Black Sheep Boy: 10th Anniversary Edition

Black Sheep Boy is Okkervil River s most ambitious and cinematic record yet, a love story and adult fable that evokes the mature songcraft of Leonard Cohen s New Skin for the Old Ceremony, the sophistication of Scott Walker s Scott 4, the shambling slow-motion bravado of Neil Young s On the Beach, and the raw nerves and trick effects of Big Star s Third/Sister Lovers. It also occasionally echoes Lou Reed s Transformer in that it is actually the band s most playful and confident record by far, delighting in linguistic games, scrapping all caution and reserve, reveling equally in sheer pop, lacerating rock and roll, and straight-up country weepers. The most fully-realized and wildly adventurous Okkervil River record yet also introduces into the modern folk bellwether s traditional palette of mandolin, pump organ, steel guitar, Wurlitzer, strings and horns such previously foreign elements as children s keyboards, digitally-manipulated field recordings, and dirty splatters of distorted guitar. The longing might be keener, but the fun is funner this time around, too; somebody has spiked the drinks, and there are at least two bullets in the Russian roulette chamber.