Okkervil River

I’ve always had a good ear for music and assume I’d be a great talent scout – a.k.a. soulless purveyor of radio-friendly chord progressions and instigator/abuser of short-lived trends. Every once in a while a song immediately clicks not just because it’s catchy, but because it is legitimately good. In a documentary on the Grateful Dead album “American Beauty”, one band member chalked up the intense reactions many people had to it to “ancestral memory.” You don’t have to be a filthy hippy to have had the experience of rhythm, beats, and cadence combining in an “I swear I’ve heard this before, even though I know I haven’t” way.

That was my experience in hearing Okkervil River for the first time. They’ve written a few songs that everybody should like, but the general response from people I’ve sent tracks or YouTube links to has been less than stellar. Screw you all and watch this music video until you like it . . .