Connor Gets Cool

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A lot has been written about that genius from Omaha (and once again I do not mean Warren Buffet) and his band (Bright Eyes) and his record label (Saddle Creek) and his empathetic (sobbing) pretentious (psuedo intellectual), heartbreaking (for girls) Conor Oberst. He normally performs in his own band Bright Eyes and makes them record mopey singer song writer songs or mopey electronica guitar rock. In that band he always plays with guitarist Mike Mogis who is pretty cool to listen to.
In this case Conor did a made for MTV thing and put together “The Mystic Valley Band” and moved to Mexico (for a week, a month a year?) to record this. You can read more about that at:

http://www.conoroberst.com/

I am sure it was tequila and peyote soaked but I do not have the heart or stomach for it. All of that being said.... this is a pretty tuneful and sweet album. Perfect for middle aged folkie or singer songwriter afficianado like myself. Like it or not the kid can write. The kid cannot sing but he overcomes that with a lilting earnestness that is more endearing then annoying. I actually wrote this like last November or so but the more I listen to it the more I admire the CD. It is always a little embarrassing to like Connor after his early, earnest, over wrought, self involved, crying on stage years but he is rounding himself into a very solid recording artist. The tracklisting is as follows:

1. Cape Canaveral
I watched your face age backwards
Changing shape in my memory
You told me victory’s sweet
Even deep in the cheap seats

2. Sausalito
said it's over and it's finished
now a headache is all you're left with
we're no different i got debts i'd like to pay
3. Get-Well-Cards

I wanna be your bootlegger
Wanna mix you up something strange
Braid your hair like a sister
Maim you like a hurricane

4. Lenders In The Temple
There's money lenders inside the temple
That circus tiger's gonna break your heart
Something so wild turned into paper
If I loved you, well that's my fault

5. Danny Callahan

6. I Don't Want To Die (In The Hospital)

7. Eagle On A Pole

8. NYC-Gone,Gone

9. Moab

10. Valle Místico (Ruben Song)

11. Souled Out!!!
The Bario starts two streets over
Miguel, he's a friend of mine
With brick weed built a reputation
Like dry ice in the summertime

12. Milk Thistle

To be fair, every song is a good song but a couple of them are great songs. The ones I copied verses out of above have just the right quality of angst and literary intelligence as to pretentious and precocious and perfect. I feel about this album a lot like I feel about Jackson Brownes first few albums when the guy was so in his head that every word is weighted by his own self importance. I love it. It would be a great CD to give as a gift to a girl or to sit in a bean bag chair and get high to. Just smiles. Buy it. Buy it on iTunes if nothing else. A ten best CD of 2008.