Conor Oberst
Conor Oberst
August 5th 2008
Merge Records
A cynic might note that Bright Eyes singer Conor Oberst has never really been known as simply a member of a band. He has always been the perceived heart and celebrated soul of Bright Eyes. Whether or not this is true does not exactly enlighten as to why Oberst has decided to release a record under his own name. We can’t quite call it a solo album can we? While Bright Eyes has permanent members, it is Oberst’s presence that is requisite. Simply said, Conor Oberst is Bright Eyes. Perhaps it is this conventional knowledge that provoked this moniker removal. In somewhat of a logical observation, Oberst can be seen to be taking a brake from himself and the persona that has been constructed by both his own efforts and those of industry tastemakers, eager to turn out a unique and compelling story; the results of which range from sincere critical praise to unfortunate narratives proffering Oberst as some sort of Doogie Houser of Indie Folk.
On an academic note, the Nebraska native’s introspection exemplifies the angle from which we, the audience, are intended to view. Oberst’s mythology is invariably rooted in his belongingness to Nebraska, a no-name, know-nothing state somewhere other than where most people live. Omaha is the locus that anchors much of his storytelling. Oberst’s proximity to home is in many ways the heart of his work; it is the referential space that is established in his lyrics as a place to be missed, a place in which to be misunderstood, and a place to misunderstand. These references are not always direct, but they are ubiquitously intertwined.
“He taught me victory is sweet even deep in the cheap seats…”
Even as he releases a self-titled record, suggesting biography, Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band offer a personal narrative that is reflexive and acutely aware of where his lyrical perspective is anchored. Released on Merge Records rather than our beloved Saddle Creek, Conor Oberst is a record that disconnects from the iconic figure that the songwriter has become, allowing for the reclamation of personhood. By naming the record after himself he contrasts what would be expected from him as Bright Eyes and what he would offer when striped of ambiguity. It should not be contentious to note this provocation.
“Bitch in heat, the alpha male, not something she’d ever tell, except when she was deathly high. Then out it came, like summer rain, washed the cars and everything felt clean for just a little while…”
With that said, Conor Oberst delivers one of his most lyrically impressive efforts to date. Taylor Hollingsworth, Nik Freitas, Macey Taylor, Nate Walcott, and Jason Boesel have signed on to tour in support of a record removed from the weighty expectations of studio refinement. Instead Oberst and a few friends absconded to Tepocztlán, Morelos, Mexico and put together a dozen tunes recorded in a make shift studio. It is a largely upbeat folk rock record that at times sees Oberst return to his most lip quivering form. The references to Latin life and the open road conjure images from Jack Kerouac and Hunter S. Thompson. While this might unfairly reduce Oberst’s incredible story telling, make no mistake, Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band have made a record entirely in tune with Beat culture. While Dylan comparison may be appropriate, it is Oberst’s anachronistic membership to the larger artistic tradition that in some ways allow him to be viewed as a peer, rather than a derivative of the Blonde on Blonde architect. Conor Oberst is as beautiful as it is provocative; it is anthropological. It is exactly what was needed to avoid the impending caricature of the passé boy genius in favor asserting an identity beyond the artifice of a clever name.
“There is nothing that the road cannot heal…washed under the blacktop, gone beneath my wheels…There is nothing that the road cannot heal…”
-FF
8/9
http://www.conoroberst.com/
http://www.myspace.com/conoroberst
Other Music
Bright Eyes
Cassadaga- 2007
Noise Floor (Rarities: 1998-2005)- 2006
Motion Sickness: Live Recordings- 2005
Digital Ash in a Digital Urn- 2005
I’m Wide Awake, It’s Morning- 2005
A Christmas Album- 2002
Lifted or The Story Is in the Soil, Keep Your Ear to the Ground- 2002
Fevers and Mirrors- 2000
Letting Off the Happiness- 1998
A Collection of Songs Written and Recorded 1995-1997- 1998
Desaparecidos
Read Music/Speak Spanish- 2002
Commander Venus
The Uneventful Vacation- 1997
Do You Feel at Home?- 1995
Read Sweet Omaha…Lovely Lincoln
Tour
9/2 Amsterdam – Melkweg
9/3 Brussels – Botanique
9/4 Luxembourg – Den Atelier
9/5 Zurich – Rote Fabrik
9/7 Munich – Backstage Werk
9/8 Zagreb – Studenski
9/9 Vienna – Arena
9/10 Prague – Roxy
9/11 Cologne – Gloria
9/12 Larmer Tree Gardens, North Dorset – End of the Road Festival
9/13 Paris – Nouveau Casino
9/14 Mannheim Alte Feuerwache
9/15 Berlin – Columbia Club
9/20 Omaha, NE Anchor Inn w/ Jenny Lewis
9/21 Nashville, TN Ryman Auditorium w/ Jenny Lewis
9/22 Knoxville, TN Bijou Theatre w/ Jenny Lewis
9/23 Fayetteville, AR George’s Majestic Lounge w/ Jenny Lewis
9/24 Oxford, MS The Lyric w/ Jenny Lewis
9/25 Tulsa, TX Cain’s Ballroom w/ Jenny Lewis
9/27 Austin, TX – Austin City Limits
9/28 Austin, TX – La Zona Rosa w/ M. Ward
10/02 Melbourne, AUS The Palace
10/03 Brisbane, AUS Tivoli
10/04 Sydney, AUS Enmore
10/07 Honolulu, Hawaii Pipeline Cafe
10/21 Los Angeles, CA Music Box @ Fonda
10/22 Los Angeles, CA Music Box @ Fonda
10/24 San Francisco, CA The Warfield
11/08 New York, NY Terminal 5
11/09 New York, NY Terminal 5
