Okkervil River is an American rock band led by singer-songwriter Will Sheff. Formed in Austin, Texas, in 1998, the band takes its name from a short story by Russian author Tatyana Tolstaya set on the river Okkervil in Saint Petersburg. They began as a trio made up of Sheff and friends he had met in his native state of New Hampshire but, over time, have gone through many lineups.
Waiting for My Rocket to Come is the debut studio album by the American singer-songwriter Jason Mraz, released on October 15, 2002, by Elektra Records. It was his only studio release on that label before he moved to Atlantic Records. By December 2003, the album had sold 500,000 copies, prompting Entertainment Weekly to dub Mraz "The winner of 2003’s sensitive singer-songwriter sweepstakes". The album's commercial success occurred partly because of its successful Top 40 single "The Remedy ", as well as Mraz's energetic live performances and extensive self-promotion.
Frengers, alternatively titled as Frengers: Not Quite Friends, But Not Quite Strangers, is the third studio album by Danish alternative rock band Mew. It was released on 7 April 2003. The title is a portmanteau of the words "friend" and "stranger". A frenger is a person who is "not quite a friend but not quite a stranger" according to the album's accompanying booklet.
The Trouble with Being Myself is the third studio album by American singer and songwriter Macy Gray, released on April 28, 2003, by Epic Records. The album peaked at number 44 on the Billboard 200, and by February 2007, it had sold 134,000 copies in the United States. Despite not being a major commercial success, The Trouble with Being Myself received mostly positive reviews. The album spawned the single "When I See You".
The Stage Names is the fourth full-length studio album by American indie rock band Okkervil River, released on August 7, 2007. The album was recorded in Austin, Texas, with longtime Okkervil producer Brian Beattie, and with mixing from Spoon drummer and producer Jim Eno. Like other Okkervil River albums, the accompanying artwork is the work of artist William Schaff. The cover refers to a line from "Unless It's Kicks". The record was also released as a limited-edition 2-CD set that included a second disc of solo acoustic demos. A newly recorded version of "Love to a Monster", which appeared in rough demo form on the band's tour EP, Overboard and Down, was originally intended to appear on the album, but didn't make it on, and appears as a bonus track when the album is purchased through eMusic. "Shannon Wilsey on the Starry Stairs", described by lead singer and songwriter Will Sheff as "kind of a sequel to 'Savannah Smiles' and kind of a sister song to "John Allyn Smith Sails'", is included as a bonus track when the album is purchased through iTunes.
True Love Cast Out All Evil is a 2010 album by Roky Erickson, his first album of new material in 14 years. Produced by Okkervil River's Will Sheff, the album also features the members of Okkervil River on most songs as Erickson's backing band. The album also includes field recordings of songs from Erickson's time in a Texas insane asylum. It was released by ANTI- in America and by Chemikal Underground in Europe.
I Am Very Far is the sixth album by Okkervil River, released on May 10, 2011. It was produced primarily in Austin, Connecticut and Brooklyn by lead singer Will Sheff with John Congleton and Phil Palazzolo.
The Desired Effect is the second studio album by American singer-songwriter and The Killers frontman Brandon Flowers. It was released on May 15, 2015, by Island Records. It was produced by Ariel Rechtshaid and Flowers and mixed by Alan Moulder. The album debuted at number one on the UK Albums Chart, becoming Flowers' second solo number-one album and sixth overall.
Beautiful Broken is the sixteenth studio album by American rock band Heart, released on July 8, 2016, by Concord Records. Aside from two new songs, the album consists mostly of re-interpretations of songs from the band's earlier albums.
Sacred Hearts Club is the third studio album by American indie pop band Foster the People, released on July 21, 2017, through Columbia Records. The album was preceded by the extended play III, which is composed of three tracks from the album. Departing from the organic, acoustic sound of their previous 2014 album, it draws upon soul, dance, and electronic genres while maintaining their signature indie pop sound. The lyrics address themes of love, politics, fame, and youth, and, similar to their previous albums, are often at odds with the upbeat musical production. This is the band's first studio album to feature long-time touring musicians Isom Innis and Sean Cimino as official members, and their final album to feature drummer Mark Pontius before his departure in October 2021.
