| The Silver Gymnasium | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | September 3, 2013 | |||
| Genre | Indie rock, folk rock | |||
| Length | 49:04 | |||
| Label | ATO | |||
| Producer | John Agnello | |||
| Okkervil River chronology | ||||
| ||||
The Silver Gymnasium is the seventh album by American indie rock band Okkervil River, released on September 3, 2013. It is the band's first release after signing to ATO Records, and their first album not released through Jagjaguwar.
The Silver Gymnasium was first announced in June 2013, its name revealed letter-by-letter via the band's website. [1] The record is a concept album which takes place in lead-singer Will Sheff's home-town of Meriden, New Hampshire in 1986. Sheff conceived the album as a tribute to the spirit of pre-adolescence, meant to evoke the nostalgic feeling of, in his words "an action figure you found in the woods." [2] The album's title is taken from the Charles Lewis Silver Memorial Gymnasium found in Meriden's Kimball Union Academy, the boarding school that Sheff attended. [3]
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AnyDecentMusic? | 7.4/10 [4] |
| Metacritic | 78/100 [5] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [6] |
| Alternative Press | [7] |
| American Songwriter | [8] |
| The A.V. Club | B+ [9] |
| The Guardian | [10] |
| Mojo | [11] |
| NME | 7/10 [12] |
| Pitchfork | 6.8/10 [13] |
| Q | [14] |
| Uncut | 8/10 [15] |
The album has been given a Metacritic rating of 78 out of 100 based on 32 critics, indicating generally favorable reviews. [5] At Alternative Press , Chris Parker called the album "Often dark, but strangely triumphant." [7]
The album charted at No. 66 on Billboard 200, [16] and No. 7 on the Billboard Tastemaker album chart, [17] selling 5,800 copies in the first week. The album has sold 22,000 copies in the United States as of August 2016. [18]
All tracks are written by Will Sheff
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "It Was My Season" | 4:26 |
| 2. | "On a Balcony" | 3:04 |
| 3. | "Down Down the Deep River" | 6:32 |
| 4. | "Pink-slips" | 3:39 |
| 5. | "Lido Pier Suicide Car" | 5:31 |
| 6. | "Where the Spirit Left Us" | 3:47 |
| 7. | "White" | 3:06 |
| 8. | "Stay Young" | 4:19 |
| 9. | "Walking Without Frankie" | 5:00 |
| 10. | "All the Time Every Day" | 4:36 |
| 11. | "Black Nemo" | 4:58 |
| Chart (2013) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard 200 [19] | 66 |
| US Top Alternative Albums (Billboard) [20] | 15 |
| US Top Rock Albums (Billboard) [21] | 20 |
| US Top Tastemaker Albums (Billboard) [22] | 7 |
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.
Black Sheep Boy is the third studio album by American indie rock band Okkervil River, released on April 5, 2005. The title is inspired by the song "Black Sheep Boy" by 1960s folk singer Tim Hardin. The album deals with Hardin's struggle with heroin addiction and Okkervil River lead singer Will Sheff's failed relationships and heartbreaks. The album cover features the work of Providence artist William Schaff.
Will Robinson Sheff is the frontman for the Austin, Texas-based indie band Okkervil River (1998–present). Originally from Meriden, New Hampshire, he is also a founding member and co-songwriter for Shearwater (2001–2009), another Austin band. Sheff writes and performs many songs as a solo artist while juggling his commitments to Okkervil River and Shearwater, and has released one album as a solo artist. As well as writing and singing songs, he plays guitar, piano, banjo, and harmonica.
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.
Titus Andronicus is an American indie rock band formed in Glen Rock, New Jersey, in 2005. The band is composed of singer-lyricist-guitarist Patrick Stickles, guitarist Liam Betson, bassist R.J. Gordon, and drummer Chris Wilson. The group takes its name from the Shakespeare play Titus Andronicus, and has cited musical and stylistic influences such as Neutral Milk Hotel and Pulp.
