BRIGHT EYES play Sound Academy March 13. See listing. Rating: NN
Conor Oberst has said he’s sick of the Americana roots influences that dominate his more recent recordings, and, sure enough, you can’t call The People’s Key a folk album. If anything, much of it sounds closest to the Cars’ new wave rock. Clearly, Oberst has embraced his pop tendencies wholeheartedly.
On a purely musical level, there are some strong hooks and inventive arrangements, but it feels like something’s missing. Fragments of bizarre spoken-word ramblings float in and out, but it’s hard to tell if he’s making fun of the wild-eyed conspiracy theories or actually believes them. He definitely seems to be asking vaguely mystical and spiritual questions, leading to some unfortunate cringe-worthy lyrics.
It’d be easier to overlook the flaws if it weren’t for Ladder Song, a late addition to the album written in reaction to a friend’s suicide. The intense emotional immediacy of the ballad makes it all too clear how much better the rest of the disc could have been.
Top track: Ladder Song