'Cassadaga' no big change for Bright Eyes
By Kait Barnes, Staff Writer
May 22, 2007 | 7:02 p.m.
At first listen, Cassadaga appears to be an incredibly ambitious and original album, featuring a wide range of instruments, spiritual themes and notable guest appearances by the likes of members of Eisley and major-label songbird Rachel Yamagata. After a few listens, this impression fades, and the album becomes virtually indistinguishable from the last two Bright Eyes albums, except Oberst's experimental disaster Digital Ash in a Digital Urn.
The album opens with the lovely "Clairaudients (Kill or Be Killed)," which features a spoken word intro, sweeping violins and Oberst's quavering vocals. It is a surprisingly epic song, clocking in at over 6 minutes, featuring what sounds like a full orchestra. With this song, Oberst manages to have a lot going on without seeming pretentious, a flaw that has affected his music in the past. Unfortunately this is not the case in the similarly minded "Hot Knives," which is easily the most ostentatious track on the album. On this song, the orchestra goes overboard and the mismatched pairing of airy female vocals with Oberst's awkward squeal creates a sound that is simply far too much. This posturing combined with lines like "I've made love, yeah, I've been fucked" crafts a piece of music that is so awkward, it's almost unlistenable.
Oberst may be nearing his thirties, but it is songs like the aforementioned "Hot Knives" that remind the audience of the fumbling moments experienced on albums he released when he was in his early twenties. The only difference between the Oberst of then and now is that the artistic stumbles are now far and few between. He's perfected the art of creating country-inspired folk songs that simply glow and give listeners a picture of the dusty Midwest home that begot the career of the singer-songwriter.
Cassadega also features the latest single "Four Winds," a catchy tune that immediately will get stuck in the listener's head. The twangy guitar and violin suggest a country music influence, which is a refreshing change from the dance-rock and electronica that has permeated the music scene for the past few years. This influence continues throughout the album, slide guitar and lilting violins peppering many of the album's tracks. It is most notable on the confident "Soul Singer in a Session Band," a song that features some of the album's strongest lyrics and displays Oberst's talent as a musician and storyteller.
"Cassadaga" proves not much has changed in the past five years for Conor Oberst, as it bears major resemblance to his past three albums. It is standard fare for most Bright Eyes fans, but this does not mean that it is not worth listening to or purchasing. Like I'm Wide Awake It's Morning and Lifted Or The Story Is In The Soil, Keep Your Ear To The Ground, this is a beautiful album that has a distinct and creative sound. It appears that Conor Oberst has reached the phase of his career where he has a found a sound that will continue to be refined but not evolved. For most Bright Eyes fans, this is more than enough, as long as Bright Eyes keeps on churning out songs to add to an already prolific catalog.
Final rating: 3 out of 5 stars
Track listing:
1. Clairaudients (Kill or Be Killed)
2. Four Winds
3. If The Brakeman Turns My Way
4. Hot Knives Listen Listen
5. Make A Plan To Love Me
6. Soul Singer In A Session Band
7. Classic Cars
8. Middleman
9. Cleanse Song
10. No One Would Riot For Less
11. Coat Check Dream Song
12. I Must Belong Somewhere
13. Lime Tree