Pick of the Month (4/4/05)
Today I'm giving you one that should entertain you the whole month: Okkervil River's Black Sheep Boy. It streets tomorrow, and it's the best album I've heard in over a year. My review is up as the album of the week at Stylus:
http://www.stylusmagazine.com/review.php?ID=2891
My last favorite album, Kanye West's The College Dropout is great for what it is, a whole presentation of a personality, rife with contradictions and complexities. BSB is more an auteurist work, with Will Sheff's songwriting brilliance and craft serving as my points of focus. If it was just about the craft (a recent obsession in my reviewing), I wouldn't be nearly so into it. It's a really moving character study, with some of the most beautiful and heart-wrenching lyrics I've heard in a long time.
Reviewing it, I had to keep stopping myself from saying things like "The best album since..." or "the most fully realized concept since..." Even though those statements would be (for once) true, I didn't want my review hindered by any sort of comparisons. It's not the next OK Computer; I want it to be the first Black Sheep Boy, even if it starts with a cover.
http://www.stylusmagazine.com/review.php?ID=2891
My last favorite album, Kanye West's The College Dropout is great for what it is, a whole presentation of a personality, rife with contradictions and complexities. BSB is more an auteurist work, with Will Sheff's songwriting brilliance and craft serving as my points of focus. If it was just about the craft (a recent obsession in my reviewing), I wouldn't be nearly so into it. It's a really moving character study, with some of the most beautiful and heart-wrenching lyrics I've heard in a long time.
Reviewing it, I had to keep stopping myself from saying things like "The best album since..." or "the most fully realized concept since..." Even though those statements would be (for once) true, I didn't want my review hindered by any sort of comparisons. It's not the next OK Computer; I want it to be the first Black Sheep Boy, even if it starts with a cover.
posted by Justin Cober-Lake | 9:11 AM
1 Comments:
I Saw the title,"Pick of the Month" so I thought I'd give you the name and web site of one of my favorite bands.Poker Face, www.pokerface.com . Poker Face is a unique rock & roll band made up of American patriots. Their music tells of the problems our country face's today. You can listen to samples of their music at their web site.
God Bless America, God Save The Republic.
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