Conor Oberst : Conor Oberst : Review : Rolling Stone

On last year's Cassadaga, Conor Oberst left his home in New York to wander the country's byways. On his latest album, recorded in Mexico, the Omaha, Nebraska, native is still drifting, having ditched both his Bright Eyes moniker and longtime producer Mike Mogis. A rough-hewn, death-haunted travelogue, this set proves that while you can run from home, you can't run from yourself. And sometimes that's OK. Largely, this is the introspective folk rock of Bright Eyes, though there's some welcome shift away from autobiography: "Danny Callahan" is about a doomed child, and "I Don't Want to Die (In the Hospital)" is a piano-driven rave-up whose narrator could be Oberst's grandfather. The sketchbook Americana is framed by two lean acoustic tracks: "Cape Canaveral" is a vivid postcard that begins with knuckles knocking on a guitar; "Milk Thistle" pays tribute to an herbal cirrhosis treatment. But the keeper is "Moab," a runaway's anthem that insists "there's nothing that the road cannot heal." Even with gas at more than four bucks a gallon, Oberst makes the myth as seductive as ever.

WILL HERMES

(Posted: Aug 7, 2008)

News and Reviews

How to Play This Album

Click the play button.
Register or enter your username and password.
Let the music play!

No commitment.
It's FREE.

Track List

Play All

Your Turn

Give us your review of Conor Oberst

Review 1 of 2

4of 5 Stars

The day that Miley Cyrus gets the same rating as a Connor Oberst album is the day I stop reading Rolling Stone. Connor Oberst could shit on a guitar and it would still sound a million times better than anything this bubblegum pop nitwit could ever write. Rolling Stone-you're the fucking rock and roll Judas...you're just sending rock to it's grave. Fire you're review staff and hire someone that actually cares about music, or knows what they're talking about. Did Disney buy you guys out?

Aug 26, 2008 20:39:58

Review 2 of 2

4of 5 Stars

Conor Oberst is best known as the front man of American indie-folk band Bright Eyes, but this time around he’s decided to go back to his roots as a solo artist. With over a decade’s worth of recordings behind him, at age 28, he’s certainly earned a name for himself. It’s difficult not to compare the album to Oberst’s Bright Eyes recordings, however this self titled release is a little more folk and classic Americana than it is indie. Opening strongly and confidently with the beautifully constructed Cape Canaveral, Oberst maintains the standard for the entire twelve tracks of the album – it certainly does not disappoint.

Oberst continues with the formula of lyrics that more closely resemble free flow poetry than a classic pop hook. This time around though, the lyrics are a little less introspective, instead putting the listener in the shoes of different characters he plays in this musical journey. While Bob Dylan comparisons are often appropriate, Oberst points himself to being more of a modern day musical Kerouac with this album. The album takes you on a road trop across America – “There’s nothing that the road cannot heal”, Oberst sings in Moab. The album is often reminiscent of 1960’s folk – comforting, powerful and meaningful. A great listen through and through.

Jul 23, 2008 22:55:06

Previous Next