The Silver Gymnasium

The Silver Gymnasium
Studio album by Okkervil River
Released September 3, 2013
Genre Indie rock, folk rock
Length 49:04
Label ATO
Producer John Agnello
Okkervil River chronology

I Am Very Far
(2011)		 The Silver Gymnasium
(2013)

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.

Overview

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 which Sheff attended.[3]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
Source Rating
Metacritic 78/100[4]
Review scores
Source Rating
PopMatters 10/10[5]
Allmusic [6]
Alternative Press [7]
Consequence of Sound [8]
Slant Magazine [9]
Pitchfork [10]

At Alternative Press, Chris Parker called the album "Often dark, but strangely triumphant."[7] The album charted at No. 7 on the Billboard 200, the band's highest charting album to date[11]

Track listing

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

Bonus tracks

Charts

Chart (2013) Peak
position
US Billboard 200[12] 66
US Top Alternative Albums (Billboard)[13] 15
US Top Rock Albums (Billboard)[14] 20
US Top Tastemaker Albums (Billboard)[15] 7

References

  1. ↑ "ATO Records". atorecords.com. 2013-06-20.
  2. ↑ "ATO Records". atorecords.com. 2013-07-01.
  3. ↑ "Kimball Union Academy". www.kua.org.
  4. ↑ "Metacritic Review". Metacritic.com. Retrieved 2013-09-06.
  5. ↑ Smith, Robin (2013-09-04). "PopMatters Review". PopMatters.com. Retrieved 2013-09-06.
  6. ↑ Monger, James Christopher. "The Silver Gymnasium - Okkervil River - Songs, Albums, Credits, Awards - AllMusic". Alllmusic. Retrieved September 1, 2013.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Parker, Chris (2013). "Okkervil River – The Silver Gymnasium". Alternative Press (Alternative Press Magazine, Inc.). October 2013 (303): 92. ISSN 1065-1667. Retrieved August 30, 2013.
  8. ↑ Caffrey, Danl (Sep 3, 2013). "Album Review: Lilver Gymnasium-Okkervil River". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved Sep 3, 2013.
  9. ↑ "Slant review".
  10. ↑ "Pitchfork review".
  11. ↑ "Billboard 200".
  12. ↑ "Okkervil River Album & Song Chart History" Billboard 200 for Okkervil River.
  13. ↑ "Okkervil River Album & Song Chart History" Billboard Top Alternative Albums for Okkervil River.
  14. ↑ "Okkervil River Album & Song Chart History" Billboard Top Rock Albums for Okkervil River.
  15. ↑ "Okkervil River Album & Song Chart History" Billboard Top Tastemaker Albums for Okkervil River.