In House #1848: Bright Eyes' Cassadaga; New Holly Golightly

For whatever reason, be it his past precocious earnestness or his premature crowning as New Musical Savior by journalists hungry for another Dylan, Conor Oberst has always been something of a polarizing figure. Add to the equation those instances where he has appeared to be trying too hard to be just that savior, and his detractors have had ammunition to use. Cassadaga, Oberst's sixth release as/with Bright Eyes, seems to find him turning lyrical and musical corners as he offers up a surprisingly straight-forward collection almost entirely devoid of the kind of self-indulgence that has weighed on his work in the past. M. Ward, Janet Weiss, Gillian Welch, and David Rawlings all appear in the mix in one capacity or another, helping Bright Eyes to what is at once their slickest-produced yet most traditionally-oriented work to date. Oberst and company appear to have benefited from finally moving the recording side of things outside of their Omaha-based studio, as the mix here is easily their most varied to date with plenty of strings, horns, pedal steel, and female backing vocals. Inevitably, the detractors will remain (some, no doubt, will even count themselves as former fans), but Oberst at 27 finally sounds like a guy at least somewhat worthy of that early Dylan hyperbole. Bright Eyes plays Salt Lake City's Kingsbury Hall on April 29th with opener Oakley Hall.

Bright Eyes

In House #1848.
Airdate: 4/13/07
Focus: New release from Bright Eyes, Cassadaga, plus new music from Holly Golightly & the Brokeoffs, Kristy Kruger, Paul Duncan, Centro-Matic, and more.

BONUS MP3s-
Bright Eyes, from Cassadaga:

"Four Winds" (MP3)

"No One Would Riot for Less" (MP3)

Holly Golightly & the Brokeoffs, from You Can't Buy a Gun When You're Crying:

"Devil Do" (MP3)

PLAYLIST

In House PODCAST #293