I was initially a little underwhelmed at the new songs from Bright Eyes – they seemed a bit of a step back from the tour de force that was I’m Wide Awake, It’s Morning. But then I realized that I was just being silly. It remains to be seen if he can put together another full album as good as the last, but if the limited output so far in 2007 is any sign, Cassadega is likely to be one of the best records of the year.
I think it’s fair to say that Conor Oberst has officially shed the “sensitive folk singer” label, even as he left behind “emo” in 2005. Not that he is no longer sensitive, but these tracks simply rock too much to be bound into that narrow genre. “Reinvent the Wheel,” in particular, somehow manages to simultaneously remind me of a nice, rocking Tom Petty track and a choral Sufjan Stevens arrangement. It’s a testament to his talent that he can walk this line without stumbling.
“Four Winds” is bluesy, dark, just a little bit dangerous. Of course, this is Bright Eyes, so let’s not go overboard – there is danger, but it’s a well-rounded, aesthetic danger. Satan, the whore of Babylon, these are invoked to give depth to a glorious fiddle-based romp. He has changed a lot from the angsty, precocious kid, but he’s not exactly Tom Waits. Which is perfectly fine by me.
The Four Winds EP is out March 6, and the full LP Cassadega is out April 10.