Premature Evaluation: Bright Eyes - Cassadaga
Preliminary blog chatter about Bright Eyes' seventh studio album hasn't boded well for the man who made Omaha famous -- like maybe "Four Winds" is the only thing not blowing on Cassadaga, that the throw-stuff-at-the-band video for that first single's a prescient backlash harbinger (well, good thing indie kids have bad aim and weak arms).
We've instigated marathon listening sessions and it's official: Ever since Conor Oberst stopped obsessing over the poetry of his personhood and instead tried tackling a larger political landscape, the Nueva Yorker's increasingly lost his voice. Notice how John Darnielle's better when he's inventing stories about other people? Well, Oberst can be truly excellent at navel-gazing, utterly bland when trying to be a spokesperson for anything outside of his fevers and mirrors.
There are some smart 'n' striking images here (country singers dropping dead in classic cars, a woman birthing a "funeral dirge"), but with those come a higher thread count of embarrassing quips ("corporate or colonial, the movement is unstoppable" / "like the body of the centerfold, it spreads," "So I made love / Yeah, I've been fucked ... So what?") as well as material that sounds ultra outdated (crap about the death of the postmodern author, etc). The latter makes weird sense: Cassadaga finds Oberst inching very close to music your parents (and Borders and NPR and the Boss [in all senses]) will like more than you do. It's like he's replaced his own vocal angst with these cheesy, melancholic string flourishes that sound pasted on rather than fully integrated. (It's truly nice hearing his teary vibrato pop up on "No One Would Riot For Less." More of that, Conor!)
The general ho-hum level raises another question: Now that Arcade Fire's upping the histrionics (albeit with less colorfully satisfying lyrics) is Oberst as necessary for relocating our teenage angst? We sorta like "Middleman," but it could very easily be a Ryan Adams B-Side, i.e. not that good.
But, well, is boring bad? Guess that's the issue … There's nothing that blush-worthy (well, maybe that "centerfold" line, a dozen other forced rhymes, and the strings), but dude really needs to find a way to slip his heart back onto his sleeve. We have thread and some pins, if he's willing to stop by…
Cassadaga is out is out 4/10 on Saddle Creek.
Posted at 5:34 PM in Premature Evaluation
Tags: Bright Eyes
yeah, whatever...
if he kept doing his old stuff, you'd be begging him to do something different....
so, he is....and now you want his old stuff....
wtf?
if you're a fan....you're a fan....
i like his old stuff....his new stuff.....and look forward to his newest collection of stuff....
are you bored or just boring?
can't wait to see 'em at the fox in atlanta!
with gillian welch!
(maybe i'll bring my mom)
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I hear alot of simon and garfunkel in it, especially on some of those slower songs, 'smoke without fire' on the four winds ep especially. Personally I think it's at it's best with the spirite country folk-jams like four winds and 'soul singer in a session band'.
I tend to disagree that conor is at his best writing the slower, personal stuff. If he could take the passion and energy of the desaparecidos sound and put that alt-country twist on it, I think he'd have something.
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I'm glad that some people are finally realizing that even the "almighty Conor" can fall backwards into a shithole of mediocrity. I can't wait until the used CD bins start filling up with this album. It's all downhill (or uphill for me) from here.
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I agree. If nothing changed, we'd complain about that too. What kind of great artist puts out 6 albums without any sort of change or progression? Crappy classic rock bands perhaps. I got Cassadaga in the mail yesterday. At first (and second) listen, I give it a thumbs up.
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I think he's just played it very safe. It's not too experimental in that he hasn't taken many risks. So it's about solid, one of those albums that makes you listen to the older catalog as well.
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"I can't wait until the used CD bins start filling up with this album"
is that the day you'll be complete as a person?
nothing's for everybody. try not to get so worked up.
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"I can't wait until the used CD bins start filling up with this album"
Is this exciting for you b/c it means you can buy them all for yourself? You must be a HUGE fan.