The Stand Ins is the fifth full-length studio album by American indie rock band Okkervil River, released on September 9, 2008. The album is the second half of The Stage Names, a planned double album. The title comes from the term 'stand-in', a person who substitutes for the actor before filming for technical purposes. If the cover art for The Stage Names is placed above that of The Stand-Ins, a complete picture is formed. The album charted at #42 with 11,000 copies sold, according to the Billboard 200.
Personal Life is the fifth album from the Portland-based indie rock band The Thermals. The album was released on September 7, 2010, on Kill Rock Stars. It is the first to feature drummer Westin Glass, who joined after the completion of 2009's Now We Can See and remained with the band until their 2018 dissolution.
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.
A Very She & Him Christmas is the first Christmas album and the third studio album by the folk/indie rock band She & Him, consisting of actress and musician Zooey Deschanel and musician M. Ward. The album was released on October 24, 2011, and features several covers of classic holiday songs. The twelve-track album is distributed by Merge Records and proceeds from every album sold are being donated to 826 National, a nonprofit network of writing and tutoring centers.
Nothing Is Wrong is the second studio album by American folk-rock band Dawes, released on June 7, 2011. It is the only Dawes album to feature keyboard player Alex Casnoff.
Regions of Light and Sound of God is the debut solo album by My Morning Jacket frontman Jim James, first released on February 5, 2013.
Damage is the eighth studio album by American rock band Jimmy Eat World. It was released on June 11, 2013, through RCA and Exotic Location Recordings. As touring in support of Invented (2010) was winding down by late 2011, the band started writing new material in early 2012. The band spent September and October 2012 at producer Alain Johannes' house in Los Angeles, California recording their next album with analog tape and Pro Tools. Described as an adult breakup album, Damage is a power pop and rock album.
In a Warzone is the third album by the American punk rock/hip hop band Transplants. It was premiered as a stream on Rolling Stone's website on June 17, 2013 and released via Epitaph Records on June 25, 2013. Recording sessions took place at Opra Music Studios and The Boat in Los Angeles. Audio production of the record was entirely handled by the Transplants with Christopher Holmes. Rancid's Matt Freeman, Left Alone's Elvis Cortez, UGK's Bun B, Bored Stiff's Equipto, and Expensive Taste's Paul Wall made their appearances on the album as additional musicians and vocalists. The band supported the album by touring with Rancid.
Get Up! is an album by the American musicians Charlie Musselwhite and Ben Harper, their twenty-ninth and eleventh album, respectively. It was released in January 2013 under Stax Records. In 2019, the song "You Found Another Lover " was certified Gold by the RIAA.
Indie Cindy is the fifth studio album by the American alternative rock band the Pixies. Released in April 2014, it was the band's first album since 1991's Trompe le Monde, and the first Pixies album not to feature bass guitar player Kim Deal. Instead, bass guitar duties on the album are handled by Simon "Ding" Archer, a former member of the British post-punk band The Fall.
All a Man Should Do is the 9th studio album by the alt.country/rock group Lucero. It was recorded at Ardent Studios in Memphis, Tennessee, United States. It was released 18 September 2015 on ATO Records.
Away is the eighth studio album by American rock band Okkervil River, released on September 9, 2016. This album is the band's second release on ATO Records, following their previous studio album The Silver Gymnasium.
In the Rainbow Rain is the ninth studio album by American indie band Okkervil River. The album was released on ATO Records on April 27, 2018.
Uniform Distortion is the third studio album by American musician and lead vocalist of My Morning Jacket Jim James. It was released on June 29, 2018 under ATO Records.
A Dream in the Dark: Two Decades of Okkervil River Live is a live box set by American rock band Okkervil River. The box set was released by ATO Records on October 30, 2020, composed of 24 tracks. It was released electronically on 18 September 2020. Like other Okkervil River albums, the accompanying artwork is the work of artist William Schaff, and references several other Okkervil River album covers. The title refers to a line from "Unless It's Kicks".
