is receiving intense universal love right now, and everywhere.
is out in the US on November 25th.
, available tomorrow, was recorded entirely by Juana at her home outside Buenos Aires. It is essential.
one of the very best albums of this year.
):
):
Miss you, the things you do.
is a haunting search in the center of dark woods, a story of the lost looking for the lost.
was quietly released last month. If you don't have the hundred bucks to spend on the 6-disc treasure, individual singles and alternate mixes are available to pick and choose from on iTunes. 
Hats off to my distant hope
A little lie, a puff of smoke...
Okkervil River's follow-up to their critically rejoiced The Stage Names, is out today. The words are signature Will Sheff; he lives in the songs, and the songs exhale his tragic spirit. This one begins with his voice comfortably accompanied with piano and acoustic guitar, probably his tour favorite Martin D15.
But if you started the song at five minutes rather than at the beginning, at this song's soaring height, you'd be surprised if someone claimed this were from the new Okkervil River, with that searing guitar shredding and distorting the upper register. Will Sheff can make a song soar on his own, but the addition of Wrens' guitarist Charles Bissel takes some of the songs on The Stand-Ins to a whole new level. The band follows Blue Tulip with a sardonic upper/downer, a tough, devastating guitar/synth pop song about the artificiality of pop songs and/or pop stars. The Stage Names was my top album of 2007, and The Stand-Ins will occupy a position at the top of my 2008 list.
is out today on Decca/Velour. 
I, I can remember
(I remember)
Standing by the wall
(by the wall)
And the guns shot above our heads
(over our heads)
And we kissed, as though nothing could fall
(nothing could fall)
And the shame was on the other side
Oh we can beat them
for ever and ever
Then we could be heroes
just for one day
, reimaginings of some of his classics, will be out in sooner than a month. In the song below, his 'Gangsters' include Sly Stone and El Debarge. Yes, that El Debarge (is there another?). Other 'Gangsters' include Rza (true), Carlos Santana, Red Hot Chili Peppers, and some of the old P-Funk gang. 
now.