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If he'd expanded on the sounds he dabbled in on Digital Ash, we'd (rightfully) be calling Oberst self-indulgant. There's always been something at least a little dad-rockish about Bright Eyes. One should be neither surprised nor alarmed to hear him move in that direction.
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I like Cassadaga more than his previous albums. Not so much whiny, quavering Conor, but a roots/country feel that is damn good.
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I've had this album on repeat for two days now. It's a pretty solid sound, although, it does get a bit boring at times (Cleanse Song, what what?) I like how he threw 'I Must Belong Somewhere' on here. I was kind of disappointed that 'Stray Dog Freedom' didn't make the cut though. Ah well, pretty hot album either way.
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I got it in the mail a couple of days ago and also think it's a really solid album. The album sounds like the direction "I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning" and "Four Winds" was going towards.
And besides the album packaging alone makes this album great.(I have the vinyl, does the CD version have the same decoder for the album artwork?)
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What is with these premature evaluations that always lamely compare an album to the most previous stuff. This album is great and I didn't need to delve into his meter and imagery to figure that out.
If you want to nitpick over wordplay Stereogum, why not just read over how affected this review is. Ever since you compartmentalized each and every post with some brand-ready logo it's clear that this site is just becoming one more magazine carrying faceless opinions.
Just let an artist release a damn album and be thankful he actually made it.
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Teen angst is old and boring. And I'm only 22. Conor is 5 years older than me and it's absolutely time for him to move on to subject matter more diverse than his breaking heart. Besides, if and when I do want to hear that kind of stuff, I can put on Fevers/Mirrors or Lifted.
Cassadaga, to me, is the logical evolution of the sound he has been refining since Lifted. It's more than just a genre exercise (like Digital Ash and Wide Awake -- as good as they are -- were IMO) and the themes he sings about seem pretty consistant and well-defined. At times the production does sound a bit slick, but you can easily tell that there was a lot of care put into the construction of each song -- all the found sounds and effects, the swirling, dissonant swells of the orchestra, that wind ensemble that fleshes out the baroque pop "Make A Plan to Love Me".
If I have any criticism of the album right now, it's that that songs all seem to be mid-tempo, middle volume compositions. It doesn't feel quiet as dynamic as his first few albums (blame compression?).
I do hope that the next records breaks from the folk/alt. countryish style he's become so fond of. I was hoping that this album would incorporate more of the electronic elements of Digital Ash... perhaps that's the style he should move towards.
I have to totally disagree that "so i made love, yeah i've been fucked... so what" is lame. It's a great lyric.
And "Coat Check Dream Song" has been stuck in my head ever since this leaked.
That's all for now.
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the decoder does come on the cd as well. that thing is pretty cool. i'm glad to see artist do more with the packaging these days (i.e. beck, menomena etc.).
and saddle-creek did it right by mailing them out two weeks early with a bonus song for only 11 bucks.
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Sanjaya singing SWEET CHARIOT pre-idol @ his local gospel:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YDtTVSkFHyM
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you people only like what you you don't have. this album is clearly different, but great. if you pause for a second to stop hating everything, you might actually find something you like. this just might be it.
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ill take this over arcade fire ANY DAY.
this is LEAGUES better than arcade fire
the record is far better than youre making it out to be.
and "coat check dream song" is probably among the best that hes ever done.
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I don't care what anyone says, "Classic Cars" is one of Conor's best songs ever.
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i like it. he's not a angsty 16 yr old anymore. maybe he grew up. alot of the old stuff is unbearable to listen to despite the lyrics.
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You have to start another premature evaluation post for the Nationals new album. It's pretty good.
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this album is terrible and im a longtime fan
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Why do you insist on tearing down Conor in pre-reviews? When you see Jeff Buckley and Elliot Smith taken from us so early, you should cherish Bright Eyes' work as long as they are making honest music that comes from their lives and their friends (ie. Mike Mogis?) If Conor put out 5 albums like Cassadaga I would line them up on my best-of shelf and just be glad that I ever discovered him. I mean how many of you still find friends that have NEVER heard Bright Eyes?!? It's nuts but still happens to me.....and then you play them just one track and they're hooked for life.
