's just this kind of day that makes a band like Okkervil River sound so good. OR plays often languid dreamy pop tunes, though they practice the sort of slow build towards crashing cresendos that remind me of the cartoon scene where some unfortunate character (usually Wiley Coyote or Elmer Fudd though often Daffy Duck) is lifted into the air by a thrust of water from a fire hydrant that has been destroyed or tampered with, said character bounces on his ass above the street balancing impossibly on this jet of water. Often the jet of water will wane, lowering the poor sucker towards the street, and then regain its force, pushing the victim skyward once again. It's an awkward though apt metaphor for the sonic tides that sweep towards Okkervil River listeners. This is the kind of music that fans of Neutral Milk Hotel would love. You should read the band bio at their website, much like the songs very literate and entertaining.

From 2003's Down The River of Golden Dreams:

It Ends With a Fall

The War Criminal Rises And Speaks

From their current release Sleep And Wake up Songs:

A Favor

My current review on Pop Matters is pretty far off the beaten path of what I usually write here. If you're curious about an organic/electronic project by Collection of Colonies of Bees check out the review.