blackleatherbookshelf | Entries tagged with bright eyes

The Curse of John Ritter
3 Out Of 5 Stars

There are fans of literary type singer songwriters. Trouble is, they are few and far between, and tend to work a vociferous cult that falls in love with what you;re creating, while the rest of the world sits by in sonic indifference. Josh Ritter is that kind of guy. Rivaling Bob Dylan and Bruce Springsteen for intricate wordplay and Conor Oberst (of Bright Eyes) for slavishly devoted fans, all while giving his soft spoken voice room to trip and trickle around his songs.

His 2010 CD "So Runs The World Away" maintains that superb quality. Be it the travels of the ageless Pharaoh aboard a cruise to America ("The Curse") or the sly humor of the distorted "The Remnant," Ritter juggles folk idioms like few others save for Iron and Wine and Bright Eyes. Nowhere is this more in evidence than "Folk Bloodbath," which pulls Stagger Lee, Louis Collins, Delia and Judge Hanging Billy Lyons into one scenario where, ultimately, the pursuit of Delia brings them together. And, ultimately, "the angels lay them away." For those who wonder why I am okay with a Dylan comparison in Ritter's, case, download "So Runs The World Away" and start there.

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Current Mood: chipper
Current Location: Philadelphia
Current Music: "Folk Bloodbath" Josh Ritter

A great big melting pot of Bright Eyes
4 Out of 5 Stars

Conor Oberst once made the ambitious mis-step or releasing two Bright Eyes albums at once; he issued the classic "I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning" and the cringe worthy electronica of "Digital Ash in A Digital Urn" on the same day. One was a beautiful, thoughtful descendant of Bob Dylan, the other was an amateurish Kraftwerk homage. "The People's Key" sounds like he learned from that moment and pulled the best of each onto one album. "The People's Key" uses a full band to highlight Oberst's gifts of melody, penchant for strange narratives/spirituality and his curiosity for electronic instruments and forges them into a dynamic album with many highlights.

Like Iron and Wine's "Kiss Each Other Clean" (issued roughly the same time), "The People's Key" shows Oberst fleshing out the edges of his comfort zone with richer arrangements and fuller singing. Purists might not take to it easily, but there is a direct line from Oberst's time in Monster's Of Folk (who did a raucous concert performance), his more personal songs on the solo album and the opening narrative of "Cassadaga." Also, like Dylan, there are moments of inexplicable lyrical oddities that are as filled with beauty as they are strange. Who else could rhyme the title of the song "Haile Selassie" with the line about his audio equipment ("one drop and a bubbling Leslie, calling me home like Haile Selassie").

Oberst is a restless artist, as anyone who has followed his eclectic career can tell you. The wild mood swings on "The People's Key" are testament to that factor, yet it is strong enough an album to hold together. I'll probably always be wedded to the style of the man who wrote and sang "I'm Wide Awake," but even the annoying "shamanic vocals" credited to one Denny Brewer (without which I might have given this 5 stars) can distract from the richness of "The People's Key."

Current Mood: moody
Current Location: Philadelphia
Current Music: "Haile Selassie" Bright Eyes

Cleaning up the act
4 Out of 5 Stars

When I saw Sam Beam (aka Iron and Wine) at the Newport Folk Festival a few years back, I was amazed at just how different his singing was from the stage. Full throated and powerful, not the hushed whispery sound I was used to from his albums. A sound and a voice that surprised me, both by the sound and by how much I liked him. It made me wonder why he hadn't recorded himself that way before.

"Kiss Each Other Clean" is that record. Sam's major label debut (from Sub Pop to Warners), the new disc not only features Sam singing with his full voice, but with a much broader musical pallet. Turns out the guy must have been a serious Lindsey Buckingham buff, as much of this disc recalls the experimentation of Buckingham's "Go Insane" and "Law and Order" solos. While die-hard fans might be in for a shock from the electronics and jazzy horn sections, the songs themselves are still what I expect when I play an Iron and Wine album. Compositions like "Monkeys" and "Your Fake Name Is Good Enough For Me" are bursting with ideas and sounds that "The Shepherds Dog" merely hinted at. Even the Dj scratches and horns on "Big Burned Hand" (in my opinion, the weakest song on "Kiss") will have fans wondering where this Sam Beam has been hiding before letting it all cut loose.

The highlight for me is "Rabbit Will Run," which slides on a slinky groove with an interesting drum pattern before the music drops out entirely, leaving Sam's voice to ride on the open air. Then the song kicks back in with an ethereal new jazzy rhythm and flute solo. It's the kind of song that would have fit in on TSD or even the Ep "Woman King" as an ambitious experiment before this album, yet here it fits into Sam's new color scheme perfectly. Like the bulk of "Kiss Each Other Clean," it's gorgeous and ambitious; Beam is an artist who just keeps stretching into better and better places.