Conor Oberst Plays a Really Great New Song on Conan

Conor has done a lot of, well Conor’s just done a lot in the last few years, a good portion of which has left me disappointed. Cassadaga didn’t do it for me for the most part, and his recent “solo” debut left me feeling great about his new Wildflowers-era Tom Petty sound in spots and sad about his rudimentary happy-chord strumming in others. Tuesday night, however, Conan and his band of Mystics descended upon Conan’s studio to play a song, and they chose to do a no one called Nicorette which is more like the Petty and less like the boring stuff. I dig it a lot for a few reasons : One, Nik Frietas gets to sing a little, two the music is actually interesting, and three Conor has a really good stylist these days.

[mp3] Conor Oberst & The Mystic Valley Band – Moab
[mp3] Conor Oberst & The Mystic Valley Band – I Don’t Wanna Die (In The Hospital)

Conor Oberst – "Conor Oberst" Analysis

I initially passed judgment on the self-titled debut from Bright Eyed Wonderboy Conor Oberst – I said it sounded like Cassadaga, and the first two tracks released did, but the rest of this album is a wonderful and natural progression from I’m Wide Awake, It’s Morning (without doubt my favorite Oberst offering). I originally said Oberst – Bright Eyes multi-instrumentalist/producer Mike Mogis would be boring – I was wrong about that too. It’s not better than, but it’s pretty great in it’s own way.

For instance, Get Well Cards is simultaneously way more country and way less country than anything Oberst has written – the twang is turned on, but not in the traditional country sense of Wide Awake, think more like a country bar band. Cape Canaveral is a hyper-melodic acoustic number reminiscent of Neil Young trying to sound like Graham Nash. Lenders in The Temple is a Lifted–style dark and ominous acoustic musing on Biblical themes. I Don’t Want to Die (In a Hospital) kind of sounds like The Arcade Fire’s Anti-christ Television Blues only with way better riffing and Jenny Lewis singing backup….which makes anything better.

I encourage all of you who said “meh” to the singles to give this one a closer listen – I think you’ll be pleased. Now I just have to decide if it’s worth braving the throngs of adoring public to go to Conor’s Grimey’s In-store tomorrow evening…

[mp3] Conor Oberst – Cape Canaveral

Buy Conor Oberst at Insound.

Conor Oberst Announces In-Stores

In what will undoubtedly be the largest gathering of teenage girls who have no interest in music in a record store since that one time N-Sync performed in a Tower Records, Bright Eyes frontperson, and newly turned solo artist, Mr. Conor Mullen Oberst will take his mystic valley band to record stores across the lower 48 in between tour dates supporting his Merge released solo LP.

Go crazy, go nuts, kids.

Don’t forget Conor Oberst is out on 8/5 – Via Merge, and while I’m not a huge fan of the album’s early singles, I figured I’d celebrate with a few Oberst b-sides and rarities below.

[mp3] Conor Oberst – No Prayer
[mp3] Conor Oberst – I’ve Been Eating For You
[mp3] Conor Oberst – I’ll Be Your Friend

Conor Oberst & The Mystic Valley Band – Special In-store performances:
07/30/08 Seattle, WA @ Easy Street Records @ 6 PM
08/02/08 San Francisco, CA @ Amoeba Records @ 3 PM
08/04/08 Los Angeles, Amoeba Records @ 6 PM
08/08/08 Nashville, Grimey’s @ 6 PM
08/12/08 New York, NY @ Other Music @ 1 PM

Conor Oberst Announces Solo record, Band, & World Tour

So, I have this idea for a practical joke to pull on the world. We announce that Conor is making a new record, a solo record, but there’s still a big band of co-conspirators who have their own projects, exactly like Bright Eyes, but we have him put it out on a new label and bill it as a totally new act!

Okay, so maybe it’s not quite so obvious, but really what’s the point here? Conor writes some great songs, and maybe this isn’t one of them (“Home sick as an astronaut” in the middle of a narrative about being a ramblin’ man) but I’m sure the record will be full of really great stuff. My question is, why is it filled out by a new band? This kind of feels like Cassadaga light to me. There’s a great moment around 3:20 that feels like the best parts of all fast Bright Eyes songs; a triple stacatto of crunchy guitars, drums, barroom piano, and Conor at his wobbliest. Then it goes away, and you start to wonder why.

