Thanks to Stereogum for this new Okkervil River tune. If you’re not familiar with OR, I suggest you run out and grab Black Sheep Boy as soon as your funds allow. I’m of the opinion that “For Real” is one of the best songs to have been writen in the new millenium, and Will of Okkervil River is a hair away from deserving to be declared a national treasure.
MP3: Okkervil River - The Presidents Dead
Will Sheff has unknowningly stumbled upon one of my favorite types of song composition: take an event, place or person and somehow turn that introspectively into a way to explain yourself. Bishop Allen does it quite frequently (check “This Fire”), but nothing quite like this. “The President’s Dead” starts off by presenting some “hypothetical fiction” about the President’s death. But from here, it takes two great turns. The first is the one I already mentioned; Will uses the “where were you when…?” question to launch himself into a bit of personal reflection. And then, just when you think you’ve figured out the pace of the whole song, Will’s voice soars to proclaim the President’s death just as the full band kicks in. It’s amazing that you can be so entranced by a song–so completely wrapped up in it, that you don’t even notice it’s just one guy and a guitar. He repeatedly explains the shock that shots through your body, and that provides a perfect time for the band to echo a similar shot. It’s an added kick that sends the song from ‘interesting’ into ‘noteworthy.’
