I finally got the chance to get out of the valley and see a show this week. Jenny Lewis and Conor Oberst were both playing a honkey tonk show in a barn down on Dixon St. in Fayetteville. Although I am sure that most of the emo and scene kids that I waited in line with left disappointed, I thoroughly enjoyed the night.
I wasn’t too sure how much I was going to enjoy the Jenny Lewis set. Although I am a huge fan of all things Rilo Kiley, I was not too impressed with Rabbit Fur Coat. Although it had a couple of great tracks it never really set well with me as a record. It was a gospel album being sung by somebody who didn’t understand the gospel. I think she felt the need to use all of this sort of redemptive jargon because of the genre of music and it just didn’t seem real or true for her. But Jenny has got one the most incredible voices I have ever heard and she and her band, which included the very talented Johnathon Rice, put on a mesmerizing show. I was sucked in the from the moment they took the stage. I am now convinced that I need to give Jenny Lewis, the solo artist, another shot. I wouldn’t be surprised if Acid Tongue ends up on my year end list.
What I was even more surprised about was how much I enjoyed the performance by Oberst and his Mystical Valley Band. Oh how far he has come since the early days of Bright Eyes and Saddle Creek. There was no skin tight jeans. His hair wasn’t in his eyes. No songs or comments about how much America or Bush suck. And I actually saw him smiling, twice. Not to mention that sound has changed drastically as well. Words like bitter, angst-ridden, melancholy, and emo which have been so commonly attached to his name have to be thrown out the window when trying to describe the musical style of this new band that he has assembled. Well he might still have a tiny bit of angst but he’s expressing it in a poppy and upbeat way (I Don’t Wanna Die In a Hospital). Now I’m not suggesting that Oberst has lost his musical identity in any way. Everything that he is doing today is still uniquely his, but it is incredible how much his sound has evolved over the years. I for one am not about to complain about this musical evolution. The fact that I was able to watch Oberst rock out in a barn with a southern rock band and an electric organ is just plain awesome. Some highlights of the night would have to be an acoustic version of Milk Thistle to close out the set and then a rockin’ version of I Don’t Want To Die (in a hospital) to finish up the encore. And then we also had the privilege of hearing an incredible song that they wrote earlier that day. It was possibly one of the most cleverly written songs I had heard from him in a long time. I really hope that this isn’t the only time that he records with this all-star crew that he has assembled. But in case this is a one time deal, make sure to catch the show when they come your way.
Conor Oberst – I Don’t Want to Die (in a hospital) (removed 2/13/09)
So I’ve been sitting on this information for over a month now and I don’t know why I waited until now to spread the love. So without further ado, here it is: Jim James, Conor Oberst, and M. Ward have announced via Rolling Stone interview that they will be heading into the studio to record an album together. Now that I just typed it out for you all to read, it just feels too good to be true for some reason. Maybe that is why I wasn’t super eager to share it with you all immediately. Although I really hope that it will come to fruition and give me a chance to make up for missing the show when the trio toured together back in 2004, calling themselves the “Monsters of Folk.” Fortunately for us though, even if the album never happens or ends up being years in the making, each of these guys have been very busy this year to bring us something to hold us over.
Jim James and his alt-country band My Morning Jacket released their fifth studio album, Evil Urges earlier this summer. I haven’t had the chance to get my hands on the whole album yet. But everything I’ve heard is innovative to say the least. It’s different but great. And from what I hear, their live show is not something to be missed.
On the contrary Oberst has left his alt-country band behind and released a new solo effort? Yeah I don’t know if that is exactly true. Because Bright Eyes was basically a solo project already. So now with a not so new sound he is recording as Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band. Here is a great acoustic track off of the self-titled album that was just released this August.
So as for our good friend M. Ward, he has teamed up with actress Zooey Deschanel(Elf) to form the indie-pop duo She & Him. She has such and lovely and playful and inviting voice. And apparently she is a fantastic songwriter as well. I just assumed that with Ward’s talent that he would end up writing all the songs for the project, but he didn’t write a one. I really hope that the title of their oh so catchy spring release is signifying that we should expect more albums from the duo to come in the future. Well here is a glimpse of the charming and light-hearted She & Him.