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I think conor is and always will be the best and most talented musician that ever lived.and i belive he is the most incredible songwriter!he goes beyond what people expect him to sing or play,and makes something new and different.
His voice is still the most amazing and heartfelt voice ive ever heard,and no one could ever compare to his talent.
conor was hurting at the time he wrote fevers and mirrors[which is absolutely incredible],and you shouldnt wish he was very depressed again.thats just MEAN and selfish.if you were him would you want to still feel the pain he did at that time?!
i dont care what anyone says about conor,because hes just fucking incredible and genius and no critic or record reviewer is going to change that.
he does what he feels and to criticize someone for being themselves and being individual isnt very "indie" like this site says it is,after all.
Cassadaga is incredible,and I completely dissagree that he uses "forced ryhmes and embarrasing quips".I think the WHOLE album has amazing lyrics,and great imagrey:just like all of his other work.
someone makes something different than the normal sound you hear when you listen to an album, and you criticize it.there is no one out there who puts more heart and soul into their music than him.Personally,I don't want to hear drum machines and electronics along with distorted voices and meaningless lyrics like most of the shit out there today.thats not talent.
bright eyes has TALENT.conor composes,writes,and sings all of his music with all the talent he has inside,and can play multiple instruments.
so whoever wrote this review is a fucking idiot!
dont criticize unless you can do better.
every song is different and amazing :]
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"When you see Jeff Buckley and Elliot Smith taken from us so early, you should cherish Bright Eyes' work..."
That's just an inappropriate comparison. Conor Oberst has created nothing that compares to their work, and I really enjoy the two Bright Eyes albums worth owning.
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Quick Survey: Those of you above praising the album: Raise your hand if youre over 25. No one? Thanks.
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Oh Scott, when will you come back to start writing proper "reviews?" Your underlings don't have half the wit--and take it all soooooooo seriously. I suggest these folks writing for you stop gazing at their own damn navels while thinking they're the center of the universe.
I thought the Four Winds EP was almost as good as Lifted or I'm Wide Awake, so I look forward to hearing this "middle of the road" direction. Gee, I guess that's because I'm a Springsteen fan in his 30s.
Okay, I'll get off my soapbox now, and guess I'll start acting mature.
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"Quick Survey: Those of you above praising the album: Raise your hand if youre over 25. No one? Thanks."
Jesus Christ, man, is that the best you can do? There are better and more legitimate ways to discredit Conor's work.
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I'm honestly just amazed that the only reason this album leaked is because Saddle Creek rocks the house and sends pre-orders out like 2/3 weeks early. That's fucking amazing.
As for the album itself... It's not AMAZING, but it's at least solid. It definitely seems to be taking the direction that he started to go towards in with "I'm Wide Awake", but somehow more defined. I don't like that it's more defined. 6.5 on Pitchfork? Confirmed.
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I know I've said this before, but Four Winds=Bad Version of Whiskeytown.
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I like the sound of the record, not sure about the lyrics yet, haven't really listened that closely
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neuvo? try nouveau.
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I think Post #1 hit it on the head pretty well. If he had released more "my-heart-is-broken-and-i'm-sad" stuff - he would've never heard the end of it. Critics would've blasted him as well. It really makes no difference. So, his lyrics reflect his state of mind now - that's a good thing. At least he's not obsessing on over how bad he has it....instead he's looking at something bigger than himself.
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oh mr. stereogum, you really entertain me. i like this album, but your review makes me want to like it less. you are good at what you do. keep it up.
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attn: aperfectsonnet
stop, you're embarassing yourself.
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"Quick Survey: Those of you above praising the album: Raise your hand if youre over 25. No one? Thanks."
Quicker survey: raise your hand if you're incapable of appreciating music made for the common man.
So far, Cassadaga doesn't feel like a "great" album to me in the way that Lifted immediately did, but I think it's sad that so many people relish the opportunity to rip Conor because he isn't as formally ambiguous as fucking Panda Bear.
