Okkervil River — Black Sheep Boy

Just for the hell of it, Okkervil River take "Black Sheep Boy" — a song by minor '60s folkie Tim Hardin — cover it, then go a step further with a vaguely conceptual LP built around the mysterious titular character. The devilish young man, horned and hoofed, makes his way through 11 tracks of truly detailed storytelling that’s full of loneliness and murderous thoughts, but it’s pretty nonetheless. Trumpet and strings slot into place over the barroom country-filtered pop (think Royal City), with broken-heart warbling and endless, tumbling lyrics. Not quite as perfect as some of the previous Okkervil releases, but not far off.

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