Okkervil River [ tickets ]'s breakout album, 2005s "Black Sheep Boy," was a heartbreaker in the most epic and melodramatic sense of the word. Two years (and one EP) later, "Stage Names" finds leader Will Sheff and company opening things up conceptually, focusing more on the exterior of humanity than on the insular-drivan themes of "Black Sheep Boy."

Like "Black Sheep Boy," "Stage Names" continues to move the band's sound further away from the alt-country and folk tendencies of its early work, without sacrificing the immediacy that made those albums so special. In stark contrast to its 2005 predecessor's dark, lonely, self-titled opener, "Stage Names" begins with the raucous, upbeat "Our Life Is Not a Movie, Or Maybe," setting the stage for the rest of the LP. Emotive as ever, Sheff guides us through tales touching on everything form the life of a dead porn star ("Savannah Smiles") to sly Paul Simon references ("Plus Ones").

"Stage Names" is fun--or as fun as Okkervil River get without turning into another band entirely. As always, they make us believe every word, and even when we don't, they make us want to.

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