Bright Eyes — Down in the Weeds, Where the World Once Was (8/21/20)
It’s been nearly ten years since we last had an album from this famed Nebraska indie rock group. Founder and frontman Conor Oberst has released a few solo albums since 2011’s The People’s Key. He’s also had his hands in other projects such as 2015’s Payola with his punk side-project Desaparecidos, and an album in 2019 with Phoebe Bridgers under the name of Better Oblivion Community Centre.
This marks my third album with Bright Eyes, having caught them sometime after the release of 2007’s Cassadaga. I loved the open folksy feel of the music and Conor Oberst proved to be a very endearing singer. “Coat Check Dream Song” and “No One Would Riot For Less” have gone down as two of my favourite “slow” songs of all time.
2011’s The People’s Key took on more of a rock edge with a song like “Jejune Stars,” which quickly became a favourite. Two others that I’ve kept close over the years are “Ladder Song” and “One For You, One For Me.”
As for this new album, I, unfortunately, don’t think I’ll be keeping any of these songs too close. I am happy to find that it’s ultimately an enjoyable listen, but there’s very little on here that really excites me.
It was a solid showing from the singles leading up to the album. “Mariana Trench” holds a familiar Bright Eyes sound and the chorus has a good melodic pull to it. “One and Done” is a favourite, with a touching performance from Oberst, and I love the pulsing keys in the hook of “Forced Convalescence.” Lead single “Persona Non Grata” was a bit of a bleak choice to return with but I enjoy Oberst’s more sullen performances, and the bagpipe refrain is pretty cool.
It’s a similar story for the deep-cuts of the album. There’s no denying that I enjoy Conor Oberst’s style. He’s a one-of-a-kind singer-songwriter and there’s an amazing raw eloquence to his words. This is the type of album that I won’t even bother to touch on the lyrical content because I feel like I’d end up spending too much time trying to decipher it. I get through an album and form an opinion without even a thought towards what the lyrics are actually about and it doesn’t hinder my enjoyment.
Some may argue that I’m not seeing the full picture of these songs without looking into the meaning behind the words and I totally understand that. I believe however that music should speak through melody more than through words, and if you can’t find the enjoyment in the melody, then why bother looking into the lyrics.
And I’m fine with the melody on the majority of these. Songs like “Dance and Sing,” “Just Once in the World,” “Pan and Broom,” and “Tilt-A-Whirl” easily have me humming along with their friendly soft rhythms. However, I lose interest during the album’s 15-minute crawl to the end with the final three songs in “To Death’s Heart (In Three Parts),” “Calais to Dover,” and “Comet Song.”
I talk about how I don’t really care about lyrics but, listening to “Hot Car in the Sun,” I have to contradict myself. It’s a slow-burning, piano-led, atmospheric song that doesn’t push past 2:30. Ignoring the lyrics, it’s a bit of a flat song that doesn’t quite touch on any emotional notes. But it’s the rather plainspoken lyrics touching on suicidal ideation that add to the song’s emotional weight. That being said, the touching lyrics aren’t enough to pull me back in for repeated listens.
One deep-cut that has managed to pull a bit of excitement out of me is “Stairwell Song.” I just enjoy the way they do the soft build in the chorus, kind of teasing you as the drums build intensity before dropping out and building up again. This tease eventually breaks into a “cinematic ending” with strings and horns leading the song out. It’s a great musical move and definitely adds some memorability to the song, but even this one fails to keep me hooked.
And there you have it. I’d love to say this album gave me a contender for my Top 100 of the year but that is not the case. Conor Oberst is an indie rock legend but his music has always walked the line of being too “sophisticated” for my pop-rock tastes. Hopefully, we’ll get another Bright Eyes album without having to wait for another nine years, and maybe I’ll find something to pull me back in again.