I hope I never reach the age where I instinctively treat youth with sneering condescension.
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the ROSIE O'DONNELL 9/11 TRUTH STUFF is WAY MORE INTERESTING!!!! how about a POST stere0gum!!!????
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I really like "I Must Belong Somewhere" and "Four Winds", but aside from that, nothing grabs me as being incredible the way a lot of the tracks from Wide Awake did.
This album is a big step back for Conor if only because he relies so much on the instrumentation that if you stripped it away, you'd be left with 8-10 bare tracks with no personality.
Also, for anyone who has Conor's Bonnaroo 2006 performance of "Soul Singer", did he strip the life out of that song or what? Sometimes on the album version he sounds like he doesn't even care, and it doesn't help that the albums backup vocals have taken a huge hit from the quality of Emmylou Harris' beautifully worked harmonies.
It's not a bad album by any means, but it's just a huge step to the side for Conor.
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And "Coat Check Dream Song" has been stuck in my head ever since this leaked.
Really? This is my least favorite track.
i hated this album when i first heard it.
now i rather enjoy it after a few repeats.
i still don't think it's anywhere near the quality of fevers and mirrors, lifted, letting off the happiness, or even i'm wide awake it's morning, but...it's enjoyable, and a good record.
favorite tracks:
"if the brakeman turns my way"
"soul singer in a session band"
but, to each his own...
i think the indie community would be much better off if kept those four words in mind.
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"i had a lengthy discussion about the power of myth with a post-modern author....who didnt exist, in this fictitious world, all reality twists, I was a hopeless romantic, now I'm just turning tricks" Those are good lyrics and they have nothing to do with an author dying as the articles suggest in an inconcieved arguement against the lyrics of this album. Come on?? Get the lyrics right if you're going to pan them. The lyrics are still good, and at times amazing. I 'm not entirely sure how I feel about the record yet, there are several fillers and few of the songs really stand out. I have agree with whoever said the real complain should be that the albums lacks diversity in tempo and dynamics. It feels rushed, overproduced, and passionless. There are still quality songs and I'm satisfied to have yet another Bright Eyes album. It's not his best, but oh well. Blondie, the Stones, Dylan, The Beatles....they all came out with less than stellar albums...This is Conor's
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Yikes....am I really the only one raising my hand? (over 25).....I think I'll go do my taxes or review my 401K....something age appropriate.
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i'm 40 year old, bitches....
get over it.....this kid conor has been doing this shit for years and he's doing it right....
owns the damn label....
puts out his music on his own terms....
works with a nice diverse talented group of artists...
and has done all this outside the standard crappy norm that is the record biz....
bright eyes has set the mark.....
this is just one of many albums in what is already a pretty impressive catalog....
how can you playa hate?
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I'm not sure how everyone here is being so hateful of the album.
I wasn't a huge fan of B-sides on the Four Winds EP, and was a bit skeptical of the direction he was going. After all, it'd be quite hard to top Wide Awake.
Listening to Cassadaga, now, I'm sold on the fact that this will likely be his "breakthrough" album, as it's quite a bit more accesible (but doesn't sarifice his signature sound or songwriting).
Although I don't like to make premature judgements, I think I like this better than any of his other stuff.
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look, im not saying he needs to be hurting ala fevers and mirrors. heck, i love lifted and a good part of im wide awake. but this cd blows. the reviewer was right-- the strings do feel forced and like they're not even well integrated with the songs. his lyrics have taken a sharp turn for the worst. all these story songs are rather trite (which is probably the reason he puts pretty much nothing into his vocal delivery. not to say he needs to do the vibrato/emotional stuff, but come on).
ive been listening to conor for a long time. i really love the stuff as early as 'collections' (when he was a teenager) to 'i'm wide awake' (although i hated 'digital ash' for the most part). im just not satisfied with this at all.
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I'm gonna agree with SAM and say that the album version of 'Soul Singer' isn't as good as the live bootleg I've been listening to for a few months.
The album version totally strips the great piano parts right out, and the tempo now is more plodding. The song feels less vibrant. I still enjoy the album version, however. Just a little disappointed with the studio treatment.
