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Bright Eyes

The People's Key

Written by: TL on 02/03/2011 00:35:57

I really can't fuckin' stand when people use this over- and misused cliché, but when it comes to a band like Bright Eyes, it really does seem unusually true that here is a band that most people either love to the point of fanaticism, or alternatively don't care for at all. Ever trying to be the odd man out, I've often felt somewhat lonely in only approaching Conor Oberst and his band with mild curiousity, always sitting somewhat on the fence between hyping and ignoring their records.

Lately though, the 'modern day Bob Dylan' has been keeping Bright Eyes on ice, while occupying himself more actively with both Monsters Of Folk and The Mystic Valley Band. In fact, this new album, "The People's Key", in case you didn't know, is the last Bright Eyes album, as the band has announced that they will tour it and then pretty much split up afterwards.

Most Oberst-disciples had hence been hoping for some proper fireworks on this the band's swan-song, but by the time you're reading this, "The People's Key" has already been widely criticized for departing too much from the virtues that have previously converted so many to the band's gospel. The word 'gospel' I use intentionally, because as far as I understand Bright Eyes, the central element has always been Oberst's pointy, eloquent lyrics, and the quirky, charismatic way in which he delivers them. Over the years, the band has experimented with sounds from both indie, folk and electronica, but it's always been mostly an intriguing backdrop to the musings of the main man.

And that brings us to "The People's Key", which for one thing is really God damn hard to make any sense of lyrically, and for another doesn't seem to give up many hints of the unsettling moods and critical perspectives that used to give Bright Eyes' their edge. Instead, the content seems to be as unfocused and introverted as is the pseudo-philosophical babble the band has opted to record for intros and interludes, and the instrumentals appear more concerned with light-hearted experimentation, than with contributing atmospheres the kind of which we're used to from the band.

While many claim reasons like these to argue why Bright Eyes aren't as good as they have been however, this for me is just a new way of explaining why I'm not seeing why Oberst and friends are this legendary. That being said though, they certainly are pretty good, seeing as there's still enough enjoyable sounds and peculiar turns of phrase, to outlast most, if not all, pretenders. Clearly I'm being hard on this record, but that's mostly because just like the die-hard fans, I was honestly expecting something quite fantastic to justify the hype. And quite fantastic it simply isn't, which probably means it won't score high with either the haters or the converted. Should there be anyone sitting somewhere on the fence with me however, it's still a fairly interesting and well-made indie-record, good for a curious spin or ten.

Download: Shell Games, Jejune Stars, Haile Selassie
For The Fans Of: Conor Oberst, The Decemberists, Arcade Fire, Ryan Adams, mewithoutYou
Listen: myspace.com/brighteyes

Release Date 15.02.2011
Saddle Creek Records