Search - Okkervil River :: Down the River of Golden Dreams

Best stomache ache you'll ever get

happy_bivouac | 03/27/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"We all know amazon reviews are the most biased opinions you can get anywhere - every cd is apparently the best one in the world. I'd say in recent years there have been a lot of 4.5 star cd's out there, excellent, worth listening to for months straight, but not quite deadly. This cd is absolutely deadly.. i'm not much for the nu folk scene, and wilco isnt my cup of tea.. but theres somethign undeniable here. Buy this album. If you have a soul, it will thank you."

Makes me think of the ocean on a foggy dawn

aloverofgreysilentdays | boston, ma | 06/09/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I must confess, it took me a few weeks to get into this album. I slowly waded into it - and waded is the right word, because this album, for me anyway, has a very distinct sea-influence, like the songs rose up from a foggy coastline - it's just thick with atmosphere, this album. The vocalist has a bit of a whiney sound sometime, but after repeated listen I really feel comfortable with his voice - he is passionate, and I prefer passion to stale vocals that don't take any risks. Acoustic guitar, mandolin, banjo, and organs abound - very nice instrumentation - the quicker tempo tracks are very very good - I love the last song with its mandolin flourishes and sing along ending - I think this album deserves to be heard - any Wilco or Decemberists fan would probably dig this sound - check it out! Enjoy!"

This album made me fall over with delight.

happy_bivouac | 10/04/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"To the dark melancholy of 'Don't Fall In Love...', Okkervil River's brand new offering 'Down The River of Golden Dreams' is a ray of sunshine. Well, dark sunshine. Sunshine behind a cloud... with rain. 'Down the River of Golden Dreams' is that sunshine between rain, then. With lovely wind noises.
Decidedly more up-beat, this album drops the predominantly mandolin and thrashed acoustic guitar of it's predecessor in favour of wurlitzer in a sleeker, more refined and mature sound- still irrevocably that 'Okkervil River' sound, with no small thanks to Sheff's bitter-sweet and immensely distinctive, soulful vocals.
It is a glorious anthology of short stories, each one memorable, meaningful and double-edged- that is, an occasionally rusty, serrated edge- so if manufactured pop is your haunt- you have been warned.
Approach this with an open mind and you will be rewarded, enlightened and uplifted, for 'tis a beautiful creation, but fragile; so tip-toe towards it, lest it shatters."