Okkervil River is a band that combines indie folk and indie rock that is led by singer-guitarist Will Sheff, who has been their main songwriter and the only constant member since they started in 2000. He certainly has a distinctive voice as a songwriter, as he creates imaginative, introspective, and insightful songs that often shift in tone and mood. He is just as likely to write upbeat pop pieces as he does boisterous roots rock, tense indie pieces, or ballads with a sorrow knob that covers quite a range, without shying away from drones or meandering a little if it goes with a story he wants to tell. The band consists of top-notch performers who have tuned into Sheff fairly closely, and through all the line-up changes, they have been able to respond to his flair for the dramatic in kind. They have been relatively quiet since 2018's In the Rainbow Rain.
