When I first heard Conor Oberst, I was an impressionable 14-year-old in grade nine. Following the recommendation of a friend whose musical interests I trusted (“Download 'The City Has Sex With Itself,' by Bright Eyes,” he told me,) I engaged in musical exploration, learning of a great many styles, genres, and tepid over-classification, all of it new to me.
It wasn't more than a year after my discovery that I ran into Conor Oberst's first album he recorded and released — 1993's cassette-only Water, an uncertain, less confident release by the man who became, for all intents and purposes, Bright Eyes. He was a young 13 at the time of the release, and it was the first on Lumberjack, which later became the now influential Saddle Creek Records.
So, here I am, listening to Oberst's newest, a self-titled album, the man himself a decade-and-a-half older. I can still hear the high-pitched, trembling vocals of “You Should Be in Sweden” in his voice – he's definitely still the same person – but a self-assuredness has replaced quavering vocals, and in place of strummed chords most beginners learn, there's a skillful precision. Yes, this Conor Oberst is the same person he was 15 years ago, but he is by no means the same person. And for all my metaphorical imprecision, Mr. Bright Eyes himself hasn't lost his.
This self-titled release is more in the vein of recent Bright Eyes, and considering he is the primary songwriter for the group, it isn't surprising. The difference? Mike Mogis, his esteemed producer and bandmate, was too busy with other duties, so Oberst ventured to the creation of this solo album. So, while it may lack a little of the charm of Bright Eyes, there's still an honesty to the album. More surprising, perhaps, is the album's release on Merge Records, rather than Saddle Creek, the label Oberst co-founded. Despite whatever reason there may be for the label switch, Oberst said in the Summer 2008 issue of Filter Magazine that there is “no bad blood” with his friends at Saddle Creek.
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Article comments
1 - AJ
Listening to the album right now. Thus far, I feel as though this is what most people desired as a follow-up to "I'm Wide Awake It's Morning" as opposed to the half-hearted "Cassadaga". I'm pretty impressed 10 tracks into the album.