Okkervil River On Letterman: "Pop Lie"

This vid is actually a bit dated (from early January), but we saw it for the first time today, so we figured it was worth a mention. "Pop Lie" is everything that we like about Okkervil River: balls to the wall energy, unabashed screamy vocals, and a complete willingness to rock. While Will Sheff's lyricism is unquestionably solid, we have to admit that it can wear on us when it's rooted in dreary acoustic songs that seem to drag on longer than they should.

By contrast, when Sheff takes his lyrics and allows them to thrive within a solid rock framework, the combination is phenomenal. "Pop Lie", from last year's The Stand Ins is a perfect example. Take that, and combine it with Okkervil's fantastic live presence, and you get the video above. It's not easy to deliver on a late night show, some bands fail and some succeed. In this vid, Okkervil River nails it and then some, which is awesome to see. To be perfectly frank, The Stand Ins didn't have a lot of staying power for us, but after seeing this vid, we're going back for another listen.

mp3: Okkervil River - Pop Lie