Okkervil River

Emerging out of the sound of spring peepers, Neko Case stepped onto the 9:30 Club stage set in something out of a nature cartoon. Behind them videos of cyclones and airplanes were projected on a screen. But the attention was clearly on Case, her stunning voice, as well as her solid backing band. Okkervil River's Will Sheff opened.

Propelled by the cryptic songwriting of frontman Will Sheff, Okkervil River makes dark, literate rock that's as explosive as it is intimate. Now on tour with one of the year's best albums, The Stage Names, Okkervil River visits Washington, D.C. for a full concert, originally webcast live on NPR.org.

In a session from WXPN, Okkervil River performs material from The Stand Ins. The band's lead singer and songwriter, Will Sheff, reveals the real characters that populate his songs and talks about the new album's satirical look at the entertainment industry.

On The Stage Names, Okkervil River's songs are sad and happy, sometimes at the same time. In an interview and performance from KUT, the band plays new songs and describes the origin of its sound, touring, South by Southwest, insomnia and influences.

With a sound that combines folk, indie-rock, pop and orchestral elements, Okkervil River crafts a groundbreaking and original sound, making the band a cultishly beloved up-and-comer. The songs on The Stage Names number among the group's finest work.

With a sound that combines folk, indie-rock, pop and orchestral elements, Okkervil River crafts a groundbreaking and original sound, making the band a cultishly beloved up-and-comer. The songs on The Stage Names number among the group's finest work.

Okkervil River doesn't hold anything back: Its emotion-drenched performances are intense to the point of seeming overwrought, and its songs unfold like literature. Their newest album again draws on themes of alienation and mystery. Produced by KEXP.

Okkervil River's The Stage Names is a critically lauded album that touches on themes of a short story. But lead singer and songwriter Will Sheff says the goal is pure listening pleasure.

Okkervil River is a body of water near St. Petersburg in Russia. It's also the name of a band based in Austin, Texas. Its songwriter and singer draws from the primal violence heard in some traditional folk tunes and the blues.

When the votes started pouring in from NPR listeners for the year's best albums, two things became clear immediately: It was going to be tight, and many of the top spots would go to new, smaller bands and their debut albums. Bigger, more established acts (Coldplay, My Morning Jacket) were well represented, but listeners seemed more inspired by the year's quieter, more intimate albums.

Okkervil River frontman Will Sheff shares some of his favorite (and fairly obscure) music with All Songs Considered host Bob Boilen. The two talk about Okkervil River's latest album, The Stand-Ins, and listen to some of the songs Sheff has loved and been inspired by over the years. Hear music from soul singer Lorraine Ellison, the 1960s Jamaican group Carlton and the Shoes, former teen idol turned introspective singer Dion, and The Penetrators — a 1970s band some would call punk, others would call garage rock.

With fall rapidly approaching, we'll soon begin making a list of the year's best albums. Two bands from last year's top-20 are back in the running again for this year: Okkervil River and Of Montreal. We've got a sneak preview of new music from both bands. Also on the show: Steve Earle and Gillian Welch offer songs from their performances at this year's Newport Folk Festival; Jeff Hanson sings with an improbable, but stunning voice on his new album, Madam Owl; New York-based The Walkmen have a beautiful, airy new CD that's both timeless and modern; and The Broken West is about to release one of the year's standout albums — their sophomore release — called Now or Heaven.

Every generation has its own soundtrack. The Silent Generation (people born in the '20s and '30s) had big band and swing. Baby Boomers (born in the '40s and '50s) had rock and soul. Generation X (born in the '60s and '70s) had grunge and hip-hop. On this edition of All Songs Considered, we look back at the defining music of those generations and ask what the soundtrack is for the current generation, Generation Y (or Millennials).

For the past three weeks All Songs Considered host Bob Boilen put favorites CDs from 2007 into a playlist on his iPod and let it shuffle. In the end, the music he was consistently thrilled with hearing ended up on his final top ten for the year. For Boilen, hosting a music show is about trying to find music that listeners will fall in love with — music that will be a good friend and fill listeners with good memories.

Tens of thousands of listeners voted in the All Songs Considered poll for the year's best CDs. It was tight for much of the race, but in the end, Radiohead's In Rainbows was an overwhelming winner as 2007's most popular album.

It was a particularly incredible year for music. Everyone I wanted an album from delivered one: the Shins, the White Stripes, the Shout Out Louds, Arcade Fire, Modest Mouse and many, many more. There were some wonderful new discoveries along the way (Ben Sollee, Le Loup), and some disappointments (Wilco). But overall it was one of the most rewarding years for music in recent memory.

KUT music director Jeff McCord hears dozens of new songs a week. Good and bad tend to get stuck in his head, but here he picks the 10 best of the year — the ones whose company he most enjoyed.

Steve Seel, afternoon music host on Minnesota Public Radio's The Current, offers his picks for the Top 10 albums of the year.

With a sound that combines folk, indie-rock, pop and orchestral elements, Okkervil River crafts a groundbreaking and original sound, making the band a cultishly beloved up-and-comer. The songs on The Stage Names number among the group's finest work.

Okkervil River takes on a daunting challenge in a new song making the rounds as an MP3 download: It looks at the impact of a horrific event — in this case a presidential assassination — that hasn't actually taken place.

When the votes started pouring in from NPR listeners for the year's best albums, two things became clear immediately: It was going to be tight, and many of the top spots would go to new, smaller bands and their debut albums. Bigger, more established acts (Coldplay, My Morning Jacket) were well represented, but listeners seemed more inspired by the year's quieter, more intimate albums.

Okkervil River frontman Will Sheff shares some of his favorite (and fairly obscure) music with All Songs Considered host Bob Boilen. The two talk about Okkervil River's latest album, The Stand-Ins, and listen to some of the songs Sheff has loved and been inspired by over the years. Hear music from soul singer Lorraine Ellison, the 1960s Jamaican group Carlton and the Shoes, former teen idol turned introspective singer Dion, and The Penetrators — a 1970s band some would call punk, others would call garage rock.

With fall rapidly approaching, we'll soon begin making a list of the year's best albums. Two bands from last year's top-20 are back in the running again for this year: Okkervil River and Of Montreal. We've got a sneak preview of new music from both bands. Also on the show: Steve Earle and Gillian Welch offer songs from their performances at this year's Newport Folk Festival; Jeff Hanson sings with an improbable, but stunning voice on his new album, Madam Owl; New York-based The Walkmen have a beautiful, airy new CD that's both timeless and modern; and The Broken West is about to release one of the year's standout albums — their sophomore release — called Now or Heaven.

Okkervil River takes on a daunting challenge in a new song making the rounds as an MP3 download: It looks at the impact of a horrific event — in this case a presidential assassination — that hasn't actually taken place.