Conor Oberst - Conor Oberst (2008)

1) Cape Canaveral; 2) Sausalito; 3) Get-Well-Cards; 4) Lenders in the Temple; 5) Danny Callahan; 6) I Don’t Want to Die (In the Hospital); 7) Eagle on a Pole; 8) NYC - Gone, Gone; 9) Moab; 10) Valle Místico (Ruben’s Song); 11) Souled Out!!!; 12) Milk Thistle

Oberst lets his hair down and returns to his americana fancies in his most casual set of songs yet.

  
Key tracks: "Cape Canaveral", "Lenders in the Temple", "Souled Out!!!"

Given this is Oberst’s debut release under his own name (excluding any very early recordings) the big question it needed to answer was how it’s any different to the already primarily Oberst-centric, still pre-hiatus Bright Eyes, and to its credit Oberst’s self-titled does a great job establishing that. You only need to look at the lazily blissed out Oberst on the front cover to get the idea. Releasing music under his own name means Oberst could take a practical holiday from the confessional singer/songwriter route of Bright Eyes, and this album is literally that: a record about Oberst inviting his musician friends over to Mexico and casually laying down songs just for fun, almost accidentally creating an album in the process.

What you have here is the most upbeat record Oberst has ever released. Stylistically he doesn’t stray too far away from his signature sound, with the only real musical difference between this and Bright Eyes being how the weighting between the indie rock core and the ever-increasing americana elements lean more towards the latter. But the Oberst of old would never have found himself smiling this much on an album. There are a few solemn moments reminiscent of what we’re used to from him (“Lenders in the Temple”, “Eagle on a Pole”) but by and far Oberst is kicking back and winding down here, with chilled campfire songs, major chord americana singalongs and even a couple of moments of sheer irreverent fun - the saloon-stomping “I Don’t Want to Die (In the Hospital)” is so out of character it causes whiplashes but you can’t help but chuckle with it. The jovial atmosphere of the sessions comes across very naturally too - this isn’t an album which makes it a point to be positive, it just happens to be so.

The casual way of the album coming together also means that Oberst isn’t writing with any major investment, and putting it bluntly the material here isn’t the greatest that he’s come up with. For most part any particularly poignant lyrics or genuinely gripping songs shine with their absence, and even the best songs seem almost accidentally so, their small strengths carried by the infectiously laidback tone that runs throughout the album. “Cape Canaveral” and “Souled Out!!!” in particular are both fairly simple songs but reflect the album’s heart clearly: the former sounds so relaxed it feels like the song Oberst would be strumming in his hammock, while the latter’s lackadaisical band interjections give an impression of everyone having a blast while playing. These two also carry the strongest melodies of the album, but the same theme runs throughout the album - I’m not sure if I’d ever want to urgently hear “Danny Callahan” or “Milk Thistle”, but whenever the former’s on I can’t help but tap my foot in full enthusiasm because of how perky it sounds or zone out to the latter when it closes the album like a peaceful summer sunset. They’re feel-good songs, where any weaknesses in the craft are patched up by the infectious vibe they have.

The actually, technically strongest songs of the album are arguably the more serious ones, even if they feel like intruders in this context. You can tell Oberst is in his comfort zone with them though, and the haunting “Lenders in the Temple” in particular is one of the best songs of this era. And yet they, or any of the other songs, are not even close to the usual Bright Eyes standards, to an initially downright disappointing degree - for a remarkable songwriter, most of these songs are fairly unremarkable additions to the repertoire. But it’s hard to be upset when you hear how wide a grin Oberst has on his face, and his road trip postcard manages to have a surprisingly lasting charm to it beyond just the material’s core strength. It’s a very comfortable, pleasant listen, in the best way of using that word - music that might fade a little in the background, but which sounds good filling the space there.

Rating: 7/10