2008 studio album by Okkervil River
The Stand Ins
is the fifth full-length studio album by American
indie rock
band
Okkervil River
, released on September 9, 2008.
[3]
The album is the second half of
The Stage Names
, a planned double album. The title comes from the term '
stand-in
', a person who substitutes for the actor before filming for technical purposes.
If the
cover art
for
The Stage Names
is placed above that of
The Stand-Ins
, a complete picture is formed.
[3]
The album charted at #42 with 11,000 copies sold, according to the
Billboard
200
.
[4]
Shearwater
's
Jonathan Meiburg
and guitarist Charles Bissell of
The Wrens
contributed to the album.
[3]
Overview
[
edit
]
Conceived as a companion piece to
The Stage Names
,
The Stand Ins
continued the band's preoccupation with pop culture, celebrity suicide, and life as a musician. The track "Lost Coastlines", which features a duet with
Shearwater
's
Jonathan Meiburg
, deals with trying to keep the band together despite the band's constant touring.
[5]
"Starry Stairs" depicts the life and suicide of porn star
Shannon Wilsey
.
[6]
The final track on
The Stand Ins,
"Bruce Wayne Campbell Interviewed on the Roof of the Chelsea Hotel, 1979," details the career and disillusionment of glam rock musician Bruce Wayne Campbell (better known as
Jobriath
).
[6]
[7]
Reception
[
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]
The Stand Ins
has received positive reviews. The album currently has a score of 78 out of 100 on the review aggregate site
Metacritic
, indicating "generally favorable reviews".
[15]
PopMatters
' Joseph Carver praised the album's narrative, writing "Once again, a record made up of relatively unlikeable characters becomes a fixture in your psyche thanks to
Will Sheff
's ability to find the humanity in their stories."
[5]
Pitchfork Media
also praised the album's lyrics, with reviewer
Stephen Deusner
calling Sheff "...one of the best lyric-writers going in indie rock." Deusner continued: "Song for song, he can jerk a tear with a carefully observed detail or turn of phrase... but it's the way those songs talk to one another that makes Okkeril River albums so durable and fascinating."
[12]
In a less positive review, Melanie Haupt of
The Austin Chronicle
criticized the album for being unpolished and unfocused, writing "
The Stand Ins
doesn't really figure out what it wants to be until its second half."
[16]
In another mixed review,
Magnet
's Chris Barton also criticized the album for being unfocused, writing "Okkervil River can deliver terrific songs when ambitions are kept in balance, but this uneven record is in dire need of an editor."
[17]
Track list
[
edit
]
All tracks are written by
Will Sheff
Title
|
---|
1.
| "Stand Ins, One"
| 0:47
|
---|
2.
| "Lost Coastlines"
| 5:31
|
---|
3.
| "Singer Songwriter"
| 3:49
|
---|
4.
| "Starry Stairs"
| 4:01
|
---|
5.
| "Blue Tulip"
| 6:18
|
---|
6.
| "Stand Ins, Two"
| 0:31
|
---|
7.
| "Pop Lie"
| 3:12
|
---|
8.
| "On Tour with Zykos"
| 4:54
|
---|
9.
| "Calling and Not Calling My Ex"
| 4:21
|
---|
10.
| "Stand Ins, Three"
| 0:54
|
---|
11.
