Plus Ones

Okkervil River's "Plus Ones" came into my iPod via the All Songs Considered podcast, and immediately ratcheted up Okkervil in my esteem. I own and listen to Black Sheep Boy, Don't Fall In Love With Everyone You See, and Down the River of Golden Dreams, but nothing on any of those albums seemed as lyrically clever as "Plus Ones", which takes as its central conceit the idea of adding one to various songs with numbers in their titles ("96 Tears", "99 Luftballoons", "50 Ways to Leave Your Lover" etc.). Will Sheff also manages to throw in more than a few other references - "Dry Your Eyes", "All Out of Love" (um, at least I'm guessing he meant to reference Air Supply), "What's New Pussycat", "Let's Get Lost" etc.

Blogs are for Dogs breaks down the plethora of allusions, or at least the numerically-inclined ones. Ah, the feeling of being the extra one, the unwanted item that no one cares about, the third wheel, the 100th luftballoon...

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