Conor Oberst oversaw the evolution of Bright Eyes over the past 10 years offering a series of constantly changing albums which displayed the frontman’s outstanding ability to write a pop song in his many evolving guises.
Hardcore fans may have been left disheartened by the apparent refusal to return to what brought Bright Eyes to the limelight in the first place. Perhaps with ‘The People’s Key”s sciencefiction themes Oberst has travelled back in time for a little bit.
Cougar writer Jazmin commented “As someone who gave up on Bright Eyes a long time ago, ‘The People’s Key’ was an unexpected surprise in 2011. Harking back to the elements that made Conor Oberst lovable in the first place- strong vocals and acoustic guitars- this album seems like the natural follow up to 2002’s ‘Lifted’, not an album that comes almost 10 years later.
The People’s Key seems a genuine, emotional record, a far cry from Bright Eyes’ over produced outings such as ‘I’m Wide Awake, It’s Morning’, that often lacked the sincerity of his earlier records. So, if Conor Oberst has finally reconnected with what made his music so impressive in the first place, I hope there are many more albums like ‘The People’s Key’ to come‘.
TRACKS: Bright Eyes – Haile Selassie (Live, 08-30-2011, Providence, RI)
