The Stage Names (Bonus Track Version)

aoty

pitchfork

Musicians' lives don't naturally translate to compelling movies, but in the right hands, they can make for powerful albums. On Okkervil River's autobiographical fourth full-length-- their most emotionally devastating yet-- frontman Will Sheff masters both self-reflexivity and twisted confessionalism while his band ramps up to an unhinged aggressiveness that was only hinted at on previous releases.