Okkervil River The Stage Names

3.5 stars out of 5 -- "Sheff's restless longing sends him careening from orchestral textures on 'Our Life Is Not a Movie or Maybe' to the pumping Motown beat of 'A Hand to Take Hold of the Scene'..."
"[T]he verses burst with writerly details. Yet thanks to the fuzzy folk-rock vibe, NAMES never feels like an undergrad lit class."
3 stars out of 5 -- "[With] guitar-driven noise cutting loose at weird tangents like Spoon or, at its inspired best, Bright Eyes."
4.5 stars out of 5 -- "THE STAGE NAMES encompasses a wide range of moods and styles -- from alt-country-tinged boot-tappers to jangly indie-pop -- but nothing seems out of place or misdirected."
Included in Alternative Press's '10 Essential Albums Of 2007' -- "THE STAGE NAMES proves Sheff & Co. are poised to break out big time..."
"[T]he Okkervil River frontman has quietly carved out a musical legacy marked by a craft and complexity that's increasingly Wilson-esque."
"Okkervil River goes the orchestral route here, loading its organic-sounding songs with stardusted pedal steel, springtime-in-Paris horn flourishes, and warm washes of country-gold organ."
4 stars out of 5 -- "[A] stirring, soaring, big-screen affair....There's a lot of Ray Davies -- his pessimism, poignancy and depth -- in Will Sheff's urban story-songs."