In a way, the entire career of Texan Will Sheff, the absolute soul of OKKERVIL RIVER, and the fact that he’s still here after nearly thirty years can be summed up in the song “Unless It’s Kicks” from their album The Stage Names (Jagjaguwar, 2007). In this song, Sheff justifies all the struggles of being an independent musician in exchange for that moment when, after seven days of euphoria, “that heavenly song strikes through my mind and hums through my blood.” He does this by writing one of those songs you return to from time to time, no matter how many years pass or how much the world changes, because its emotion and honesty remain intact. Just for this song, the whole career is worth it. But fortunately, throughout the ten albums released, Sheff and OKKERVIL RIVER have repeated it several more times.
Aleix Ibars
Journalist