zpatton14
04/29/09, 06:32 AM
Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band - Outer South
Record Label: Merge Records
Release Date: May 5, 2009
Conor Oberst and his backing band, The Mystic Valley Band, are back with their second effort, Outer South. Coming off a huge tour promoting his first solo release, Oberst and the MVB decided to head right into the studio and record their follow-up to Conor Oberst. This gave me some worries, however, not knowing if it would pay off not to take a break and collect themselves after touring, but as soon as the first track "Slowly, Oh So Slowly" hit me with the opening guitar riff, I knew never to doubt Mr. Oberst and his gang.
Vocals - This was the first record that Oberst had other members of the band provide vocals on songs, so before I had listened to the songs I was very excited for it. However, it was apparent that the songs that were lead by the other members were not as strong as the ones sung by Oberst himself. I had to give Conor Oberst credit also for working on his vocals even more. His debut showed promise with his vocal skills, but he really stepped it up on Outer South.
Songwriting - Something that never should be a concern on any Bright Eyes or Conor Oberst album is songwriting. Most of the songs written by Conor have a political attitude towards them, with very direct lines such as "Hope you like your apple pie because the working poor you've been pi**ing on are working double time tonight." However, not to scare away fans that don't want to hear Conor rant and rave about politics, this is not an overwhelming topic, it is just in the record. With the help of The Mystic Valley band, each song tells an interesting story, and Oberst's voice makes even the worse song on the record sound like it could be the best song on someone else's record. However, you can tell which songs were written by Conor himself, and which were created by the MVB. The weakest songs on the record ("Air Matress", "Big Black Nothing", "Difference Is Time") were all written by members of the MVB.
Outer South shows that Conor Oberst is being influenced by The Mystic Valley Band, and vice-versa. Pushing some boundaries throughout the record, and having a mainly synthesized song on the record ("Air Matress") shows that Oberst is not as attached to the acoustic guitar as most would have thought. There are many surprises on the record, mostly good, but there are always going to be Conor and his guitar (Eagle on a Pole), and his blues-indie-pop electric guitar songs ("Slowly, Oh So Slowly", "Roosevelt Room", "Worldwide").
The record as a whole will keep fans of the Bright Eyes frontman very happy, and also gain new fans that will have a new found respect for Oberst and his friends from The Mystic Valley Band. I would recommend Outer South for anyone looking for a solid new record to overtake their ears.
Augustana, Bob Dylan, Butch Walker
www.myspace.com/conoroberst (http://www.myspace.com/conoroberst)
www.conoroberst.com (http://www.conoroberst.com)
Record Label: Merge Records
Release Date: May 5, 2009
Conor Oberst and his backing band, The Mystic Valley Band, are back with their second effort, Outer South. Coming off a huge tour promoting his first solo release, Oberst and the MVB decided to head right into the studio and record their follow-up to Conor Oberst. This gave me some worries, however, not knowing if it would pay off not to take a break and collect themselves after touring, but as soon as the first track "Slowly, Oh So Slowly" hit me with the opening guitar riff, I knew never to doubt Mr. Oberst and his gang.
Vocals - This was the first record that Oberst had other members of the band provide vocals on songs, so before I had listened to the songs I was very excited for it. However, it was apparent that the songs that were lead by the other members were not as strong as the ones sung by Oberst himself. I had to give Conor Oberst credit also for working on his vocals even more. His debut showed promise with his vocal skills, but he really stepped it up on Outer South.
Songwriting - Something that never should be a concern on any Bright Eyes or Conor Oberst album is songwriting. Most of the songs written by Conor have a political attitude towards them, with very direct lines such as "Hope you like your apple pie because the working poor you've been pi**ing on are working double time tonight." However, not to scare away fans that don't want to hear Conor rant and rave about politics, this is not an overwhelming topic, it is just in the record. With the help of The Mystic Valley band, each song tells an interesting story, and Oberst's voice makes even the worse song on the record sound like it could be the best song on someone else's record. However, you can tell which songs were written by Conor himself, and which were created by the MVB. The weakest songs on the record ("Air Matress", "Big Black Nothing", "Difference Is Time") were all written by members of the MVB.
Outer South shows that Conor Oberst is being influenced by The Mystic Valley Band, and vice-versa. Pushing some boundaries throughout the record, and having a mainly synthesized song on the record ("Air Matress") shows that Oberst is not as attached to the acoustic guitar as most would have thought. There are many surprises on the record, mostly good, but there are always going to be Conor and his guitar (Eagle on a Pole), and his blues-indie-pop electric guitar songs ("Slowly, Oh So Slowly", "Roosevelt Room", "Worldwide").
The record as a whole will keep fans of the Bright Eyes frontman very happy, and also gain new fans that will have a new found respect for Oberst and his friends from The Mystic Valley Band. I would recommend Outer South for anyone looking for a solid new record to overtake their ears.
Augustana, Bob Dylan, Butch Walker
www.myspace.com/conoroberst (http://www.myspace.com/conoroberst)
www.conoroberst.com (http://www.conoroberst.com)