Album Reviews

Smartly arranged and orchestrated, nicely recorded and beautifully packaged, Bright Eyes’s latest double LP set is a wistful set that begins oddly but effectively with a denouement of a song about the encroaching pincer forces of corporate, military and religious aggressors (“If you think that God is keeping score, hooray!”)

Conor Oberst, the young man behind the band and the Saddle Creek label sings of times that have changed, of the onslaught of religious insanity, superstition, a musician’s life and loves on the road, and desperate methods of escape.

“If the Brakeman Turns My Way,” a song about the mysteries of artistic creation, of inspiration and burning out sounds like something filtered through Dylan and The Band, though Oberst himself sounds much like Melanie if you can wrap your brain around that!

There’s a tinge of self-pity infecting a few songs but overall Oberst is looking for love, plying his trade, seeing the world and reporting back what he finds with invigorating youthful passion and refreshing idealism filtered through a muted fatalism appropriate to the dismal opening of the 21s century.

In “Soul Singer in a Session Band” Oberst takes on music business jackals the tough life of journeymen musicians and the ephemeral nature of fame. That’s a literal interpretation. It’s possible the song is allegorical and about New Orleans.

Despite glints of Dylan and Springsteen (listen to “Classic Cars” and you’ll hear shades of both) Conor Oberst is his own man and he brings a modern, yet tuneful sensibility to the singer/songwriter genre.

The arrangements are sophisticated and full-bodied and occasionally fully orchestral but mostly they feature various strings, percussion and backup vocals augmenting the usual guitar/bass/drum foundation.

Recording quality is outstanding as well, for a “modern” recording where sections parts and mixes take place at various venues. Clearly good sound was on the minds and in the hearts of all involved and that includes timbral and spatial honesty, impressive dynamic contrasts and like Bell and Evans chicken, minimal processing.

Topping the bill here though is the astounding packaging. First of all there’s a 6 panel, full-sized insert with lyrics and credits, printed on heavy black glossy stock that’s embossed with a huge pair of even blacker, glossier hands emanating Ley Lines or energy hot spots between them.

Cassadaga, by the way, is a town in Florida founded by psychic George Colby in 1894 (www.cassadaga.com) that is known as “The Psychic Center of the World.” You can go there for your next metaphysical.

While the insert is nicely done what’s really special about the packaging is the plastic “Spectral-Decoder” enclosed in the jacket. It’s about a five-inch square containing some kind of transparent polarizing filter. The album cover and the insert’s front page look like black and white TV “snow” until you place the “Spectral-Decoder” on them, and only then can you see the pyramids, the snakes, the palm trees and other drawings, plus a series of cryptic pronouncements such as “These myths are sacred and profane,” and “May Saturn enter your eighth house,” some of which may be anagrams.

Whatever they mean, one thing’s for sure: between the packaging’s mysterious charm and high grade production quality and the excellent sound, Bright Eyes’s Cassadaga is an album you cannot appreciate as a download!

Highly recommended. If you’ve not heard this guy, buy this and work your way back!