Sunday, November 09, 2008
A+E, Music, Reviews

CONOR OBERST

“CONOR OBERST” (MERGE)

Somewhat comparable to a doe-eyed Ryan Adams, Conor Oberst is a prolific singer-songwriter whose albums are never less than pleasantly distracting, but are ultimately forgettable. Hiding behind Bright Eyes and other monikers for his 13-year career (until now), Oberst has shifted bands as often as he’s flitted across music genres since he was a precociously talented tween.

   This year’s model finds Oberst wandering down to Tepoztlan, Mexico, setting up residence in a temporary studio and joining forces with the ad-hoc Mystic Valley Band, which also accompanies him on the supporting tour. They provide competent if faceless backing for another set of lyrically weighty tunes that veer more toward country/roots-rocking than the introspective folk, pop and rock that dominate Oberst’s catalog.

    This disc has moments that seem like keepers, but little jumps out with the immediacy that demands repeated spins. Songs such as the opening acoustic number “Cape Canaveral” float around relatively amorphous melodies that seldom resolve into memorable choruses. 

   As with Dylan, Oberst’s bursts of plentiful lyrics seem to be worth investigating. Perhaps “Get-Well Cards,” with its picturesque images of a “postman sleeping in the sand” with a “get well card to deliver by hand,” has a deeper meaning that will take further analysis to uncover.

    “There’s nothing that the road cannot heal,” Oberst sings on the quizzically titled “Moab,” to the accompaniment of jauntily strumming acoustic guitars.  That may be so, but this intermittently enjoyable set wanders down well-worn paths that seem to go nowhere particularly interesting. 2 STARS—Hal Horowitz