The Silver Gymnasium
2013 studio album by Okkervil River
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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.
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| The Silver Gymnasium | ||||
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | September 3, 2013 | |||
| Genres | Indie rock, folk rock | |||
| Length | 49:04 | |||
| Label | ATO | |||
| Producer | John Agnello | |||
| Okkervil River chronology | ||||
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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 that Sheff attended.[3]
Reception
| 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]
Track listing
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 |
Bonus tracks
- "Do the Crawl (CBS October 22, 1988)" – 4:43 Vinyl exclusive
- "From a Cutlass Cruiser" – 3:40 Vinyl exclusive
Charts
| Chart (2013) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard 200[19] | 66 |
| US Top Alternative Albums (Billboard)[20] | 15 |
| US Top Rock Albums (Billboard)[21] | 20 |
| US Indie Store Album Sales (Billboard)[22] | 7 |