Albums to watch

Away

Okkervil River

Away

Eighth studio album from Will Sheff's alt/folk rock project, written in the wake of the death of his grandfather, and recorded with guests including Marissa Nadler and Jonathan Meiburg

ADM rating[?]

7.6

Label
ATO
UK Release date
09/09/2016
US Release date
09/09/2016
  1. 9.0 |   Uncut

    Decoratively subdued
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  2. 8.5 |   The Line Of Best Fit

    No other band could tackle such weighty topics in a way that never feels heavy-handed or mawkish
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  3. 8.5 |   Under The Radar

    A tidal wave of grief and the wide-eyed wonderment of being alive, as poignant as anything Nick Drake ever penned, rife with resigned dignity
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  4. 8.5 |   Beardfood

    Instead of conventional structures, Sheff prefers exploring one melody throughout a song, and when it works, it’s mesmerizing
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  5. 8.3 |   Consequence Of Sound

    A tremendous achievement that captures sentiments of loss, isolation, and searching for a belonging
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  6. 8.2 |   Earbuddy

    The ever-probing Will Sheff embarks on a new "phase" of Okkervil River, but not without delivering a splendid folk-rock album
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  7. 8.0 |   musicOMH

    It feels like a Sheff solo album in all but name, yet the change in approach has breathed new life into his work and helped him deliver an album that is both impressively bold in scope and magically intimate
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  8. 8.0 |   The Music

    It is the closest we've ever gotten to the true Will Sheff.
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  9. 8.0 |   Spectrum Culture

    Self-therapy is a fairly accurate lens through which to view Away. Sheff seems to use these nine songs as a way to purge his mind of sadness, feelings of inadequacy and existential anxieties
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  10. 8.0 |   The Independent

    “Frontman In Heaven” is one of several which both mourn and resurrect the idiocies and potent faith of the rock’n’roll age
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  11. 8.0 |   State

    The lively nature of the songs and their delivery makes further listening easy
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  12. 8.0 |   American Songwriter

    This isn’t an album about death — it’s about finding new life
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  13. 8.0 |   PopMatters

    Okkervil River is now firmly understood as what it always was: a collective of talented musicians sharing, for however long or briefly, in the vision of Will Sheff
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  14. 7.0 |   Loud And Quiet

    Though presented as a clean slate, the record’s nine tracks are a great musical compendium of everything Okkervil River have been in their career
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  15. 7.0 |   Pitchfork

    It contains the thrill of listening to a person take risks
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  16. 6.0 |   Slant Magazine

    Away therefore stands as the dark flipside to the warm but complicated nostalgia of 2013’s The Silver Gymnasium
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  17. 6.0 |   Exclaim

    Sheff's lyrics, while typically verbose but economic, are more rambling here, but it's refreshing to hearing him cut loose
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  18. 6.0 |   The Guardian

    A fragmented, frustrated mindset has contributed to a sprawling, inconsistent album with brief flourishes of verdant beauty
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  19. 6.0 |   Mojo

    From the ashes of his old life, Sheff has carved out a new and very bright future for himself. Print edition only


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Okkervil River: Away

  • Download full album for just £8.49
  • 1. Okkervil River R.I.P. £0.99
  • 2. Call Yourself Renee £0.99
  • 3. The Industry £0.99
  • 4. Comes Indiana Through the Smoke £0.99
  • 5. Judey on a Street £0.99
  • 6. She Would Look for Me £0.99
  • 7. Mary on a Wave £0.99
  • 8. Frontman in Heaven £0.99
  • 9. Days Spent Floating (In the Halfbetween) £0.99
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