79 replies to this topic

[MattDrufke]

Not my link, but...
Conor Oberst

Thanks, sir. One of my anticipated releases of the the year.

[MattDrufke]

7 tracks in and really liking this.

[franty]

just got back from his show... and i was really impressed! the new band is really good, and the older songs got some new arrangements... most of the sounded a lot better than the album versions. he should do a live album/dvd. he played an m.ward song, too

[The Luscious Phil]

a few songs in, and this is so much better than the last bright eyes record. or at least I think so, I might revisit that album later tonight.

[solace]

a few songs in, and this is so much better than the last bright eyes record.


or at least I think so, I might revisit that album later tonight.

it definitely is...

Cassadaga had 4-5 really great songs, a few crap songs, and the rest average

[54cermak]

As a certified Oberst skeptic, I'm really impressed with the first half of this album (I'll listen to the 2nd half later today). He seems to have toned down the hysterics and settled into a mid/late 70s Dylan vibe that suits him well. A really pleasant surprise in a fairly disappointing year.

[the dude]

this year kicks arse on 2007 already, and it's only a jiff over halfway through.

[petras]

Very pleasantly surprised here. Much better then cassadaga, sounds more natural, cassadaga sounded like he was trying too hard.

[The Luscious Phil]

Very pleasantly surprised here. Much better then cassadaga, sounds more natural, cassadaga sounded like he was trying too hard.

Cassadaga felt really like one of the bigger missteps of the last couple of years. It wasn't horrible, but the greatness of I'm Wide Awake made a lot of people take notice, and people were really taking him seriously (rather than just the huge fanboy love he got for his first couple of albums). Casssadaga just sort of seemed to suck a lot of the momentum out of his career in way, because it really should have been his arrival record, instead it was sort of a bellyflop.

This though, is really pretty great.

[BRANDON BOYD FROM INCUBUS]

listened to this while shelving books here at work earlier, it was great i like all the mexican influences, it really feels like he recorded this on his back porch souled out is my fave

[MattDrufke]

2 complete listens and I really love this. Great record. Particulary the first half.

[Hewletts Daughter]

This is definitely a fantastic surprise of an album. I didn't really have hopes for it one way or the other, but yeah, this is pretty great. I'm loving 'I Don't Want to Die (in a Hospital)'

[Charles]

I love the fact that Conor Oberst is playing with a bar band now instead of an LA orchestra. I'm really hesitant that the record is so slick. Sometimes it seems complimentary, really giving the melody and arrangement center stage rather than atmosphere, but there are definitely moments where I think it should be scuffed up a little. I love the double-tracked vocals here, but I guess I'm looking for a little more ambiance--more of a live feel. That said, many of these songs are highly excellent, although some of them can sound kind of samey/workmanlike, like track 2.

[chingram]

Very pleasantly surprised here. Much better then cassadaga, sounds more natural, cassadaga sounded like he was trying too hard.

Cassadaga felt really like one of the bigger missteps of the last couple of years. It wasn't horrible, but the greatness of I'm Wide Awake made a lot of people take notice, and people were really taking him seriously (rather than just the huge fanboy love he got for his first couple of albums). Casssadaga just sort of seemed to suck a lot of the momentum out of his career in way, because it really should have been his arrival record, instead it was sort of a bellyflop.

This though, is really pretty great.

i have to disagree with this - i think cassadaga was a huge step forward into the future of the band, leaving the emo, bedside songs behind and writing more structured songs and arrangements, slowly leaving the digital era behind, but moving into a more folk progression. not every song was top notch, but the writing was there i thought, and had some interesting sound.

[petras]

Very pleasantly surprised here. Much better then cassadaga, sounds more natural, cassadaga sounded like he was trying too hard.

Cassadaga felt really like one of the bigger missteps of the last couple of years. It wasn't horrible, but the greatness of I'm Wide Awake made a lot of people take notice, and people were really taking him seriously (rather than just the huge fanboy love he got for his first couple of albums). Casssadaga just sort of seemed to suck a lot of the momentum out of his career in way, because it really should have been his arrival record, instead it was sort of a bellyflop.

This though, is really pretty great.

i have to disagree with this - i think cassadaga was a huge step forward into the future of the band, leaving the emo, bedside songs behind and writing more structured songs and arrangements, slowly leaving the digital era behind, but moving into a more folk progression. not every song was top notch, but the writing was there i thought, and had some interesting sound.

If we wanna talk about the 4 best songs on the album then I think this surely applies...but the rest of the album just didn't work. The EP released before the album lives up to your statement no doubt...that was a great EP. And maybe he had all the right intentions for the album itself...but the execution failed him.

[Heretix]

Loving this. I thought Cassadaga was a masterpiece, but I love this stripped down direction as well. The simple backing reminds me a lot of Modern Times. I also like the bit of overproduction, like the double tracked vocals. This is just another impeccable album from Conor... I'd say this is a "hangover"/"detox" record, either the morning after for the ridiculous bombast of Cassadaga, or a quiet retreat in the face of the fresh-faced [relative] optimism and overall youthful exuberance of Wide Awake. This will be getting plenty of spins in the near future.

[Charles]

Alright, after a full-length/in-depth listen and some scattered skipping around,

Still love the doubled vocals on songs like Cape Canaveral

It's a really solid, straight Americana record; that's something that doesn't come up so often. Wilco's last record was fairly direct in that sense, but it wasn't as good as this (I think). Bonnie 'Prince' Billy deserves an MVP though in that category. "Lay Down in the Light" is phenomenal.

Although, it's disappointing that the song "Smoke Signals" from the bootlegged live show in Minneapolis didn't make it on.

Here's a link to the audio: Conor Oberst - Smoke Signals

[UselessRocker]

This isn't bad. Better than Cassadaga, which tried too hard and became a victim of many skips on the iPod before long. I still think I'm Wide Awake is his high point - the moment when his potential and talent finally gelled into an album that was more than just "a few great songs...but then some cringe-worthy moments", or "he's got some good lines, but...ehh". Sadly, he's been hit-or-miss again ever since.

[BRANDON BOYD FROM INCUBUS]

i am listening to this everyday now and loving it i might even write up a lengthy post about it to mark my grand return to the music side who knew this album would do it fingers crossed in the promised land

[Hewletts Daughter]

this album is definitely fantastic

'Sausalito' 'Get-Well Cards' is the most Dylan-esque thing I think I've ever heard from him. No complaints.