Alright, so what’s the difference? New band, save for Trumpeteer, Ivory tickler, and arranger Nate Walcott. Meaning, in short, no Mike Mogis. Maybe you don’t really understand the weight of a person like Mike Mogis, but Bright Eyes sans the Mogis to me is terribly unexciting, to be bluntly honest. Who is in the band? Plenty of talented people like Alabama soul/rocker Taylor Hollingsworth, the very talented California folkie Nik Freitas, long-time Bright Eyes drummer Jason Boesel (again with the Bright eyes holdovers), the aforementioned Nate Walcott, and Macey Taylor on bass.

I guess we’ll all know soon enough how well this goes, because Conor Oberst & The Mystic Valley Band is touring the whole entire world and playing super intimate venues. Here’s to hoping the rest of the record is a bit more of a departure from that other band Conor is in.

Conor Oberst & The Mystic Valley Band 2008 Tour Dates

7/17 – Studo SP, Sao Paulo, Brazil (tickets onsale at venue only)
7/18 – Cine Arte Normandie, Santiago, Chile – Buy Tickets
7/19 – La Trastienda, Buenos Aires, Argentina – Buy Tickets
7/25 Billings, MT Bones Brewing – Buy Tickets
7/27 Calgary, AB Calgary Folk Festival – Buy Tickets
7/29 Vancouver, BC Richards on Richards – Buy Tickets
7/30 Seattle, WA Neumo’s – Buy Tickets
7/31 Bend, OR Midtown Ballroom – Buy Tickets

8/01 San Francisco, CA Bottom of the Hill
8/02 San Francisco, CA Bottom of the Hill
8/03 Santa Cruz, CA Rio Theatre
8/05 Los Angeles, CA Troubadour – Buy Tickets
8/08 Nashville, TN Mercy Lounge – Buy Tickets
8/09 Carrboro, NC Cats Cradle – Buy Tickets
8/10 Norfolk, VA Norva – Buy Tickets
8/11 Philadelphia, PA Trocadero – Buy Tickets
8/12 New York, NY Bowery Ballroom – Buy Tickets
8/17 Saratoga, NY Saratoga Music Festival – Buy Tickets
8/22 Leeds, UK – Leeds Festival – Buy Tickets
8/24 Reading, UK – Reading Festival – Buy Tickets
8/26 Portsmouth – Wedgewood Rooms
8/27 London – Electric Ballroom
8/28 Manchester – Academy 2
8/29 Inveraray Castle, Scotland – Hydro Connect Music Festival – Buy Tickets
8/30 in Belfast, Spring & Airbrake
8/31 County Laois, Ireland – Stradbally Hall / Electric Picnic – Buy Tickets

9/2 Amsterdam – Melkweg
9/3 Brussels – Botanique
9/4 Luxembourg – Den Atelier
9/5 Zurich – Rote Fabrik
9/7 Munich – Backstage Werk
9/8 Zagreb – Studenski
9/9 Vienna – Arena
9/10 Prague – Roxy
9/11 Berlin – Columbia Club
9/12 Cologne – Gloria
9/13 Paris – Nouveau Casino

9/14 Larmer Tree Gardens, North Dorset – End of the Road Festival – Buy Tickets
9/25 Tulsa, TX Cain’s Ballroom
9/20 Omaha, NE Anchor Inn – Buy Tickets
9/21 Nashville, TN Ryman Auditorium w/ Jenny Lewis
9/23 Fayetteville, AR George’s Majestic Lounge w/ Jenny Lewis – Buy Tickets
9/24 Oxford, MS The Lyric w/ Jenny Lewis
9/25 Tulsa, TX Cain’s Ballroom w/ Jenny Lewis – Buy Tickets
9/27 Austin, TX – Austin City Limits – Buy Tickets

10/02 Melbourne, AUS The Palace
10/03 Brisbane, AUS Tivoli
10/04 Sydney, AUS Enmore
10/05 Sydney, AUS Great Escape – Buy Tickets

[mp3] Conor Oberst & The Mystic Valley Band – Danny Callahan
[mp3] Nik Freitas – Sun Down

Oberst to put out solo LP…..on merge

So this is the oddest news I’ve heard all week for a few reasons. One, of course being what is the difference between a solo record and a Bright Eyes record? I would say Mike Mogis, but I find it hard to believe he won’t be involved in some way, especially considering it was produced by long-time Bright Eyes pseudo-member Andy Lemaster. Secondly, it’s pretty odd that the record isn’t coming out on the label that Oberst helped build and has spent his entire career pushing and helping to grow, maybe even more odd that it’s not being released on Saddle Creek sub-label Team Love, which Oberst himself runs.

