It’s neither an exaggeration nor news to say 2016 had its far share of surprises, sadly most of them depressing (still RIP, Thin White Duke) with arguably the biggest being Donald Trump’s ascendancy to the White House.
It was, and has, been a good source of material for American songwriters though, Will Sheff being the latest in an increasingly long line: “If December 2016 was good for anything, it was for writing songs.”
It would be misleading to say that the dawn of the Celebrity President as reality (no pun intended) rather than concept forms the entire basis of Okkervil River’s new album, as it more pervades the mood with lyrics generally dealing with relationships and their deterioration or adjustment. Lovers, brothers, parents, friends are all subjects of the album’s many paeans.
Sometimes it can be come across as slightly trite; ‘if you wanna love somebody, you gotta lose some pride’ from Love Somebody is a bit on the nose, and album centre-piece Don’t Move Back To LA is as desperate as it sounds, Sheff offering insights and advice to his New York-based friends, addled with the fear of being left alone. Fortunately, both are interesting enough musically to distract from this, even if the sentiment is too cloying.
Album opener and highlight Famous Tracheotomies certainly doesn’t signpost the way; as literal as a song title can be, Sheff compares his treatment as a toddler against a list of famous people including Dylan Thomas, Caitlin Thomas and Ray Davies with a tribute/steal to the latter’s masterpiece Waterloo Sunset forming the outro. It doesn’t pull any punches lyrically, providing graphic detail about the procedure itself, yet the sweet melody compels.
At some point along the way of touring Away, the live additions to the band became full time members, eventually replacing the original line-up. Now consisting of Benjamin Lazar Davis (guitar), Will Graefe (guitar), Sarah Pedinotti (keys) and Cully Symington (percussion), the band have that Arcade Fire ability to convey joy without all the pomp and drama. No two songs sound the same, as External Actor plays out a jaunty rhythm while Family Song drifts away in a melancholy and reflective saxophone solo.
While Away utilised classical and almost jazz arrangements in its song structures, In The Rainbow Rain plays it much safer, rarely deviating from the comfort zone that the middle of the road reassuringly offers, but as such the next emotional uplift is rarely far away.
The constant awareness of depression and trauma hangs over the album, as it does in real life, but is never all consuming. The overall message is that life is still rubbish, but not as bad as it could be, so try and make the most of it and enjoy if possible.
In light of the recent tragic events of Frightened Rabbit’s Scott Hutchison, it’s an important reminder not to take people at face value and to look beyond the smile.
