Okkervil River - A Hand to Take Hold of the Scene

Love that is innocent, of that old cynical, covetous, cancerous vibe

And a beauty that annihilates all life

Okkervil River sounds like a melting pot of all your favourite indie bands, which makes them both great and trite. But with five albums under their belt, I suppose they deserve some cred for being more than some cheap knock-off. After moving to Austin, Texas, original band members Will Sheff (vocals/guitar) and Seth Warren (drums) decided to expand their band and released their first EP in '98. Their first three LPs helped solidify their presence in Texas, but it wasn't until the release of their fourth album in 2005 that they began to build one in the rest of the States. You can read their story on their website.

"A Hand to Take Hold of the Scene" is from their fourth album released last year--The Stage Names. The lyrics, something the band is praised for, are rather pessimistic, but the song has a lot going on in it and is rather upbeat compared to some of the other songs on this album.

Favourite Part: When Sheff says "... after fucking around countless nights." I don't quite know why, but I love when non-rappers occassionally cuss in their songs.

Similar to Radiohead's last tour, Okkervil River has set a goal to reduce their carbon footprint during the US tour. They hope to achieve this by partnering with local groups that advocate biking and carpooling. Pretty rad.

Speaking of rad: I'm going to try to embed a player like this from now so you no longer have to click outside of this blog to hear the track.

A Hand To Take Hold Of The Scene - Okkervil River