The Stage Names is part one of a concept double album, released in 2007, it was on my top 10 list for that year and with the release of The Stand In's, I can now introduce you to the amazing Okkervil River. Lead singer Will Sheff is probably one of the most brilliant, but also one of the more pessimistic songwriters now. The Stage Names is thematic, a bunch of songs tied together by the threads of life in music and art. 

The album starts off fittingly enough, Sheff proclaims 'Our Life is Not a Movie or Maybe'. When the daily nuances of life are given drama, there are no cuts, no fade ins and no background music and also 'it's just a life story/so there's no climax'. The track itself follows the dramatic tension of a film, as the instruments ultimately cresendo into the climatic end.

There are fantastic arrangements on the album. The violins, mandolins and organs all come together well to carry Sheff's exceptionally honest vocals, he sings with utter conviction, bringing across sadness and apathy equally well. Listen out for the introspective 'A Girl in Port' and the fatalistic tale in the final track 'John Allyn Smith Sails'.

Sheff is apparently a musical geek as well, referencing several songs with numerically based titles in the cheekily named 'Plus Ones'. Along the way Okkervil River tackles rock N roll, porn stars, life on the road and a suicidal poet.  The Stage Names was an exciting release in 2007 and will still astound people who have yet to discover Okkervil River.

While The Stage Names might have been a soundtrack to a tragic biopic, The Stand In's is instead a rock musical, this time about the cruel fates of musicians. Kinda like a musical, orchestral interludes are placed between the tracks.

The first real track 'Lost Coastlines' starts off brilliantly and sets the tone for the rest of the album, Sheff duets with Jonathon Meiburg here. He uses sailing metaphors for life as a rock and roll band well, as he seeks direction for the band when Meiburg gets set to leave (to focus on his other band Shearwater). 

The themes of loss, hero worship and ultimate futility holds up well within the metaphors of musicians lives, "The Stand In's" also manages to complement "The Stage Names", play the albums back to back and you can see it fit seamlessly.

Elsewhere, a pop singer lies, a groupie gets dejected and a wealthy 'Singer Songwriter' can't change the world. Okkervil River still enjoy using a plethora of instruments here as well, such as the swing band behind 'Starry Stairs'. The Stand In's is also more accessible while still providing fans with enough references and subtle touches, tracks like 'Blue Tulips' and 'Calling and Not Calling My Ex' are more than satisfying. Sheff still questions the folly of the human condition, but the songs are alot more fun this time. 

There is obviously brilliant songwriting involved here and great thought along that goes with everything else. The album covers (stack them atop of each other to get a full picture), the musical elements and the themes. There are layers of meaning behind it all if you look hard enough. And here it becomes hard not to think of this as rock and roll Art.