The ambition was shared by many people within Okkervil River, particularly drummer Travis Nelsen, who Sheff describes as a brother figure. “We would trade tales of hilarious antics and outrageous excess and tragic death like they were almost scripture,” he continues. Disciples on the road to martyrdom, worshipping at the altar of legends who went before them and practising self-destruction in search of the paradoxical legacy inherent within short bright bursts of life.

But of course reality is not so simple, and excesses and tragedy too often come with no redeeming features. Something thrown into sharp relief as Sheff’s relationship with Nelsen deteriorated then ended abruptly. “Travis and I fell out painfully, and he died in the early weeks of lockdown,” he explains. “I think a big part of Nothing Special centres around grieving for him, grieving for everything my friends have lost, grieving for the rock and rock and roll myth, and trying to open my eyes to a more transcendent reality.”

Lead single ‘Estrangement Zone’ takes this transcendental ambition into overtly speculative territory. A quasi-sci-fi sound owing as much to retro psychedelica as any futuristic vision. Or perhaps it is both simultaneously. Retrofuturism. An old-fashioned vision of what is to come. The accompanying video, directed by Sheff himself, nods to Tarkovsky and Jodorowsky in its vivid dystopia, the calamity of man unfolding within something larger and stranger.

Nothing Special comes out via ATO in October. Order it now from the Will Sheff Bandcamp page.

Photo by Bret Curry

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After a three year break, Okkervil River are back with a new album, Away. Recorded in New York state with a new backing band and orchestration composed by Nathan Thatcher and performed by yMusic, Sheff describes the record as “not really an Okkervil River album and…also my favorite Okkervil River album,” the meaning of which remains to be seen.So far we only have one song to go by. ‘Okkervil River R.I.P.’ is a song about new beginnings and the necessary deaths needed in order for them to occur. As Sheff explains:

“I think this record was me taking my life back to zero and starting to add it all back up again, one plus one plus one. Any part that didn’t feel like it added up I left out. Eventually, I realized I was writing a death story for a part of my life that had, buried inside of it, a path I could follow that might let me go somewhere new.”

The track comes complete with a video written and directed by Will Sheff himself, starring Tim Blake Nelson of O Brother Where Art Thou? fame. Check it out below:

Away is set for release on the 9th September via ATO Records and you can pre-order it now. The band are heading out on a massive tour this summer, culminating in European dates this autumn (see below). Full dates are available here.

10/30 @ Parkteatret in Oslo, Norway
10/31 @ Pustervik in Gothenburg, Sweden
11/02 @ Debaser Strand in Stockholm, Sweden
11/03 @ Vega in Copenhagen, Denmark
11/04 @ Rolling Stone Weekender in Weissenhauser Strand, Germany
11/05 @ Paradiso Nord in Amsterdam, Holland
11/07 @ Petit Bain in Paris, France
11/08 @ Botanique Rotonde in Brussels, Belgium
11/10 @ Islington Assembly Hall in London, UK
11/11 @ Thekla in Bristol, UK
11/12 @ Gorilla in Manchester, UK
11/13 @ Stereo in Glasgow, UK

Photo by Fionn Reilly

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The album builds upon the band’s two previous albums (2008’s Orion Songbook and 2010’s Deadmalls and Nightfalls – both of which I would highly recommend), and confirms the ability to make sun-soaked Americana with a literary lyrical bent. Indeed the album’s lyrics are extremely dense – coming in at over 5,500 words – and paint a vivid picture of growing up in suburban Detroit during the 90s. The album artwork serves to capture the themes on display and does a better job than I could possibly hope to with words. The era evoked will certainly hold greater appeal to those of a certain generation and I’d guess that if your birthday falls between 1980 and 1990 then you will identify with a lot of the lyrics, from sun bleached VHS tapes to sports coaches to the birthday parties of friends and school mates. This is not simply a chronicle of childhood, however. A lot of the lyrics are tinged with nostalgia and a sort of wistful sadness. This is probably best illustrated by sampling a few of the lines from the album:

There’s a dead world locked in a Nintendo 64
In some divorced friend’s mom’s apartment bedroom drawer

(From Open It Up)

Or:

The shrink-wrapped cosmetics and cardboard aesthetics of department store picture frame inserts that my 
Mother keeps under a sink in a cupboard with her high school diploma and it hurts to try
To keep all our treasures intact for forever

