Tracks from the underground

When I first heard Bright Eyes in 2003 or 2004, I wasn't impressed. At the time, I would have bashed anything that could be described as "emo." (It was already enough that I admittedly liked Brand New and the Get Up Kids.) I preferred experimental, eccentric indie-pop like Of Montreal, the Decemberists, the New Pornographers, Belle & Sebastian, and Badly Drawn Boy. Oberst's diary-page lyrics were revolting - particularly compared to the creative story poems of the Decemberists and the zany, abstract nonsense of Of Monreal. After listening to I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning and Digital Ash in a Digital Urn, I still couldn't get into Oberst's moody, yet energetic synthesis of Elliott Smith, Leonard Cohen, and The Cure. After listening to Bright Eyes' latest album, Cassadaga, and relistening to the band's discography, I must admit that I was quite wrong - it's good stuff. One really can't deny that the entire discography contains intelligent songwriting. I've been looping "Landlocked Blues" nonstop for the past week on my iPod. That song, however, is different from the compositions on Cassadaga, which is Bright Eyes' most complete album yet. The album's style has roots in Americana and contains both folk and country elements. Thus, the accompanying instruments - orchestral and percussion - are what establish this "completeness." Of course, as on every Bright Eyes album, the words are Oberst's main focus. Cassadaga contains some of his most well-written lyrics yet. Marisa Brown of AllMusic.com writes: "Besides the usual swatch of Middle America character sketches and the occasional political allusions, Oberst writes dialogue that travels throughout the record, questioning religion and truth and love and purpose the entire time. He knows he has to go somewhere, and he's hoping that if he just keeps moving, where exactly that is will make itself clear." And so Oberst, in many instances, hints at how his interpretation of life has matured since he began songwriting. (I don't think he's living up to the Bob Dylan comparisons yet.) Though rare for a Web site run by unapologetic music snobs, Pitchforkmedia.com's review of Cassadaga made an interesting connection. Chris Dahlen writes, "At 27, Bright Eyes' Conor Oberst already has enough career behind him to establish a trajectory. His rise has been uncannily similar to writer Dave Eggers': Both came under public scrutiny for self-conscious, ego-driven Artistic statements - Eggers with his meta-memoir A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius; Oberst with his meta-album Fevers and Mirrors. Soon after, both creators shifted focus to more worldly concerns, and have struggled ever since to imbue their work with the empathy and nuance that its often-political leanings demand. Both have heartfelt ambitions that frequently result in Holden Caulfield-like jabs at consumer culture, religion, and U.S. militarism." Overall, check out Cassadaga and Oberst's other albums too - especially stuff by The Faint, of which he was once a member.