Conor Oberst 'Conor Oberst'

Bright Eyes frontman Conor Oberst has been described as the 'new Dylan' several times in his career so far. While this tag seems to be given to any American who can tell a story and play an acoustic guitar, this never seemed appropriate to Oberst as much of the music he has made with Bright Eyes and the Desaparecidos has mixed the folk sound with indie rock and punk. The last couple of Bright Eyes albums moved more consistently towards an alt.country sound though, and this solo album continues this trend.

This seems to only have been labelled a solo album due to the absence of Bright Eyes collaborator Mike Mogis. Much of the record still has a full band sound and it is not the vocals/acoustic guitar record that you might have expected. If ever Oberst has made a record that reminds me of Dylan and a particular part of his career though, this is it. Recorded in Mexico and with a cover that shows Conor sleeping in a hammock, this record is extremely reminiscent of 'John Wesley Harding'/ 'Nashville Skyline' era Bob Dylan.

Focusing largely on themes such as escape, moving on and death, 'Conor Oberst' starts with 'Cape Canaveral' a sparse, acoustic ballad. From there, it settles into a run of fuller country-sounding songs which Oberst sings well, with a warm voice lacking the histrionics of old. 'Danny Callahan', a true story about a boy who died of bone marrow cancer is touching and 'Get Well Cards' is a 60s sound song with organ and harmony vocals.

Elsewhere, there are some more upbeat numbers. 'I Don't Want To Die In The Hospital' is the most 'Bright Eyes' sounding song here complete with the manic vocals of old, while 'NYC- Gone Gone' is a fantastic bar-room stomp that you'll be singing along with on the first listen. The closing 'Milk Thistle' ensures that the album is bookended by Oberst's quiet reflections on death and moving on, its a thoughtful, peaceful end to the record.

'Conor Oberst' really surprised me. I wasn't keen on the last few Bright Eyes albums but this is a rich, atmospheric record that is very well played and recorded. The die-hard Bright Eyes fans may not like this new direction but this may just be his best work to date.

8.4

['Conor Oberst' is out now on CD/2LP on Wichita. Available from all good independent record shops. itunes/hmv/amazon don't need your money]