At the end of the year in 2007, Okkervil River released Golden Opportunities Mixtape, a free EP intended as a gift to fans. This year, the band continues that tradition in the sequel release Golden Opportunities 2, which both hearkens back to the original release and varies the formula.

Like its predecessor, Golden Opportunities 2 is a series of conceptually-related covers, this time by lesser-known musicians’ musicians such as Motown session player Ted Lucas, the 1980’s Australian band the Triffids, and the mysterious L.A. singer-songwriter Jim Sullivan, who vanished in the New Mexico desert in 1975. In contrast to the intricate arrangements and detailed production of this year’s excellent full-length Okkervil release I Am Very Far,  the new EP was recorded entirely live to two-track tape in one day at the Austin studio Premium Recording. The resulting EP showcases a band with a loose-limbed casualness after a year spent on the road. A hazy mystery hangs over these songs, which are evocative on their own but, when collected together, add up to something greater and stranger than the sum of their parts.

As with the first Golden Opportunities, this new release is available compeltely for free on the Okkervil River website – just click here. It can be downloaded in both MP3 and lossless formats.

Need convincing, try a track below:

Download Okkervil River – Plan D mp3 (from Golden Opportunities 2 EP)