Completely subjective review of Bright Eyes' latest album...


"In with the new, out with the old!"

Two feelings crossed me when I got the long-awaited and possibly last album of Bright Eyes through my letter box: 1) joy - this is long-awaited! This is it! This is Bright Eyes and it'll sound amazing whatever road he takes it down... and 2) anger, for it reminded me that, despite waking up half an hour before the Scala tickets went on sale and refreshing the page every minute, the tickets still managed to be sold out after the minute it took me to type my details in. I've seen the Youtube videos. The gig was beautiful. I almost hate life.

Anyhoos, for any Bright Eyes/Conor Oberst lover out there, it'd by now be gospel that Conor changes his musical style every flip of the coin. I suppose that's now one of the reasons why I love his music so much, it's very versatile because it never bores, it never stays on one path, it never says to the world "Yeah, I'll go along with what you think." I almost wish I could tell my 14 year old self the same. Reviewing this album is going to be tough, because there's so much to say, so little ways to say it, and will grow out from the boundaries of a decent review. So... cons, pros, the best and not so good tracks, and the verdict.


cons
Almost immediately I would say that the lyrics aren't as good as his earlier works (including 'Cassadaga', but especially 'LIFTED' - which arguably contained some of his best). That's not to say that some songs don't have good lyrics, I can pick out three with lyrics I love, but in many ways it isn't the same. In the other albums I always felt there was story depicted in each song, whether about being out of love or losing someone or travelling, and it was a clear story as well. In 'The People's Key', the songs are more about abstract concepts and freedom is probably the one that sticks out the most. That's not a bad thing at all, but for me it just doesn't deliver the way Bright Eyes' lyrics usually do.

Like 'Cassadaga', 'Fevers and Mirrors' and 'LIFTED' the album starts off with someone speaking. Typical Bright Eyes. I normally don't mind this, but for some reason the speech in this album sounds really preachy - which in a lot of ways helps with what the message he's trying to convey I suppose... The only other con is that, for those who didn't fancy 'Digital Ash' and 'Cassadaga' very much, 'The People's Key' probably won't make you very satisfied either.

pros
There's really a lot to love about this album. Sure, it doesn't have the doleful, subtle sound of 'F&M', 'LIFTED' and his other previous albums, but who wants to end on a low? This is definitely a high album (you know, as in ending on one...). Okay, it's partly not what I expected, but like 'Wide Awake/Digital Ash' and 'Cassadaga', I firmly believe it's a grower. There are some incredible songs on here I can imagine belting out if there were to be any more Bright Eyes gig (fingers exponentially crossed). This album sounds like a soundtrack, forgive me for saying, but when I listen to it I align scenes of desertion, finding love, riding in cars, running down stairs (all egotistically starring myself by the way). Okay, the songs don't refer to those experiences directly, but it certainly sets the scene for them.

I love this photo!

tracks:
Listen to - "Shell Games" for some amazing, poignant lyrics. "Jejune Stars" and "Haile Selasse" for an old rock n' roll vibe. "A Machine Spiritual (In The People's Key)" and "Triple Spiral" are my favourite tracks on the album - brilliant lyrics, sing-along stuff, beautiful imagery.  "Beginner's Mind" comes very close as my third favourite ("Stay awhile, my inner child!"), I feel that it's the closest track to some of his older stuff, at least I think it would fit on any one of them.

"Firewall" and "Approximate Sunlight" did very little... at least for now (I never know what I might feel in a few years time).

the verdict:
If this really is the end of Bright Eyes, I'm fine with how they're going out. In all honesty I was dreading that this album would be a reactionary movement to 'F&M' which wouldn't have been good. Its really an album about still being lost, still finding your way, confusion, life - it's just done from a more mature perspective. Like all Bright Eyes songs, there is one matching every mood, and everyone single one on this album is classic Bright Eyes - take it or leave it.

Labels: a few of my favourite things, Bright Eyes, Conor Oberst, indie, music

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