Regardless, I’m sure there is some perfectly logical explination and I’m ure someone’s publicist or manager will be telling us all what that is within a day or two Until then speculate on who is in the “Mystic Valley Band”

Conor Oberst (Tracklist): (Merge – 8/5)

01 Cape Cañaveral
02 Sausalito
03 Get-Well-Cards
04 Lenders in the Temple
05 Danny Callahan
06 I Don’t Want to Die (in the Hospital)
07 Eagle on a Pole
08 Moab
09 NYC – Gone, Gone
10 Valle Místico (Ruben’s Song)
11 Souled Out!!!
12 Milk Thistle

[mp3] Bright Eyes – Conor Oberst

(I have no idea where or when I got this, but it’s old)

Buy Bright Eyes / Oberst records at insound.

Bright Eyes : A Simpler Time

“Now I’m on a plane, off singin’ my songs again, but please don’t think ill of it, because it’s the reason I exist,” sings a young Conor Oberst on Entry Way Song, a poorly recorded mournful acoustic ballad. There was a day when I would’ve listened and grown so bored, but not anymore. See, Casadaga was my least favorite record Conor Oberst has ever made, and probably ever will make. It was too easy! Where was the positively unbearable pain that haunted you into our hearts, Conor?

So this is a celebration of the often bad, always poorly recorded, but inexplicably great songs Conor used to churn out with the help of Mike Mogis, Andy Lemaster, and all the closeted skeletons he could dig up.

[mp3] Bright Eyes – I Won’t Ever Be Happy Again
[mp3] Bright Eyes – Soon You’ll Be Leaving Your Man
[mp3] Bright Eyes – Pioneer’s Park
[mp3] Bright Eyes – Entry Way Song
[mp3] Bright Eyes – Drunk Kid Catholic

Buy Bright Eyes records.

Who cares about the Grammy’s?

I sure don’t (as evidenced by my posting about them two days later, I guess). What was once a greatly revered ceremony is really quite meaningless now. In 2015, when there is one major label left to house all the heavy hitters, and everyone else is self-releasing or starting their own indies, what will become of the Grammy’s then? Will anyone care?

I tried to watch the Grammy telecast but every time I caught a glimpse of the most ego-tistical man in the universe (look up) I just couldn’t stand it. It was nice to see Amy Winehouse take some home, who I’ve actually taken a small liking to recently, and even more surreal to see Bright Eyes win a golden gramophone (for Cassadaga’s packaging).

So, in closing, did you watch them? Did you care about them? Will you watch them next year?

[mp3] Amy Winehouse – You Know I’m No Good (Remix)
[mp3] Bright Eyes – Soul Singer in a Session Band

The Hottest State

Soundtracks are an often overlooked source of joy for me. I love a good soundtrack, and I love a score even better. The Hottest State is a little bit of both and somehow was overlooked completely, though it features a tracklist with names such as M. Ward, Feist, Cat Power, Norah Jones, Bright Eyes, and the Black Keys. The Hottest State, if you don’t know, is a film by Ethan Hawks, and it’s soundtrack was curated by Mr. Hawke as well. You might also be in the dark about the source of said songs, well good reader, let me inform you. Each and every song on the album was written by a fellow named Jesse Harris. You could know Jesse as the guy who wrote that one song for Norah Jones, or you could know him by his solo career, which is also worth your attention.

Full disclosure: I’ve yet to see the Ethan Hawke film which the soundtrack accompanies yet, but I can tell you that the soundtrack is, for lack of a good adjective, amazing. Admittedly, it’d be hard to screw something up with the aforementioned list of contributors, but Harris’ sparse and intimate songs make a very nice canvas for painting on.

[mp3] Feist – Somewhere Down the Road

Buy The Hottest State Soundtrack.