Sorta loving everything Conor is up to these days. “Souled Out!!!” was a grabber from first stream, and his self-titled record with the Mystic Valley Band delivered with a rural, dusty, warm return-to-form LP. This first Alan Tanner-directed video from Conor Oberst is on point, too, firstly and foremostly for the reminder that Conor no longer looks like this, and also because it plays like the smile and wink you can hear in Conor’s voice throughout the track. He wakes up, goes for a walk, gets a haircut, plays in scuba gear (ala old friends), all on location, and by on location, I mean standing in front of a lo-fi movie projector screen with the occasional prop and costume change and tossed lock of hair.
Given all the metaphysical allusions and the clip’s projected images, it’s not too hard to see this as a riff on Plato’s cave allegory from The Republic. Or it just might be a fun and low cost way to make a good video. Either way, score. Conor played Leno and Ferguson this week, but YouTube hasn’t felt like playing along. Yet.
Conor Oberst is out on Merge.
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Mother Fuckin’ Death Set!
This is actually a really cool concept for a video.
what a great video to a fantastic song. Very creative and simple idea.
Good heavens, he’s adorable again.
weird, i can almost stand conor oberst now…whats happening to me?
also i heard from jim james mouth this weekend that the album with m. ward and conor is done and looking for a label…
jason and nik are hawt
Leno: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7yu8BrjlOpE
Ferguson: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MWcZCqdu9m0v
well, its better than the Vampire Weekend video…
there was a moment in that video where i thought “sweet jesus he looks just like elliott smith…”
Would everyone love this bland country so much if anyone else was making it?
I mean, this shit is OK, but I just want to hear some EMOTION again. Guess I’ll just keep spinning Fevers and Mirrors.
there is a difference between emotion and immature self-pity. Fevers and Mirrors is a great album, but it is immature. He grew up, deal with it.
We Totally Dig This!
[ look at the positiveness! ]
also: Harold and Maude-meets-http://www.gracemcsorely.com/
also: [to the bald man from LOST] emotion around the 2:50-ish mark.. . ?
oberst would’ve killed himself if he saw this 5 years before.
but its awesome
It’s so good to see him enjoying himself. Yay for happy Conor.
i’ve never been an oberst fan, but this is a pretty good song. his voice seems to have a bit more confidence, and it definitely sounds more mature. i might have to give this album a listen.
I’m really digging the new album, and the video’s really sweet too.
Excellent. Excellent. Excellent. I’m a Fevers and Mirrors kind of person too (As well as everything else up to Cassadaga). But this is also some good stuff. Hope people keep dropping the hate for him due to some weird notion they got from his early stuff. Though, it kind of seems people who dismiss him for that are really missing out on a huge amount of great material. I mean, have you heard “I’ll Be Your Friend”? He’s been writing great shit for years! There’s so many great early tracks. Maybe it will also get people going back through that stuff.
This video kind of gives me a early Flaming Lips vibe for some reason.
What a fucking poser! He looks like a goofy goon. HATE HIM!!!!!
good thing you don’t have an avatar. someone might’ve stolen your style by now.
ugh i agree with cygnet_comm. i loved conor’s old stuff, but i probably wouldn’t have given his new stuff a second thought had they not been labeled with his name. i’m hoping he reverts…
I’m having issues with your real name as well. maybe throw an “explains it all” at the end and I might open my wallet.
I agree with a previous comment, yeah this song is catchy and well made but i want the emotion back from conor.
been a fan of his music since fevers and mirrors era, I think if he didn’t change his style every record he would be bored like every other band on Saddle Creek. I mean, look at Cursive. Every album is completely different than the last. With that said, I think this album is a true return to form for him, instead of free verse poetry he actually wrote out some catchy hooks and choruses. I’m seeing him at other music on tuesday, can’t wait!
yeah this album is awesome! I didn’t really like it at first thinking it was just another cassadaga, but it really has that raw, off the cuff feeling that made “im wide awake” great (albiet not to quite the same result.)
the music video is awesome too
I’m in the opposite camp of a lot of these people. I HATED the sort of music he was making with Fevers and Lifted, and I’ve been wary about him ever since. That said, I think this is a really good sound for him.
Ugh. We wouldn’t be friends.
I think this album is some of the best stuff he’s ever done. I really like his whole catalog though besides Cassadaga. This stuff sounds really great, good for him.
Wow it’s…un-self conscious and light hearted! How appealing.
cassadaga without the overproduction, oh boy.