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my only complaint is that it sounds too fucking clean, or "overproduced" as someone said above, ironically, like an MTV hit, or something, and I'm not sure if I like that... 'cuz usually when artists try to do things for "the masses" they focus too much on making it big, instead of just being honest.
It's just my opinion,I haven't heard the whole thing, though, so I don't really know,...
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If anyone would post a link to the old version of "soul singer" that you guys are talking about, that'd be swell. BTW, Coat Check Dream Song is probably one of the worst songs on the album... The indian yodeling part is just odd. Lime Tree however is... amazing.
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Never listened to Bright Eyes before, but I quite like that "No One Would Riot For Less" song. It has this bridge that sounds like something you could drop into a Western film. Other than that, I haven't heard anything else from them, but they seem to be pretty good.
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"...but that could be a ryan adams b-side"
-awesome
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Speaking of B-Sides Ryan, any more super sweet sick dope beats coming to your website anytime soon? Or maybe a monkey juggling some elephants? Both would be sweet.
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so what we are saying here is that instead of singing songs about teen angst for 14 yr old girls he has moved to teen angst songs for the over 40-set.
either way it is still awful garbage that only the sappiest of people could enjoy.
someone needs to give conner a good ass kicking so he can sit up and fly right.
can't be a pussy all your life.....
(let the ripping comments from skinny indie kids with bad aim begin...)
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Kill or be Killed! Some of the lyrics are cheesy ("it spreads"??) but this is NOT a ho hum boring album. This is epic stuff, we got spoiled by 4 winds but even the slower songs are exciting. The ending to Lime Tree is chilling. Stereogum's too cynical.
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my guess: 7.8 pitchfork rating
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He DID do the heart on his sleeve/something different and interesting with "Digital Ash In A Digital Urn" but everyone snubbed it for "I'm Wide Awake..." and because of that, we got "Cassadaga". There's no one to blame but the press and the fans, who asked for more and now don't want it.
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No, really, the album is just plain boring...
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off subject, but has anyone seen the new hype machine???? did u see who the partnerships are with?! what the hell
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I like the woodwinds. It's classy.
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hahah, the hype machine thing's gotta be april fools. good one, though.
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as someone who is above the age of 25 and has followed the career of conor and his band, i honestly feel a bit redeemed by this album. i was rather underwhelmed by the dual release of "wide awake" and "digital ash". this for me sounds more organic. more honest. and i truly enjoy and respect this work. its not going to change the world. it's not going to apease the naysayers. but it is a solid album with quality work from all involved, and i do truly feel that the writing is top form. mr. oberst is a talented man and i think that he's finally taking control of his talent. he's writing about himself. and thats great. "if the brakeman turns my way" is especially impressive. but then again, i'm too old for this scene anyway and so are the men behind the music. what do we know about hip?
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i'm kind of on the fence about the new sound on Four Winds and Cassadaga. there are some songs i like, but there are also a few songs that i tend to skip over, unlike previous albums. i think this one is sort of a training ground for him and maybe with the next one, this sound he's trying out will be less 'ho-hum', so to speak, and more defined hopefully.
also read this article if you haven't already. explains his new musical direction plus his European Polydor deal and his new licensing terms with Saddle Creek.
http://www.reuters.com/article/entertainmentNews/idUSN2732293220070327?feedType=RSS
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im a fan.
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I read these comments and garner a few things...
1. It was generally enjoyed by most fans (who, to be fair, probably came to Conor's defense by posting in the first place).
2. People actually care about a P-fork rating? Thought we had all moved above that.
3. Most people don't want to talk about the fact that while the album is inconsistent, it has some truly remarkable songs on it. I've never understood why we're such an "album" fanbase here in the independant music world, unappreciative of the fact that a guy can throw 5-7 great tracks on a 13 song record, because the funny this is, those 5-7 tracks we individually think are great will vary greatly. I think Classic Cars, If the Brakeman Comes my Way, Four Winds, and I Must Belong Somewhere are the standouts, and you may think "Cleanse Song" is the best. Regardless, I doubt music fans can listen to this album and not find something they enjoy. Some will love it all, and I assume there are the folks out there that dislike two songs and don't listen to the rest of the album and call it the worst album they've ever listened to.
