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Album Details

• Artist: Okkervil River
• Album: Black Sheep Boy Appendix Ep
• Label: Jagjaguwar
• Year of Release: 2006
• ME Rating:
• Reviewed by: patchen on 2006-09-03

Will Sheff continues to amaze. Though this is not a sequel to the brilliant Black Sheep Boy of last year, nor is it a holding pattern, it does feel incomplete. While most of Sheff' throwaways would land on almost anyone else's records as key tracks, here there are surprising number of such songs. "Missing Children", and "Black Sheep Boy #4" shimmer and rock with the usual holiness; an inspired song by Okkervil River ought to be cause for a national holiday. After those, however, we start wavering. "A Forest" hovers between overwrought and genius; with : "No Key, No Plan", overwrought wins. Likewise, "Last Love Song for Now" has a ponderous, almost prog rock feel. This is a record that feels unsure, but that could be a good thing. Will Sheff is an artist with a capital ARTIST, and if he inching toward the next creative level, give him space to feel the new path. That some of these tunes slip into melodramatic, generic phrasing does not mean that he is taking the lazy way out. To me, even his mistakes are mighty.

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