Okkervil River have changed my life

[ThanksJohn]

Does anyone know to what extent Will or OR in general are influenced by The Smiths? I've never seen any reference to them in interviews etc.

[Kudos]

Hi everyone
I first got into OR about 8 or 9 months ago. I was looking for some new music when I came across them, and something about the music and Will's voice, in particular the amazing lyrics, instantly piqued my interest. I hovered between Black Sheep Boy (definitive edition) and The Stage Names for my first of their albums, before finally deciding on the former, quite possibly simply because the darker vibes seemed more suited to the approaching dark and cold winter months. After a few listens to the album in its entirety I was hooked, and it wasn't long before I went back to get The Stage Names. I was quite surprised by the difference in tone between the two albums, and soon enough I progressed to The Stand Ins. Now I've got all the albums (except for Stars Too Small to Use and Overboard and Down... if only they weren't so rare!), and each one has found a special place in my music library. There's a song for every mood, each dripping with Will's poetic insights, and there's a rarely a moment when I don't have one OR song or another stuck in my head.
Reading back on that, I'm afraid it sounds a bit over the top, but OR just brings out such enthusiasm in me!