Okkervil River - "Stark Miami Mines" b/w "Satisfy You" 7"
September 23, 2002 by Jeff Marsh
Filed under Albums (and EPs)



Okkervil River
"Stark Miami Mines" b/w "Satisfy You" 7"
My favorite release yet from Austin, Texas’ Tight Spot Records, this split brings two somewhat like-minded Will’s to one release. South San Gabriel is the solo side project of Centro-Matic’s Will Johnson, playing equal parts Johnny Cash country-folk and Eric Bachman folk-inspired indie-rock. And Okkervil River is the fantastic band fronted by Will Robinson Sheff, which has flares of unique alt-country and indie-folk as well. Together, it’s like chocolate and peanut butter.
“Stark Miami Mines” is a relaxed, introspective narrative, riding soft acoustic strumming and keyboard background atmospherics, but the real focus here is Johnson’s Johnny Cash-style vocals, telling the story of this song. The song has an eerie feeling, perhaps due in part to it being recorded near an abandoned hospital in Texas. It seems the perfect setting for this tune that brings to mind cities going to ghost towns and people out of work. The song really shines on Johnson’s vocals, which feel sincere and honest in their sentiment.
You get more instrumentation on Okkervil River’s “Satisfy You.” Soft strings and beats help add to the acoustic strumming of the laid-back alt-country tune. Sheff’s vocals warble just a bit, bringing to mind the slight twang of the south, as sparse banjo notes pluck over the song. The song feels much more filled out than the South San Gabriel tune, as this is a full band, yet it still has the quiet sincerity of a singer/songwriter tune. At times heart-wrenching and soothing, at times more up-tempo and urgent, it’s a quality song.
I’ve been longing to hear more from Okkervil River since their stellar Don’t Fall in Love with Everyone You See on Jagjaguwar. Their style seems perfectly suited for South San Gabriel, which feels comfortably similar to Centro-Matic’s offerings while being much more of a singer/songwriter project. Great songwriting and strong instrumentation all around. A fine release for purveyors of the more folk-inspired indie music today.