Bright Eyes
Every Day And Every Night
»
Bright Eyes
Every Day And Every Night
Saddle Creek, 1999
RiYL: Violent Femmes, Neutral Milk Hotel, Jeremy Enigk |
That is what is being said of 18 year-old Conor Oberst, the singer-songwriter that is Bright Eyes, and if Every Day And Every Night is any indication, then yes, believe the hype. The young man is quite good.
With a supporting cast of friends and members Of Montreal, this five song EP explores the world of a hopeless romantic that when not obsessing about lovers and devotion, concentrates on the deterioration of the mind and body.
On tracks "A Line Allows Progress, A Circle Does Not," and "On My Way To Work," Oberst is able to paint portraits that somehow mesh the everyday living of a Norman Rockwell with the paranoid atmosphere Alfred Hitchcock's "The Birds"
"A Perfect Sonnet" is a turbulent song about heartbreak, desire and destiny that ultimately wishes all lovers could "be tied together and thrown into the ocean in the worst of weather, and left there to drown in their innocence." But aside from the impressive and precocious lyrics, the delivery of the song is what sets Oberst apart from most college freshmen. Thanks in part to his over-the-top delivery, Oberst evokes a certain sense of urgency that demands the listener to drop everything and pay attention.
Musically recalling the voice of The Violent Femmes, and with a gift for songwriting that only comes around every so often, Bright Eyes is a welcome presence to the indie rock community. But at the same time, he will make any Nash Kato feel like Salieri to Oberst's Mozart.
MARK GROESCHNER | Mark Groeschner is the creator of the late, great satirical Web site Public Nigmity. When not soothing the nerves of his pudgy cat Yoda or harassing people from afar on the Internet, he works for the commercial/video production company Brand New School.