I am very far

And I want to tell her, "your love isn't lost"
Say, "my heart is still crossed"
Scream, "you're so wonderful!"
-Okkervil River, Unless it's Kicks

The Hold Steady wisely penned the line, "certain songs, they get scratched into our souls." This statement is certainly true, but true in so many forms. On the one hand, the lyrics to a particular song can help you through troubling times or allow you to weep with joy as they express feelings you could never find words for. On a different note, the beat to a particular song may have you dancing for days. On the other end of the spectrum, certain songs and albums can be so ingrained in you that they take you to a particular place. You identify those albums with a certain place in time.

For me, the albums The Stage Names and The Stand Ins by Okkervil River do just that. They take me back to 1916 Eastern, junior year of college. They bring back joyous memories of living with some of the coolest guys on the planet. And those memories started to come up full-boar last night as I saw Okkervil River live. While Boston's thrown at me one of the worst concerts I've been to (The Decemberists), it's also thrown at me some of the best (Julieta Venegas, Lucinda Williams, and now OR). Despite breaking down in New York, the band hauled to get to Boston and played for as long as they could (~2 hours) before the show had to end so no one missed the last train. They did an absolutely phenomenal job of playing a variety of songs from across their discography, including a handful of tunes from Black Sheep Boy, one from Don't Fall in Love with Everyone You See, several from The Stage Names and The Stand Ins, and, of course, quite a bit from their new album, I am Very Far. Highlights included a gorgeous Will Scheff solo acoustic rendition of "A Stone", ending the set with an extended version of "Lost Coastlines", melting my heart with "A Girl in Port" with Lauren on the slide (see picture), and ending the encore with "Unless it's Kicks."

And everything from their new album. Seriously, if you don't have I am Very Far, you must get it. With a big budget, Scheff goes big. The instrumentation is explosive and the production is maximalist, in contrast to OR's previous albums. But live, the songs are incredible, rich with layers of musical genius.