Okkervil River – Golden Opportunities 2
Golden Opportunities 2 was offered the Monday after Thanksgiving by the folk band Okkervil River via their site. It has been released as a X-mas “gift” for Okkervil River fans. This is the second mixtape they have released in the past four years, the first, Golden Opportunities, was comprised of nine songs, out of which only one was an original Sheff and the rest covers.
GO2 gifts us with five songs; all covers, ranging from a traditional folk song to Ted Lucas. This is the first time I’ve listened to these songs and because it’s OR covering them, you know the quality will be respectable, even if some of the songs do not bring out the best in OR–makes me wonder why they’d choose such tracks.
The first song, “It Is So Nice To Get Stoned,” comes from Ted Lucas, released in ’75. The lyrics are quite simple and repetitive, unlike what OR is known for. The melody takes the same path, paralleling the inherent mellowness found in Sheff’s voice, causing not only to find the song soothing, but persuasive enough to make you want to get stoned to ride out the gentle warmth the song exudes. And although it isn’t as lyrically interesting as a Sheff original, this pick makes sense. OR alludes to getting stoned in their songs all the time and when on stage they sometimes look as if they were stoned and/or drunk–just Sheff and the drummer, for the most part.
“It Is So Nice To Get Stoned” takes you through a relaxed, pensive state of mind that comes to an end when the more cheerful “U.F.O.” comes to life. It’s as if the previous state of mind is a transition preempting the active world that “U.F.O.” exposes. The song runs more as a pop single injected with Sheff’s mellowness. It’s reminiscent of OR’s lyrical capabilities; filled with a narrative describing a journey that has a character leave his hometown to attend a show. This was released in ’69 by psychedelic folkster Jim Sullivan.
In this track, “One Soul Less On Your Fiery List,” by the Triffids, the narrator comes back home in a mellow, nostalgic melody. He/she sees firsthand his/her hometown burning. Between the chorus where Sheff sings “flames grow higher, higher,” the song’s title is interjected to either signify the death of the narrator, or the death of the narrator’s history as his/her hometown burns to ashes.
The fourth song,”Plan D,” by Bill Fay (’71) has an apocalyptic feel to it–just in regards to the lyrics; the music is upbeat, almost too cheerful. The end of the world coming, God opening the gates to heaven to all reverent religious folk. Or maybe it’s just alluding to the Lord of the Rings when Gandalf the Grey slays the dragon and saves the day. Maybe Fay also had a thing for LOTR like Led Zeppelin.
The fifth and last song is the traditional American folk song, “Dry Bones.” It’s filled with religious allegories, from Moses to Adam and Eve. This is definitely my favorite song, in part because the banjo produces a child-like playfulness and innocence.
Now, why’d OR choose these songs? The “general” theme behind this mixtape regards several aspects of religion, religious imagery, or religious folklore. Each song contains allusions to heaven, religious people (priests, saints, etc), cathedrals, or hell. Once you pay attention to the lyrics, it’s all there. Do you agree? This is the general feel, I mean, I’m pretty sure all songs also point to a journey where the stoner seeks truth, redemption and finally finds Death. What do you think?
