Pitchfork: Okkervil River Drop Free Covers Mixtape, Add Gigs

Okkervil River Drop Free Covers Mixtape, Add Gigs
Tackle Serge Gainsbourg, John Cale, Joni Mitchell, Sandy Denny, the Fugs

Sometimes you love a song so much you just have to cover it, and sometimes you're pleased enough with the results to share them with the world. So it went for Will Sheff and his Okkervil River, who have pieced together a handful of choice live covers and readied them for your downloading pleasure, free of charge.

Golden Opportunities Mixtape is what they're calling it, and apart from one Okkervil original, the other eight tunes here come courtesy of folks like Serge Gainsbourg (translated to English by Sheff), John Cale, Joni Mitchell, Sandy Denny, the Fugs, and Jimmy Webb (by way of Nina Simone). All were recorded by Okkervil "at various radio stations, concerts, and empty hotel stairwells" in 2006 and 2007.

You can nab the whole thing right now-- complete with digital artwork, liner notes, and your choice of audio quality-- on Okkervil's website.

UPDATE: UH OH! LOOKS LIKE THE DEMAND FOR THIS OVERWHELMED OKKERVIL'S SERVER! DON'T WORRY. WE'VE GOT YOUR BACK. YOU CAN DOWNLOAD THE MIXTAPE HERE.

What's more, Sheff has made it known that he wants feedback. Golden is no random smattering of other people's songcraft; indeed, the collection boasts "loose thematic ties" to Okkervil's latest, The Stage Names. Perhaps you'd like to ask Mr. Sheff himself for more insight? Send questions to mixtape@okkervilriver.com and they just might be answered. Or inquire via the Okkervil message board, your call. Then swing over to the Okkervil website Friday (December 14) morning, where all will be revealed.

Finally, that tiny 2008 Okkervil jaunt we brought to your attention a little while back has since grown five-fold. Among the new stops are quite a few in Europe and a handful Down Under to coincide with the band's previously mentioned Laneway Festival appearances. Okkervil River live: hey, I'd watch it!

Golden Opportunities Mixtape (songwriters in parentheses):

01 April Anne (John Phillips)
02 Simon Smith and the Amazing Dancing Bear (Randy Newman)
03 I Want to Know (Charles F. Olsen/Ed Sanders)
04 Do What You Gotta Do (Jimmy Webb)
05 I Can Here to Say I'm Going Away (Serge Gainsbourg)
06 The Blonde in the Bleachers (Joni Mitchell)
07 Antarctica Starts Here (John Cale)
08 Listening to Otis Redding at Home During Christmas (Will Sheff)
09 Solo (Sandy Denny)

Live opportunities:

02-02 Belfast, Northern Ireland - Empire
02-03 Edinburgh, Scotland - Cabaret Voltaire
02-05 London, England - Scala
02-07 Leuven, Belgium - Stuk
02-08 Paris, France - La Maronquinerie
02-09 Amsterdam, Netherlands - Paradiso
02-10 Nijmegen, Netherlands - Doornroosje
02-23 Adelaide, Australia - Laneway Festival
02-24 Melbourne, Australia - Laneway Festival
02-26 Melbourne, Australia - Corner
02-27 Sydney, Australia - Manning Bar
02-29 Perth, Australia - Perth International Arts Festival
03-01 Brisbane, Australia - Laneway Festival
03-02 Sydney, Australia - Laneway Festival
03-04 Auckland, New Zealand - Kings Arms
03-05 Wellington, New Zealand - San Francisco Bath House