The Inside Pulse
It’s been a whole 10 months since Conor Oberst put out TWO seperate albums, and while he’s not quite at Ryan Adams-levels of prolific releases, two full albums and one live one is quite a bit in one year. I’ve heard a few people saying this album is simply a commercial cash-in for Christmas, but to that I say NAY! Bright Eyes is one of those bands that absolutely has to be experienced live to get the full effect of Conor’s frailty, which is half the point of liking Bright Eyes in the first place. Often pegged as the next Bob Dylan, Conor has pretty much the same vocal talent, but makes up for it by singing his damn lungs out every given night (I saw him three times this year, I should know.) The fact that this is coming out around Christmas time means cash-in, sure, but it also means another really freaking good album from an amazing performer.
Positives
Bright Eyes takes on a completely different sound live. The sheer number of instruments being played at once (many of which weren’t on the original record) give a sharp life to each track. Each song is longer because these instruments are given time to stretch out, cover new ground, and run with segments left undiscovered in the studio. And then there’s Conor, who’se off-pitch crackle of a voice that sounds relaxed and ready in the studio sounds travel-weary and pushed here, giving each track the pained truth you know he’s ultimately going for. The two new(ish) songs tacked onto the end, “Southern State” and “The Biggest Lie” prove that Conor will likely never, ever stop writing great folk songs until the boy dies from a broken heart. Also, the Feist track “Muchaboom” is given a try here, and Conor makes it uglier than the original, and somehow that works too.
The Negatives
I would normally say that a live album isn’t the thing to introduce people to an artist, but Bright Eyes simply sounds their best live. I really can’t think of a single flaw. Even if you own all these tracks, they’re worth the price to hear them performed properly.
Cross-Breed
Bright Eyes is usually compared to Dylan, and there’s a lot of evidence to support this. But the songwriting itself reminds me more of Jeff Buckley, since the fragments and chorus are freer and take the whole idea of ‘country’ to somewhere else entirely.
Reason To Buy
If you know anyone that has ever expressed interest in Bright Eyes, or ballad or folk or country music at all, get them this disc. It’s pretty goddamn perfect and nobody will be disappointed. Amazing songwriting, perfect atmosphere, musical playfullness and experimenting that’ll put a smile on your face and a shiver down your spine. You won’t hear a better recording of real, down to Earth by God MUSIC all year. Even the studio versions of these songs pale in comparison.
