Conor Oberst

I think Conor Oberst's career is almost to the point where I can figure out where he's going. That sure hasn't been the case for the past few years. After the sprawling, melodramatic fury that was Lifted..., he put together two albums at once: one was his finest moment (I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning) and one was a disastrous genre experiment (Digital Ash In A Digital Urn). He tried to combine all of his past work to please everybody with 2007's Cassadega; not surprisingly, some of it came out great, but most of it was a mess.

Now he losses the name Bright Eyes, does an album with many of the same people he's always worked with, and releases a tame but focused solo record. The emotional outbursts of his pat albums are gone: even when he sings "I Don't Want To Die (In A Hospital)", he does it with a self-mocking sense of humor. He's no longer a whinny kid who screams about politics and bad relationships; he's a seasoned road warrior who tells stories of his travels and singing advice like "there's nothing that the road can't heal".

Not only has he learned subtly in the past few years, he's learned how to carry a melody for an entire song. "Sausilito" is breezy country rock that never breaks from it's melody or changes dynamic. It's nice to hear him writing a good song without trying to make every track an epic.

Although it doesn't hit the heights of his best records, i appreciate the new, calm Conor and this self-assured solo debut. If you are new to Bright Eyes, start with Lifted... and I'm Wide Awake It's Morning. It isn't going to be one of the stand-out records this year, but he remains an important young songwriter who might have a few masterpieces left in him.