Episode 1
Okkervil River – “Lost Coastlines”
What’s its deal, anyway?
If you decide to listen to this album in its entirety (which you absolutely should), you’ll quickly pick up that the songwriting is centered around the struggles that come with being a rock and roll band. “Lost Coastlines” in particular describes the stress of keeping the band together using the metaphor of a crew being sent out to sea only to discover that “nothing we’ve actually seen has been mapped or outlined.”
Additionally, as one of the only duets found on the album, let alone the band’s entire discography, this style further highlights the conflicts that occur between band members. Will Sheff, the frontman of Okkervil River, sings in a higher pitch and with more urgent run-on lyrics, while Jonathan Meiburg, from the band Shearwater, contrasts with a lower voice and leisurely repeats some of his lines. But this song is not woefully performed, and instead you get the sense that this is a struggle bands feel privileged to have because it’s probably a testament to their success, a sign they’ve been doing things right so far.
After the main verses, the song explodes into a sing-along. The inter-band conflict can’t be solved in a single song, so the band kind of goes, “Fuck it. Let’s just sing,” which I think should be included in everyone’s mantra.
How did you two meet?
In December of 2008 on a blisteringly cold (by California standards) night, I proudly presented my Borders gift card to the cashier and bought The Stand Ins for $12.99 plus tax. It was the first album I ever purchased.
For years I’ve immersed myself in the world of Okkervil River, so much so that I strongly associate periods of my life with each album that came out. To be quite honest, while I’ve spent hours listening and analyzing Sheff’s music, I never personally connected with many songs. Devouring a new Okkervil River album for me was always about listening to a story and trying to pull apart the symbolism and imagery with an almost academic mindset. I’ve treated the songs like books that you read over and over again, yet you pick up on something new every time. That’s how I fell in love.
It was only a few weeks ago that I truly felt like I was a part of an Okkervil River song: “Mary Had a Little Lamb” (lol jk “Lost Coastlines”). For eight years, I’ve listened to this song (I think my iTunes song count is hovering somewhere around 170) I’ve dissected its imagery, its melody, every wailing tone that Sheff belts out. But I couldn’t hear my own story. Now I hear it, at the ripe, old age of 20, taking a stab at this thing called life. I’ve realized that the older you get, the more often you’re being shipped off into a place with “lost coastlines”:
You have no clue who you’ll meet:
“Leaving behind all the faces that I might replace if I tried on that long ride”
Whether you’re going in the right direction:
“And see how that light you love now just won’t shine
There might just be another star
That’s high and far in some other sky”
Or even why you’re sailing in the first place:
“Ticket in my hand and thinking wish I didn’t hand it in.
‘Cause who said sailing is fine?”
People tell me all the time that I’ve got my stuff all figured out. I go to a good school, fill up my resume with nice-sounding experiences, while always presenting a calm demeanor. But, especially this past year, I usually felt like I was drowning. My exterior comes off as this Jonathan Meiburg-type singing nonchalantly about all the chaos happening around me. When all the papers, responsibilities, and deadlines continue to pile up around you, it’s easy to joke about the stress. But it’s that anxious, screaming Will Sheff voice that I felt within me, especially at night when there’s nothing but you and your thoughts.
But every day, I’m trying to make it to the end of that song. I’m trying to focus on understanding my own limitations, realize that I can’t control every facet of my life nor do I wish to, and enjoy this rock-and-roll ride while I can. Because at the end of the day, when there’s nothing you can do but fill your mind with hollow worrying, what else are you going to do other than toss your hands up in the air and exclaim, “Fuck it. Let’s just sing”?
In a tweet
“And every night finds us rocking and rolling on waves wild and wide
Well, we have lost our way, nobody’s gonna say it outright”
Trivia bonus points
This song was originally written to be about a train ride. A promotional video for the album contains different language. Can you imagine the frantic, last-minute lyrical changes there had to have been made for that flip? That’s Will Sheff for you.
