Bright Eyes - The People's Key

February 15: http://pitchfork.com/news/40854-bright-eyes-return-with-new-album/

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i like when the dog has glasses

As probably the only remaining Oberst stan on ilm, I'm not terribly excited by this news. I really was getting into the Laurel Canyon vibe he was getting at with his last two real name albums.

listening to lots of conor this week. it's nice winter music. i prefer early stuff but i'm looking forward to this final nail in the coffin of self pity

As probably the only remaining Oberst stan on ilm

His solo albums are both classics. The first one, with Cape Canaveral is my favorite record of the last few years. So good

I <3 pretty much every Bright Eyes until "I'm Wide Awake", which was half amazing and half pretty dull i thought.

His solo albums are both classics

dude outer south is crap

http://pitchfork.com/news/41064-new-bright-eyes-shell-games/

i havent heard anything since wide awake, i have some catching up to do

reminds me of that 70's themed josh rouse album that I like

NPR is streaming this: http://www.npr.org/2011/01/30/133278431/first-listen-bright-eyes-the-peoples-key

NPR hypes it in pretty lofty terms, but it really does sound fantastic. This is so, so much better than I could have hoped.

downloading this now, i think i'm over Conor but will listen. if he has his spark back than this could be OK.

such a useless band

― originoo gun kl0pper (k3vin k.), Monday, January 31, 2011

this is dire, very dire. musically and lyrically uninteresting, long-winded, and dated. the only thing i ever liked about bright eyes anyway was the recording sound especially on the early stuff.

bum note to end on, first major disappointment of the year.

I don't know that I can take your review too seriously jumpskins, considering you toss in the caveat about only liking the recording sound anyway. I picked this up over lunch, but I'm going to have to wait until later tonight to hear it. My expectations are way low, but I'm hoping to be surprised. I really liked the Laurel Canyon vibe Oberst had been taking, but it'll be interesting to hear how he kind of kicks back against that sound.

I've liked pretty much everything he's done until now but this sounds so lackluster and boring. Really not a single song on the album that I'm enjoying (and way too much talking!).

Is there really that much talking? I expect the pointless 8-minutes intro track.

there's long rambling at least a couple times over the course of the album

i bought the new PJ Harvey instead of this because records cost $$$ iirc, but I'd be willing to give this a listen if some ilxors who generally like Bright Eyes hear this and think it's worth it

u do rc. also i generally like him but didn't like this one so...

:-/

it's his birthday today, yeah? Was thinking of the sad song Feb 15th on the way into work today!

I really like some of the songs. Jejune Stars, Triple Spiral, Shell Games. Solid album to me, no real duds.

Then again, I really like all of his albums.

i saw bright eyes last night for the first time at the sage in gateshead. i wasn't expecting much, even though ive liked them for years, and wasnt really fussed on the new album at all before i went. but they put on a real show for this tour. full band and all that shit. they played lots of old favourites -and the new songs sort of came alive a bit more. id say it was a good send off, if they are going to pack it in.

look at this thread where i last posted eight years ago when i was an arrogant teenager. oh dear. well, i came around to 'the people's key' in time.

mogis doesn't get enough credit for his work on BE records. the sound design, sequencing and musicianship (pedal steel mastery) was a flattering compliment to oberst's lyricism. the catalogue steers pretty cheesy at times, but the animate and intricate production leaves the best of these records still so engaging a listen.

'digital ash in a digital urn' is the best showcase of it. behind the hard-panned double trap sets, vox mangling and other immediacies there's a sea of gentle, complex movement that shifts after almost every bar. i'm not a synthesthete or anything like that but i feel like some records paint much more vivid pictures in my head than others. this is one that's really filled with life for me.