Still Burning Bright

Lifted or The Story is in The Soil, Keep Your Ears to the Ground" was my first experience with Bright Eyes. The song "You Will..." captivated me from the beginning, and I've followed Conor Oberst and company with great curiosity ever since. Bright Eyes 7th studio album, "The People's Key" is a departure from the recent folksy "Cassadaga", and leans more towards rock and effects. This album highlights Oberst's intellectual lyrics and quietly emotional vocals, and seems to be more highly produced than previous efforts.

Leading off the "The People's Key" is "Firewall". This track opens with over two minutes of spoken-word abstract musings (or "shamanic vocals" as they are referred to in the liner notes) by Denny Brewer of Refried Ice Cream. I found this to be annoying at first, but after listening to this CD a few times, Brewer's orations somehow just fit into the big picture like beaded door curtains in a college student's door room. If you can listen long enough to get past the far-out mysticism of Brewer's words, you'll be rewarded with a plodding, sharp, slow-rock tune that sets the tone for the remainder of the album. This is followed by "Shell Games", a beautiful tapestry of rock, pop, and poetic lyrics that makes for the most musically diverse track on the disc. Frantic rapid-fire snares introduce "Jejune Stars", a song that melodically bounces off your ears and finds Oberst defiantly crooning, "So it starts again, at our childhood's end, I'll die young at heart". Further on is "Haile Selassie", an upbeat rocker referring to the revered messiah of the Rastafari movement, punctuated by a yell of "One love" in one of the later verses. Also of note is "Ladder Song", a simple, pretty ballad highlighting Oberst's pleading voice over a morose piano background.

The People's Key" is laced with spiritual, lovelorn lyrics dealing with everything from the loss of long-held childhood beliefs to the struggle with faith and religiosity. Additionally, the ever-present theme of heartbreak permeates to the surface on multiple occasions as well. The production on this album is excellent, with the balance of electrical guitar, keyboards, percussion, and symphonic effects giving this album a quietly impassioned vibe, further augmented by Oberst's inspired, poetic prose. It has been rumored for some time that this will be Bright Eyes final album, and after repeatedly enjoying "The People's Key", I sincerely hope this is not the end.