Conor Oberst: Conor Oberst

Conor Oberst: Conor Oberst Bright Eyes frontman, Conor Oberst, releases his first official solo album on Merge Records. Oberst is a founding member of Saddle Creek Records, so the idea of releasing the album on Merge is a little jarring. Recorded in a Mexican villa at the start of 2008, Oberst doesn't stray far from his emotional folk roots. The album employs a band simply described as The Mystic Valley Band, and the music dabbles heavily in country music. I have always believed Oberst was as Dylan-esque as any modern song-writer. "I Don’t Want to Die (In the Hospital)" has a story-telling quality similar to Bringing It All Back Home's "Bob Dylan's 115th Dream". "NYC-Gone, Gone" has a lo-fi "Cotton-Eyed Joe" feel to it. In the end, there are a lot of mediocre songs on the album. The album starts off with the underwhelming "Cape Canaveral". The album's most fun and rock oriented track "Souled Out!!!" is buried as the second to last track on the album. I will always respect Oberst as a song-writer and there are a few gems on this self-titled album, but I feel like its mediocre overall album at best. Rating: 6.7/10 MP3: Conor Oberst "Souled Out!!!" Buy: iTunes, Insound