Okkervil River and The Fountain

Take 1 part The Killers, 1 part The Arcade Fire, and then throw in The Shins for good measure. What do you get? Okkervil River, the band that I was fortunate enough to discover this week. Now, to be fair, they've been an established indie band for awhile now, I was just trying to describe them with my past experience.

Okkervil River is an incredibly amazing quintet combining the best of folk, blues, alt. country, and bluegrass. I really cannot get enough of them, and it saddens me that I've not discovered them till now. By the way, they record on the awesome Indiana label Jagjaguwar, one of my faves because of their labelmates Sunset Rubdown.

Enjoy the tracks... "Our Life Is Not A Movie Or Maybe" is a newer track that is getting quite popular on the blog scene. They will be releasing an LP on August 7th, their 5th, entitled The Stage Names. I look forward to the release greatly. If you'd like to buy some of this band's top-notch music, click here. Trust me- you need this band.

Okkervil River-Our Life Is Not A Movie Or Maybe
Okkervil River-For Real

On the subject of bodies of water you absolutely have to experience... why don't you go rent The Fountain?




The Fountain is an amazing movie by "guerrilla director" Darren Aronofsky, the man behind Pi and Requiem for a Dream. If you feel like movies nowadays are just stupid little ways for you to not focus on anything for two hours in a dark room, this film will set you straight. Visually, it is a masterpiece, Hugh Jackman and Rachel Weisz are both amazing actors, and the theme- mortality and love- is consuming.

Of course, this is a music blog. So, naturally, the main reason I brought this up is because of how much I love the soundtrack. Clint Mansell works together with the Kronos Quartet and Mogwai to produce some really great songs, which I wholeheartedly recommend. If you like Mogwai, you'll like the soundtrack. Here, have a listen.

Clint Mansell (feat. Mogwai)-Stay With Me

On a side note, there's a really cool remix competition based on the score going on at www.thefountainremixed.com. If you're into that kind of thing, I suggest heading over there.

As I am leaving for Spain on Tuesday, and I have loads of packing and farewelling to do, this will probably be my last post till August. Mikey'll definitely be able to keep things under control on his own. Anticipate a lot more posting and album reviews from me upon my return. Take care, everyone.

65 Days Of Static

65 Days of Static is an experimental electonica post-rock instrumental band. A mouthful to be sure, but quite true. The UK band plays appropriatly staticky and gritty mix of driving guitar and pounding drums. The melody over all the happenings going on is distinctly catchy, sometimes a guitar and oftentimes a keyboard. The music moves at 100 miles an hour and immerses you in an all new world. I hear their live show is pretty sweet, which wouldn't surprise me, based on the type of music they play.

The guys recently released their third studio album, The Destruction of Small Ideas. The album is softer overall, with more piano and a little less electronica. "Don't Go Down To Sorrow" is a storybook song that utilizes both a very quiet piano melody part and an upbeat loud guitar-driven part. Check out their myspace. If you like the mp3s, buy some of their stuff. And, some songs.

65 Days of Static-Don't Go Down To Sorrow
65 Days of Static-Drove Through Ghosts To Get Here

Some Local Stuff

This Story

So, in case anyone didn't know, there is some damn good indie music here in the midwest. So, today, I thought I would talk about a few of the really good local bands there are. Let us start with This Story.

This Story makes their home in Muncie, Indiana and are probably one of my favorite artists overall. They have released one album, Darling It's War (buy) and have a sound that I would call what would happen if Bright Eyes and Sufjan Stevens had a jam session. I'm also a sucker for male/female harmonies, something that This Story employs all the time.

When the band plays live, they can barely fit on a stage, they have so many members. So, naturally, the music sounds busy. But oddly, This Story has found away to make it not too overwhelming. Colorful banjolin lines mix with chiming bells and jazzy trumpet mixes with bluesy guitar, but it all...fits. Once you listen, you will understand. By the way, these guys are amazing live. Oh, and here is their myspace.

This Story-Old Slave Hymnal
This Story-Mothers In Kitchens
This Story-Something Before Death

A surprising off-note is that each individual member of the band actually recorded their part seperately. I have no idea how they made it blend like they did.



Arrah And The Ferns is a Muncie three-piece that is derived from former This Story members. The brand brings a poppy mix of music that they hope will bring a smile to everyone's face. Although they have just three members, they often give off a sense of business just like This Story. They also employ the banjolin to juice up their songs. All three members can play many instruments. It is just a beautiful mix of indie folk that is hard to pass up. Check out their myspace.

Arrah and the Ferns-Science Books
Arrah and the Ferns-Problems



Margot and the Nuclear So So's is another large Indiana indie folk band. With nine members, the band composes what sometimes comes out as a light catchy pop sound and other times a more ambient kind of post-rock. The band employs traditional rock instruments (guitar, bass, drums, piano, etc.) along with violin and trumpet. The sound is noticably less busy than the two previous bands' sounds can be. They have one full length album out, The Dust of Retreat (buy.) I have never seen this band live, but intend to as soon as possible. Check out their myspace.

Margot and the Nuclear So So's-A Sea Chanty Of Sorts
Margot and the Nuclear So So's-Jen Is Bringing The Drugs
Margot and the Nuclear So So's-Quiet As A Mouse



I went to Wiux's Culture Shock a few weeks ago (which, by the way, was amazing.) I went in pumped to see Sunset Rubdown and Xiu Xiu. I came out dazed by the ridiculous talent I had seen that day from the math-rock group Maps and Atlases. Normally a four-piece, the Chicago act's fourth member, one of the guitarists, was still on the road when the band performed. And let me tell you, it didn't hurt them at all.

All three members had ridiculous talent, from the bass player who tapped half the time to the guitarist that shredded as fast as I have ever seen live while he was singing, to the drummer who was the backbone of the band, thumping out complex, pounding rhythms all show long. The songs are flurries of fantastically fast guitar parts mixed with some extremely unique vocals.

The band has released one album, Tree, Swallows, House (buy.) Check out their myspace.

Maps and Atlases-Everyplace is a House