Bright Eyes
Cassadaga

If, upon the release of "I'm Wide Awake It's Morning" and "Digital Ash In a Digital Urn", someone was still wondering who that slim boy with the fragile demeanor was, who was increasingly talked about, and who had conquered the top spots on the Billboard charts with "Lua", now those questions and inquiries have become more timid and sporadic, and many recognize the talent, now repeatedly confirmed, of Conor Oberst, aka Bright Eyes.

Conor is an eccentric and multifaceted artist, versatile and captivating, afflicted by an extraordinary expressive bulimia that allows him to produce an infinity of tracks while always maintaining a solid qualitative originality; he is the rising star of American rock that has revealed itself with the explosive strength of his lyrics and his wonderful songs. The first time I heard his name, I turned up my nose, immediately thinking of one of those dull chart artists who disappear along with their well-groomed hairstyles and hypocritical pretenses after two or three insignificant singles. However, when I listened to him, I struggled to maintain that skeptical and superior first-listen attitude, while keeping an indifferent and relaxed expression on my face, I immersed myself in an enveloping, dense, and penetrating melody that implanted directly in my head. Those vivid notes clashed with my greed for new musical discoveries. Within a few months, Bright Eyes became one of my favorite contemporary artists. During a trip to the United States, I bought his entire discography, even the collaborations that are hard to find here in Italy.

In June 2005, I attended his concert in Turin, at Spazio 211. I remember being amazed both by the skill of that 24-year-old, who moved on stage with incredible and almost irritating confidence and by noting how few people had come to witness such an event, albeit free. Now, after almost three years of waiting, I can finally listen to the new work of young Conor, and wait, albeit with little hope, for him to add Italian dates to the already scheduled spring tour, sold out across Europe. Over the years, Bright Eyes' music has always expressed a certain conflict and contrast between traditional American folk music and the lo-fi style of Violent Femmes or the same Flaming Lips, the artist's youthful idols.

In the latest album, "Cassadaga", Conor leans towards the American folk tradition, more marked and evident compared to "I'm Wide Awake It's Morning", leaving aside a more dissonant and dark style that characterized previous albums. Even though I feel very close to the more "dark" side of Bright Eyes, to the vibrant noises and hypnotic sounds of "Letting off The Happiness", perhaps his most underrated album, I can't help but admire his tireless musical quest, which this time delves into the tradition's groove. The album opens with the now customary introductory track: a narrative voice interrupted by Conor's rough and at the same time velvety voice, which is then accompanied by orchestral melodies. This is followed by "Four Winds", one of the album's singles, already present in the homonymous EP, featuring a dense, compact, and enveloping sound: the guitars give structure to the track, reinforced by the typically folk harmonies of the violin and the organ's sighs. "If The Brakeman Turns My Way" opens with Conor's solo voice, gently accompanied by the piano, which then unfolds with the presence of slide guitars, bass, and organ, with a crescendo, and then with the chorus. The track strongly resembles Dylan from the '90s, particularly some pieces from the Unplugged, but at the same time, it seems a bit repetitive and excessively prolonged. Also, "Hot Knives", probably one of the album's most valid tracks, reminds one of the minstrel from Duluth, but it's closer to Bright Eyes' now established style, particularly in the solo voice and guitar parts and in the orchestral explosions, which much resemble certain pieces by Sufjan Stevens.

The next track, "Make A Plan To Love Me", perhaps overly affected due to the exaggerated contribution of strings and female voices, resembles the more recent albums of Leonard Cohen. The beautiful "Soul Singer In A Session Band" seems to be a tribute to Irish music and the swirling rhythms of the Pogues. "Classic Cars" is probably one of the album's best tracks: our singer's voice becomes more warm, anguished, and present, direct and limpid. "Middleman" is an exceptional song, lyrical and painted with violin patterns, once again showing evident references to Irish folk music, which is also directly connected to the American. "Cleanse Song", even more lyrical than the previous one, features almost tribal percussive rhythms, vibrant organ sighs, and also brass, notwithstanding the evident centrality of the acoustic guitar. And here comes a little gem, perhaps the best track of the album. "No One Would Riot For Less" really seems like one of Leonard Cohen's early masterpieces; Conor's voice is more serious, full, and deep, caressed by dreamy female vocals and accompanied initially by an acoustic guitar, later by the rest of the band, particularly strings and an obsessive drum rhythm. "Coat Check Dream Song", which seems like a track from "Digital Ash In A Digital Urn", but presented with classical instruments and without synthesizers or an electronic texture, takes hypnotic tones and draws from Indian music; its presence in the album seems like an unnecessary imposition, but one must also expect such surprises from the devilishly creative mind of young Oberst.

"I Must Belong Somewhere", the penultimate track, returns to adhere to the musical direction taken by the album and is perhaps the track that best suits Bright Eyes' personality and style: intertwining acoustic guitars, pulsing bass, organ, and dreamy voice, often yelled, sharp, and wonderfully off-key and tuneless. "Lime Tree" is the track that closes "Cassadaga". Here, Conor's voice is lighter, intimate but seems to echo in the sonic silence skillfully created by the violin and guitar; the melody is dark and linear, like a long and fascinating lament. Bright Eyes whispers sweetly, yet never sentimentally, like a moved and passionate storyteller. "Cassadaga" is a record of soft acoustic ballads which are not alternated, as in "I'm Wide Awake It's Morning", with faster and more electric ones; it should be seen as both a tribute and as the album of continuity, hence of artistic coherence, but above all of attained maturity.

Perhaps after this album, Bright Eyes will no longer be talked about as a talent that needs confirmation, but as an artist who, at only 27, has already said much. His talent will be in his exploration, in his love for different genres that he has always impeccably combined, and in his small imperfections and insecurities that define his great authenticity. "Cassadaga" might not possess the immediacy, clarity, and lyricism of "I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning", nor the mixture of genres and versatility that perhaps its predecessors had, like the exceptional and perhaps unsurpassed "Fevers and Mirrors", but it will remain one of the most important records, the album of consecration. The skeptics, traditionalists who once snubbed him, will now sing his praises, and those who appreciated Bright Eyes for his originality and vortex-like expressiveness, like myself, will understand its importance and beauty. This boy will never stop astounding me, loved viscerally or hated with equal fervor, yet always present and constant. If after listening to "I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning" one would descend into a shroud of blurred images, memories, regrets, and nostalgia, remaining somewhat apathetic and dreamy, after this, it becomes clear where this bony boy from Omaha has arrived and where he intends to go.

Once again, thank you, Conor.