Bright Eyes: Cassadaga

[rating=4.00]

Have you seen a picture of Conor Oberst lately?  Now 27, with long hair and a confident stare, the former emo wonder-boy is maturing both musically and physically.  While his lyrics and music were always years ahead of his tender age, Cassadaga is Oberst’s most sheen recording yet, and with its rich folksy/ Americana vibe, Bright Eyes can fit into Telluride this season as well as Coachella.

Featuring the voices of various clairvoyants, Oberst incorporates his field recordings with different psychics he visited throughout the states, as the opener“Claraudients (Kill or Be Killed)” rifles against global warming and endless war.  The country-honk of “Four Winds,” might be Oberst’s most catchy single and can alienate his “saddoe” fan base, even despite the raunchy chorus of “When Great Satan is gone… The Whore of Babylon.” The theatrical/character-song “Hot Knives” features guest spots from Rachel Yamagata (vocals) and M.Ward (guitar), while “Make a Plan to Love Me,” is Oberst’s most sparse song this side of “When the President Talks to God.”  But Oberst has the gift of immediacy with hooks and lyrics, as on “Cleanse Song,” where he can make a song abouut detoxing sound legit. However, sometimes his prolific lyrics get tiresome (“ I Must Belong Somewhere") where some songs are better off said in fewer verses and minutes.

Cassadaga flourishes in the contributions of longtime band member and producer Mike Mogis (guitar, mandolin, pedal steel) and newcomer Nate Wolcott (keyboards, strings) giving the recording a true heartland/Omaha feel. Mark Cassadaga down as a profound step in Bright Eyes’ artsy-folksy long-hair period.

Related Content

Recent Posts

New to Glide

Keep up-to-date with Glide

Twitter