<a href=“http://music.frontierruckus.com/track/dealerships” data-mce-href=“http://music.frontierruckus.com/track/dealerships”>Dealerships by Frontier Ruckus</a>

I would advise that this brand of folk or Americana is not for everyone. Frontier Ruckus have not attempted to jump on the bandwagon of popular contemporary folk acts and tried to make foot-stomping, sing-a-long choruses that could grace huge venues and festival headline slots. But this is not a criticism, in fact I mean it more as a complement. There is remarkable restraint and real feeling here. I found it very difficult when listening to the album to draw direct comparisons, although I think that it would be fair to cite  The Mountain Goats, particularly The Sunset Tree, with it’s evocation of coming of age and being a teenager in America. Other artists that come to mind are John K. Samson’s The Weakerthans and Will Sheff’s Okkervil River (particularly their earlier albums) and Decemberists, mainly because of the literary style lyrics, which you could almost read as poetry from the liner notes.

The band have also released a video for the closing track, Careening Catalog Immemorial, which was directed by David Meiklejohn and again captures the album’s aesthetic pretty nicely. Watch it below:

Europeans can pre-order the album from Loose Music, while North Americans can get the album in a beautiful double vinyl package, on CD, or by digital download via Quite Scientific. The band are also about to embark on a European tour, including several stops in the UK. Check out the dates below:

01 Mar – Windmill, LONDON
02 Mar – Burgerweeshuis, DEVENTER
04 Mar – Stengade, COPENHAGEN
05 Mar – Pustervik, GOTHENBERG
06 Mar – Debaser Slussen, STOCKHOLM
07 Mar – Debaser, MALMO
08 Mar – Kulturhaus 73, HAMBURG
09 Mar – Underground, COLOGNE
10 Mar – Fachwerk Gievenbeck, MUNSTER
12 Mar – Rote Fabrink, ZURICH
13 Mar – Cardinal, SCHAFFHAUSEN
14 Mar – Silencio, PARIS
16 Mar – Start The Bus, BRISTOL
17 Mar – Whelans, DUBLIN
19 Mar – Ruby Lounge, MANCHESTER
20 Mar – Bloc Bar, GLASGOW
21 Mar – Fibbers, YORK
22 Mar – Jericho Tavern, OXFORD
23 Mar – The Borderline, LONDON

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Today is the first volume. It features a mix of styles and bands, covering classic songs and new music. We hope you enjoy these re-workings as much as we do.

WTD’s Covers Mix, Volume #1:

1. Crystalized (The XX Cover) – Holly Miranda
2. Her Vore (Coma Cinema Cover) – Fog Lake
3. There Is A Light That Never Goes Out (The Smiths Cover) – Dan Mangan
4. Don’t Haunt This Place (The Rural Alberta Advantage Cover) – Yellow Ostrich
5. Tears Are In Your Eyes (Yo La Tengo Cover) – The Antlers
6. Cars (Gary Numan Cover) – The Leisure Society (Thanks to TWR for the shout!)
7. Old Old Fashioned (Frightened Rabbit Cover) – John Statz
8. Owner Of A Lonely Heart (Yes Cover) – Grizzly Bear
9. I Fought The Law (Bobby Fueller Cover) – Titus Andronicus
10. I Will Truck (Dirty Projectors Cover) – Painted Palms
11. A Case Of You (Joni Mitchell Cover) – James Blake
12. Devil Town (Daniel Johnston Cover) – Bright Eyes
13. Like A Diamond (Glass Ghost Cover) – Sharon Van Etten
14. Ex-Girl Collection (The Wrens Cover) – Will Sheff
15. Angst In My Pants (Sparks Cover) – Signals
16. Sleep All Summer (Crooked Fingers Cover) – St Vincent & The National
17.Beacon Hill (Damien Jurado Cover) – The Head And The Heart
18. Best Ever Death Metal Band Out Of Denton (The Mountain Goats Cover) – Andy Hull
19. Godbye Again (John Denver Cover) – Youth Lagoon
20. Long Desert Train (Jason Molina Cover) – Strand Of Oaks (Thanks to CXCW)

You know the drill – support the bands. Each of the artists’ names above will take you to their website so explore further. Don’t be an Emily White, musicians have to eat too.

The Covers Mix: Volume #1 from Wake The Deaf on 8tracks Radio.

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