Better Oblivion Community Center - Self Titled
Conor Oberst. Phoebe Bridgers. It's fitting that Oberst means Colonel in German, because Oberst is definitely a high ranking official in the Indie/Emo world. It's almost impossible not to mention Bright Eyes when you hear his involvement on a project. There are even a ton of Better Oblivion Community Center YouTube covers of Bright Eyes songs with Phoebe singing along with Mr. Oberst or sometimes alone. Her voice is something special and getting together with a veteran like Oberst has the potential for some serious Emo material.
Better Oblivion Community Center is just that; Oberst and Bridgers coming together to give us all something we can get seriously mellow to. The first thing you notice after your first listen about this amalgam is that they sing together quite a bit, it's much less a duet and much more two lead singers. It has a trance-like effect. If you're listening for Obersts signature shaking, butterflies-in-your-stomach, voice, it's there; conversely if you came for Bridgers soft lullaby voice she is a monolith of her own here. The title of the first track fits the expectations clicking play on this album for the first time; Didn't Know What I Was In For. It opens with Phoebe; which I think was a smart move considering how many fans probably were just hoping for another Bright Eyes album (it's a side effect of writing some of the best Indie records ever; people don't want to move on. see: Guilt Show/Folie A Deux.) This shuts that down immediately and makes it a project that stands alone. It has much of the folk feel we would expect from these two artists coming together but it also has just a little more. Lyrically you know Oberst will paint masterpieces with his rhetoric. Together, they capture something fresh; a mix of past and present Emo. They took the golden age of and put it in a pot with the modern and listeners received a whirlwind of melancholy and perfect uncertainty.
The second track, Sleepwalkin', gives us a feeling like we're in the studio with them while they're putting the song together. A quick entrance into silky plucked high notes of a single acoustic guitar. The first single off the album Dylan Thomas is definitely the most "radio" ready track; not that anyone expects to hear this on KIIS 102.7 (though we should). The chorus has one of my personal favorite chorus on the album, "I'm getting greedy with this private hell/I'm going alone, but that's just as well." It states the fickleness and self-acceptance of the album perfectly. Service Road opens with just an acoustic guitar and Obersts uncanny ability to put a haunting melody over a bare guitar. It's the first song that taps into Bridgers range. While she's by no means mediocre on any of this album, her floating the post-chorus "who are you?" gets absolutely stuck in your ears. It's also probably the closest thing to a "duet" on the album. Which demonstrates both their abilities as songwriters.
If you had a chance to indulge yourself in their live KEXP performance on YouTube, you know they seem to be very comfortable writing together. I wouldn't have expected that initially. I would have assumed Oberst take the reigns being the more experienced writer here. For me that just adds to the mystique surrounding Bridgers as a writer. If she's able to hold her own with someone like Oberst, how good will she get in the future? Who knows (but it is probably something we all want to hear.) 4 other writers are credited on the album; Adam McIlwee (Wicca Phase Springs Eternal), Ben Walsh (Tigers Jaw), Taylor Hollingsworth (Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band), and Christian Lee Hutson. This type of multi-contribution has been a theme of Obersts for years; under all of his monikers. It's great to see a relatively new artist like Bridgers sign off on the same type of musical collaboration. Hopefully, it means the future holds more and more spin-off projects and new bands for us to lose ourselves in.
The album closes on a song written by Taylor Hollingsworth, Dominos. It is clear his time with Oberst has honed his song writing skills, because this feels like one of the best songs on the album. The lyrics put together the my favorite imagery on the album, it feels like the end of something; patiently heading towards the next beginning. It's a kindly written, velvety-smooth ending with Conor Oberst and Phoebe Bridgers harmonizing together, asking us to come along but only if we're ready. It's a calm sonic adventure if you're up for it; and if you're not feeling ready - there's always tomorrow.
Better Oblivion Community Center is just that; Oberst and Bridgers coming together to give us all something we can get seriously mellow to. The first thing you notice after your first listen about this amalgam is that they sing together quite a bit, it's much less a duet and much more two lead singers. It has a trance-like effect. If you're listening for Obersts signature shaking, butterflies-in-your-stomach, voice, it's there; conversely if you came for Bridgers soft lullaby voice she is a monolith of her own here. The title of the first track fits the expectations clicking play on this album for the first time; Didn't Know What I Was In For. It opens with Phoebe; which I think was a smart move considering how many fans probably were just hoping for another Bright Eyes album (it's a side effect of writing some of the best Indie records ever; people don't want to move on. see: Guilt Show/Folie A Deux.) This shuts that down immediately and makes it a project that stands alone. It has much of the folk feel we would expect from these two artists coming together but it also has just a little more. Lyrically you know Oberst will paint masterpieces with his rhetoric. Together, they capture something fresh; a mix of past and present Emo. They took the golden age of and put it in a pot with the modern and listeners received a whirlwind of melancholy and perfect uncertainty.
The second track, Sleepwalkin', gives us a feeling like we're in the studio with them while they're putting the song together. A quick entrance into silky plucked high notes of a single acoustic guitar. The first single off the album Dylan Thomas is definitely the most "radio" ready track; not that anyone expects to hear this on KIIS 102.7 (though we should). The chorus has one of my personal favorite chorus on the album, "I'm getting greedy with this private hell/I'm going alone, but that's just as well." It states the fickleness and self-acceptance of the album perfectly. Service Road opens with just an acoustic guitar and Obersts uncanny ability to put a haunting melody over a bare guitar. It's the first song that taps into Bridgers range. While she's by no means mediocre on any of this album, her floating the post-chorus "who are you?" gets absolutely stuck in your ears. It's also probably the closest thing to a "duet" on the album. Which demonstrates both their abilities as songwriters.
If you had a chance to indulge yourself in their live KEXP performance on YouTube, you know they seem to be very comfortable writing together. I wouldn't have expected that initially. I would have assumed Oberst take the reigns being the more experienced writer here. For me that just adds to the mystique surrounding Bridgers as a writer. If she's able to hold her own with someone like Oberst, how good will she get in the future? Who knows (but it is probably something we all want to hear.) 4 other writers are credited on the album; Adam McIlwee (Wicca Phase Springs Eternal), Ben Walsh (Tigers Jaw), Taylor Hollingsworth (Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band), and Christian Lee Hutson. This type of multi-contribution has been a theme of Obersts for years; under all of his monikers. It's great to see a relatively new artist like Bridgers sign off on the same type of musical collaboration. Hopefully, it means the future holds more and more spin-off projects and new bands for us to lose ourselves in.
The album closes on a song written by Taylor Hollingsworth, Dominos. It is clear his time with Oberst has honed his song writing skills, because this feels like one of the best songs on the album. The lyrics put together the my favorite imagery on the album, it feels like the end of something; patiently heading towards the next beginning. It's a kindly written, velvety-smooth ending with Conor Oberst and Phoebe Bridgers harmonizing together, asking us to come along but only if we're ready. It's a calm sonic adventure if you're up for it; and if you're not feeling ready - there's always tomorrow.
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