| "
Bruce Wayne Campbell
Interviewed on the Roof of the
Chelsea Hotel
, 1979"
| 5:54
|
---|
Personnel
[
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]
The following people contributed to
The Stand Ins
:
[1]
- Okkervil River
- Will Sheff
? Casio, composer, acoustic, electric and rhythm guitar, keyboards, photography, vocals
- Charles Bissell ? electric guitar
- Scott Brackett ? audio engineer, cornet, editing, engineer, Hammond B3, Mellotron, Hammond organ, percussion, synthesizer, vocals
- Brian Cassidy ? arranger, electric guitar, mandolin, pedal steel, string arrangements, vocals
- Jonathan Meiburg
? banjo, piano, vocals, Wurlitzer
- Justin Sherburn ? carillon, Hammond B3, Mellotron, piano, vocals
- Travis Nelsen ? claves, clavinet, drums, maracas, sleigh bells, tambourine, vocals
- Patrick Pestorius ? bass, melodica, vocals
- Zachary Thomas ? mandolin
- Technical personnel
- Brian Beattie ? audio production, engineer, electric guitar, Mellotron, percussion, producer, synthesizer
- Felix Beattie ? audio engineer
- Brad Bell ? audio engineer, engineer
- Roger Seibe; ? mastering
- Stuart Sullivan ? audio engineer, engineer
- Paul Mahern ? audio engineer, engineer
|
- Additional musicians
- Caitlin Bailey ? cello
- Mike Hoffer ? trombone, trumpet
- Scott Jackson ? violin
- David Lobel ? alto and baritone saxophone
- Katie Nott ? viola
- Kathleen Pittman ? violin
- Sarah Pizzichemi ? violin
- Francesca Smith ? French horn
- Will Thothong ? viola
- Tammy Vo ? violin
- Additional personnel
|
Charts
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
a
b
The Stand Ins - Credits
.
Allmusic
. Retrieved 20 June 2011
- ^
Jagjaguwar press release
- ^
a
b
c
Okkervil River Reveal Full Details of The Stand Ins
Archived
2008-06-01 at the
Wayback Machine
(Pitchfork Media)
- ^
"Metallica Scores Fifth Straight No. 1 Album"
.
Billboard
. 2008-09-17.
- ^
a
b
c
Carver, Joseph (September 8, 2008).
"Okkervil River: The Stand Ins"
.
PopMatters
. Archived from
the original
on September 9, 2008
. Retrieved
July 11,
2020
.
- ^
a
b
Howe, Sean.
The Stand Ins Review
.
Entertainment Weekly
. 16 September 2008. Retrieved 20 June 2011
- ^
Monger, James.
The Stand Ins - Okkervil River
.
Allmusic
. Retrieved 20 June 2011
- ^
"Reviews for The Stand Ins by Okkervil River"
.
Metacritic
. Retrieved
2016-09-09
.
- ^
The Stand Ins
at
AllMusic
- ^
"Drowned in Sound review"
. Archived from
the original
on 2010-02-15
. Retrieved
2009-09-15
.
- ^
Entertainment Weekly review
- ^
a
b
Deusner, Stephen M. (September 8, 2008).
"Okkervil River: The Stand Ins Album Review"
.
Pitchfork
. Retrieved
July 11,
2020
.
- ^
Robert Christgau review
- ^
Rolling Stone review
- ^
Critic Reviews for The Stand Ins
.
Metacritic
. Retrieved 20 June 2011
- ^
Haupt, Melanie.
ACL Fest Sunday Reviews: Okkervil River
.
The Austin Chronicle
.
- ^
Barton, Chris.
OKKERVIL RIVER: The Stand Ins
.
Magnet
. 9 September 2008. Retrieved 20 June 2011
- ^
"Norwegiancharts.com ? Okkervil River ? The Stand Ins"
. Hung Medien.
- ^
"Swedishcharts.com ? Okkervil River ? The Stand Ins"
. Hung Medien.
- ^
"Okkervil River Chart History (
Billboard
200)"
.
Billboard
.
- ^
"Okkervil River Chart History (Independent Albums)"
.
Billboard
.
- ^
"Okkervil River Chart History (Top Alternative Albums)"
.
Billboard
.
- ^
"Okkervil River Chart History (Top Rock Albums)"
.
Billboard
.
- ^
"Okkervil River Chart History (Top Tastemaker Albums)"
.
Billboard
.
External links
[
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]
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Studio albums
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EPs
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Live albums
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Split albums
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Other albums
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Singles
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Related bands
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