I Am Very Far

Okkervil River were gradually improving their public profile when they became Texas rock legend Roky Erickson’s backing band. Together, they assembled the album <i>True Love Cast Out All Evil</i>, a brilliant comeback record that taught the group a few subtle lessons. <i>I Am Very Far</i> is, arguably, the band’s tightest record to date. There’s a simplicity here that turns songs such as “Rider” and “Lay of the Last Survivor” into direct hits. Will Sheff rarely overdoes his vocals and when he does allow a greater theatrical flourish, he pulls it off, e.g. the punchy “We Need a Myth”. Sheff produced the album and he knows the value of a few carefully placed instruments. “Hanging From a Hit” has moments of austerity. “Show Yourself” plays like a liquid ballad with the chords sloshing around the backseat while Sheff sings to the moonlight. “The Rise” is a virtual trip, a haunting six-minute exploration of sound and harmony where the band let it loose.