Only Human is the debut studio album by English singer-songwriter Calum Scott, released on 9 March 2018 through Capitol Records. The album was re-released in November 2018 as the "special edition" featuring four additional tracks.
Staying at Tamara's is the second studio album by English singer-songwriter George Ezra. It was released on 23 March 2018. The album reached number one in the UK as well as the top ten of several other countries including Australia and New Zealand. The album includes the singles "Paradise" and "Shotgun", which peaked at number two and number one on the UK Singles Chart, respectively.
Big Red Machine is the debut studio album by American musicians Aaron Dessner and Justin Vernon as Big Red Machine. Dessner is most famous for being a founding member, instrumentalist, songwriter, and producer for The National, and Vernon for being the founding member and frontman of Bon Iver. The majority of the album was recorded in Dessner's shed studio in the Hudson Valley.
Late Night Feelings is the fifth studio album by English and American producer Mark Ronson. It was released on 21 June 2019. It is his first album in four years, following Uptown Special (2015). Its lead single, "Nothing Breaks Like a Heart" featuring Miley Cyrus, was released on 29 November 2018. The title track "Late Night Feelings", featuring Lykke Li, was released alongside the album pre-order on 12 April. "Don't Leave Me Lonely" was released on 17 May 2019 as the album's third single. "Find U Again" featuring Camila Cabello was released on 30 May 2019 as the fourth single. "Pieces of Us" featuring King Princess was released on 17 June 2019 as the album's fifth single.
III is the third studio album by American singer and songwriter Banks, released on July 12, 2019, by Harvest Records. It was preceded by the release of three singles, "Gimme", "Look What You're Doing to Me", and "Contaminated". The album peaked at number 21 on the Billboard 200.
I Am Not a Dog on a Chain is the thirteenth solo studio album by Morrissey, released through BMG on 20 March 2020. It is Morrissey's first album of original material since 2017's Low in High School. It was produced by Joe Chiccarelli, and lead single "Bobby, Don't You Think They Know?" features vocals from Thelma Houston.
Song Machine, Season One: Strange Timez is the seventh studio album by British virtual band Gorillaz, released on 23 October 2020 via Parlophone and Warner Records. The album was released as the culmination of Gorillaz' Song Machine project, a web series consisting of a collection of singles and music videos, dubbed "episodes" each featuring different guest artists. The album marked the return of the character Murdoc Niccals in promotional material, after his absence from The Now Now in 2018. The record received positive reviews from music critics. Slowthai, Slaves, Fatoumata Diawara, Peter Hook, Georgia, Octavian, ScHoolboy Q, Robert Smith, Elton John, 6lack, Beck, Leee John, St. Vincent, Kano, and Roxani Arias, among others, appears as the collaborators on the album.
Life, and Another is the sixth record by the avant-pop musician Erin Birgy, under the moniker of Mega Bog. It was released by Paradise of Bachelors in July 2021. The record is produced by Birgy and James Krivchenia, the drummer for folk rock quartet Big Thief.
Surrender is the second studio album by American indie pop singer-songwriter Maggie Rogers, released on July 29, 2022, by Debay Sounds and Capitol Records. It follows the release of her debut studio album, Heard It in a Past Life (2019).
Sonder is the second studio album by Irish singer-songwriter Dermot Kennedy, released on 18 November 2022 through Riggins Recording, Interscope Records and Island Records. Originally scheduled to be released on 23 September 2022, its release was delayed twice: first to 4 November, then 18 November, with the latter due to the UK postal strike. The album was preceded by the singles "Better Days", "Something to Someone" and "Kiss Me", with "Innocence and Sadness" and "Dreamer" also released prior to the album. Kennedy will tour Europe, the UK and North America in 2023 in support of the record.
