Music Video Monday: "For Real"

Track: For Real
Artist: Okkervil River
Album: Black Sheep Boy
Year: 2005

There are a fair amount of people who would characterize Okkervil River's 2005 release, Black Sheep Boy, as the best work of their career. For the most part, I happen to prefer 2007's The Stage Names, but I can occasionally be swayed to the BSB camp. However, my favorite song from the two is no contest. "For Real," like some other Okkervil River tracks, is about love and death-- in this case, death by murder. It's not that lead singer Will Sheff is a creepy dude. On the contrary, he's really not that bad. But, as an English major, he is extremely literary, and thus, can paint a picture with words, pretty much any way he wants to. It just so happens that he enjoys describing the feelings associated with murder. Very well, I might add.

Speaking of creepy though, we reach the video for the song, which kind of defines the word. Basically, some weirdo animated dad tries to turn his kid into the odd Black Sheep Boy character depicted on the front of the record. Once he pulls it off (using a radio), the creature eats a little girl, who happens to have a knife with her. She then reaches its heart with the knife, and pulls out the original little boy, who runs with her through the creature's body before cutting themselves out. Somehow, the creature still lives, the two kids keep running, as does the dad, as the forest they were in is now burning. I'm sure it's all a metaphor.