BLACK SHEEP BOY

The Black Sheep Boy is angry, and lonely, and hurt. At times he seems poised on the edge of great violence: a building storm grown so powerful it just can't be contained. Fear the Black Sheep Boy, for even as Okkervil's frontman Will Sheff boldly investigates his own creation's origins and motivations, you can't help but feel the fear in his heart. Here is an album full of broken love songs, of ponderings of what it means to live and to die, declarations of fruitless loyalties, and the wild sounds of their hurtful rejections. Two narratives exist throughout the work. The tamer melodies belong to our main character - a man fighting for the one he loves. Identifiable, relatable, real. The other, darker, more disturbing tones appear singly assigned to the mysterious and frightening "Black Sheep Boy." But what is the Black Sheep Boy? It's been said to represent the darker side of folk singer Tim Hardin (who wrote the title track of the album, a song about heroin relapse). A character made to explore the motivations behind Hardin's drug addictions, and his failed loves. That said, I can't help but see the parallels between the story's original author and its ambitious reteller. In fact, I think it's safe to say the Black Sheep Boy represents Sheff himself. Or, rather, a different, infrequently present version of Sheff. One plagued by addiction and forays into painful love. The musings here seem to narrate both Sheff's and the Black Sheep Boy's fight for dominance, and occasionally it starts to feel disturbingly like a fight to the death. Sometimes, Sheff is simply picking up the pieces of what the Black Sheep Boy's latest atrocity has destroyed. Other times, the Black Sheep Boy is screaming his reasons and justifications, and so honestly does he demand understanding and love that it may break your heart. But it's when the two voices sing together that this album truly becomes a work of art. Take 'Another Radio Song' from the appendix. It details Sheff's bold confrontation with the Black Sheep Boy, and the internal battle that ensues. I'll post here my favorite lines from the mythic showdown: "Bless this tiny alley. We have fallen from tall buildings; we have fallen through the air into a garden sweetly smelling of the softest sleeping flowers. Now they sleep under the sidewalk. Now they're waiting for the shining of some future sun to show us all that is your beauty, oh, and all that brings you pleasure. I could sigh into your hide, and say 'I hope I'm here forever.' But, Black Sheep Boy, with your lovers; with your list of favorite pillows; with your list of missing children; with the walls where you drew windows overlooking hidden gardens; cut apart by jagged mountains; climbing up into the air and crumbling down into a fountain where the water waits forever, like a quiet distant treasure. When you rise up to recover; when you leave this tiny alley; when you meet me in the garden with your horns all hung with cedar; every spirit brushing past me, pushing past them in the ether, scream "All this is window dressing! All you are is flimsy curtains. Watch you flame up with a word from us, and won't know that you're burning!" The fight is real, and it not only makes this Okkervil's best record - it makes it one of the best ever recorded. Listen to it.

I got this for my boyfriends birthday. Okkervil River is his favorite band and he would always talk about how when the 10th anniversary edition came out he wanted it so bad but didn’t have the money. The only part of this CD he didn’t have was “There Swims a Swan” which are the unreleased songs, but I got it for him anyways as a memento. Now he doesn’t have to keep changing out his CDs for a different one because they are all on the same one. I’m not sure if this is something you would want to buy if you already have all of Okkervils music, unless you wanted to get the unreleased songs as well.

The first time I heard this album I felt it was a little melancholic for my liking. However, after listening to it on my headphones and on a proper stereo, rather than Spotify, I came to appreciate its distinctive sound. Every OR album is a thing unto its own but this album incorporates the best elements from albums such as Stage Names, Stand Ins, and Silver Gymnasium. There is no superstar song here but the album in its entirety has to be considered in the top three by OR.

Love this album as much as the first time I listened to it. Will Sheff was at his best in songwriting when this little gem came out. Enjoy all the outtakes and extras that were recorded during this era. Highly recommend.

Such a good album, I was not expecting it to come with so many posters as well. Really cool surprise.

Poor production. Kinda boring.

The album is great came sealed new just like I expected.

Amazing album and extras! every single moment is worth listening to and I can't stop playing it!

This is an outstanding presentation of an outstanding album. If you're an Okkervil River fan you owe it to yourself to get it. If you are not a fan you should be. What are you waiting for? The cover art alone makes it worth the money.

Okkervil River es un grupo relativamente (demasiado, en mi opinión) desconocido en el mundo de la música moderna. Su mezcla de esencias Folk, sonidos Indie y Rock, e incluso alma Country, lo sitúan en un plano un tanto extraño con respecto a posibles bandas similares o contemporáneas (me vienen a la cabeza Arcade Fire o Jeff Mangum, referente absoluto de la banda). Dicha amalgama de etiquetas podrían resultar en un "cuerpo extraño" y poco manejable, pero nada más lejos de la realidad. Accesible al instante y disfrutable de principio a fin, "Black Sheep Boy" es un disco conceptual y ecléctico a la par, con canciones que pasan de sonidos duros y agresivos a melodías delicadas y pausadas sin perder un ápice de coherencia. En definitiva, un disco imprescindible en la carrera de una banda absolutamente vigente y reconocible en todo lo que hace. Como apunte, la "10Th Anniversary Edition" contiene dos discos adicionales, entre ellos el "Black Sheep Boy Appendix", una extensión maravillosa del disco original. Merece muchísimo la pena.

Manque de vigilance et hop! Le disque, dans le déroulé annonce six disques. A réception, il s'agit d'un triple LP. Donc trois disques. Quid de tous les titres annoncés sur les trois autres disques? Par ailleurs, celui-ci m'est parvenu déjà déballé... Bref, très limite sur ce coup amazon...

This is a great package celebrating the anniversary of Black Sheep Boy. Excellent pressing on vinyl, very little noise and perfect mix. A fan's must buy.

Execllent