4. I think user "julie" who starts her post "I'm 40 years old bitches..." made the best points about Bright Eyes in general.
5. I hope Sufjan, Noah Lennox, and Joanna Newsom collaborate on a song to be featured in a Starbucks commercials to watch your reactions--you guys really riled up over this stuff.
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i think cassadaga is great. conor said it himself, he's not a kid anymore. its been a long time since his fevers & mirrors days and i'm glad that his music has matured as well.
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I think it's silly to argue over opinion. Everyone is right! I personally don't like most of the new Bright Eyes, but I'm sure there are a lot of people who hate albums I love. Get over it!
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I want to see Sufjan do Starbucks too.
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attn:jesuschrist
lol please tell me why by saying my own opinions im embarrasing myself?
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oh btw jesuschrist..
i think you should be embarrased of yourself for pretending to be god lol.get your own identity
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i've been listening to a promo copy of the album for a couple weeks in my record store and i can say for certain that oberst has definitely moved into the dad-rock category. he fits in perfectly well with old rockers like scott miller and bill kirchen. but he still has the totally emo voice, so still indie rock. what am i saying? i dunno, maybe pick a side and stick to it. don't stradle the fence man. what happened to the stylish artsy production of the other albums? i don't need this generic alt-country junk. there are some decent songs, but hardly worthy of many repeat listens.
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perhaps those who do not like it do not realize that he is going for more of a whole band sound. which is effecting his writing and lyrical pitch, much like that of dylan when he took the same route. but none the less, he is doing what he should be doing. love it. hate it. connor oberst is a name you will remember
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perhaps those who do not like it do not realize that he is going for more of a whole band sound. which is effecting his writing and lyrical pitch, much like that of dylan when he took the same route. but none the less, he is doing what he should be doing. love it. hate it. connor oberst is a name you will remember
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I know what I like and I like music that grabs me by the heart, mind, and hits me in the solar plexus - as does Cassadaga. I have listened to little else since the album was released.
Besides, if there were anything to forgive, forgive him I would for writing and singing the most intriguing mix of spirit, intellectualism (not a dirty word type), emotion, the individual, the other, the group, history, current outrages and opther events, and all with a healthy concern for justice.
Music worth waiting for.
G²
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Wow, don't we all like to think we are more important than the next one. Like any artist, Bright Eyes are never going to be able to be everything to everyone. My thoughts are if you like it great, if you don't then just find something else that rings your bell and get outside instead of spending your life whining on forums, Losers.
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I'm A HUGE FAN, Have Been For A Decade. I Have To Agree - Cassadaga Is The Weakest Album Since "The Singles 94-97" or whatever that piece of shit was called. The Four Winds EP Had Stronger Material.. Since Reading About His New SOLO Album, It Has Brought Me Back To This Subject - "No One Would Riot For Less" IS SOLID & One OF His Best Songs.. "Lime Tree" IS CLASSIC CONOR & Very Good!!
"Coat Check Dream Song" is Pretty Good Too.. IT WAS THE BEST SHOW I'VE SEEN LIVE WHEN THEY WERE SUPPORTING THIS ALBUM & IT IS MORE GROWN UP.
It's True What Others Said, HE KIND OF FUCT EITHER WAY!!!
Cassadaga Just Isn't A CLASSIC ALBUM THAT I CAN LISTEN TO OVER 42 TIMES..
Fevers, Lifted, Wide Awake, & Digital Ash (I LOVE THAT ALBUM, Lyrically & Artistically!!) Are All TOP NOTCH GRADE A+ ALBUMS THAT I HAVE HEARD AS MANY TIMES AS RADIOHEAD OR MODEST MOUSE ALBUMS..
SOLO ALBUM SHOULD BE GOOD !!!!!
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