sargentlgfuad
08/17/08, 01:11 AM
Conor Oberst - Conor Oberst
Record Label: Merge Records
Release Date: August 5, 2008
With every album Conor Oberst has ever had his hand on, he's been able to avoid the norm and put out great albums whenever you seem to turn your head. The dude is a non-stop musical machine, and - if you're familiar with any part of his work - one thing is always able to stick out as his strong point, his mind-blowing lyrics. It's as if he's able to speak to mute objects, and they'll tell him how they feel, because Oberst is spot on about every feeling every known to man, or object.
Also, if you're a fan of his work, you've probably noticed, with his new self-titled album, that most of the lyrics are more external and brighter. With the opening track, "Cape Canaveral," it's obvious that Oberst has really found his happy place, like the puffer fish from Finding Nemo. A few other songs, "I Don't Want to Die (In a Hospital)," "NYC - Gone - Gone," and the single, "Souled Out!!!" are among his weirdest, and semi-quirkiest, songs to date, which should bring a smile to anyone's face. These songs just show Oberst's brilliance, since he's still able to find new, enjoyable sounds, even this far into his future.
Some of these newer songs, "Lenders in the Temple" and "Moab," seem to be bounced right off of Cassadaga. In "Moab," Oberst sings the chorus, "There's nothing that the road cannot heal," which carries the hope of Bright Eyes' latter releases, and when compared to his past records, you really do feel a sigh of ease under his new directions. But, then again, with "Lenders in the Temple," Oberst seems to go back to a more depressive undertone, which, oddly, ties into the album as a whole.
Along with "The Mystic Valley Band," Oberst is able to tell some new and beautifully-crafted stories next to some floating guitars (not soaring, because it doesn't take over, and not sitting, because - as you see on the cover, and how I imagine Oberst singing all these songs - he's simply laying, or floating, on a hammock).
There's not one song on this album that I don't like, and I highly doubt that any Bright Eyes fan will pass this album up. With the nice variety of fresh songs, from the stories of "Danny Callahan" and "Get - Well - Cards" to the invigorating, closing-song "Milk Thistle," it's clear that Conor Oberst is truly a hero to the music business.
Bright Eyes; Bob Dylan; My Morning Jacket; laying on a hammock while listening to soft music holding a lemonade in one hand while a faint-summer breeze faintly moves the leaves around you
myspace.com/conoroberst (http://www.myspace.com/conoroberst)
Record Label: Merge Records
Release Date: August 5, 2008
With every album Conor Oberst has ever had his hand on, he's been able to avoid the norm and put out great albums whenever you seem to turn your head. The dude is a non-stop musical machine, and - if you're familiar with any part of his work - one thing is always able to stick out as his strong point, his mind-blowing lyrics. It's as if he's able to speak to mute objects, and they'll tell him how they feel, because Oberst is spot on about every feeling every known to man, or object.
Also, if you're a fan of his work, you've probably noticed, with his new self-titled album, that most of the lyrics are more external and brighter. With the opening track, "Cape Canaveral," it's obvious that Oberst has really found his happy place, like the puffer fish from Finding Nemo. A few other songs, "I Don't Want to Die (In a Hospital)," "NYC - Gone - Gone," and the single, "Souled Out!!!" are among his weirdest, and semi-quirkiest, songs to date, which should bring a smile to anyone's face. These songs just show Oberst's brilliance, since he's still able to find new, enjoyable sounds, even this far into his future.
Some of these newer songs, "Lenders in the Temple" and "Moab," seem to be bounced right off of Cassadaga. In "Moab," Oberst sings the chorus, "There's nothing that the road cannot heal," which carries the hope of Bright Eyes' latter releases, and when compared to his past records, you really do feel a sigh of ease under his new directions. But, then again, with "Lenders in the Temple," Oberst seems to go back to a more depressive undertone, which, oddly, ties into the album as a whole.
Along with "The Mystic Valley Band," Oberst is able to tell some new and beautifully-crafted stories next to some floating guitars (not soaring, because it doesn't take over, and not sitting, because - as you see on the cover, and how I imagine Oberst singing all these songs - he's simply laying, or floating, on a hammock).
There's not one song on this album that I don't like, and I highly doubt that any Bright Eyes fan will pass this album up. With the nice variety of fresh songs, from the stories of "Danny Callahan" and "Get - Well - Cards" to the invigorating, closing-song "Milk Thistle," it's clear that Conor Oberst is truly a hero to the music business.
Bright Eyes; Bob Dylan; My Morning Jacket; laying on a hammock while listening to soft music holding a lemonade in one hand while a faint-summer breeze faintly moves the leaves around you
myspace.com/conoroberst (http://www.myspace.com/conoroberst)