So, Bright Eyes front man little Conor Oberst is all grown up. If you heard his single โWhen the President Talks to Godโ a few years ago, you knew this was coming. As we heard on 2005’s I’m Wide Awake, he’s become infatuated with a classic country rock sound, and this time he recruited pals M. Ward, Gillian Welch and David Rawlings to help him out. What you’ll notice right away is that Cassadaga is politically charged in a rather obvious way. Oberst used to have a knack for being rather cryptic and clever with his wordplay, but it’s becoming increasingly easy to figure out what he’s displeased with ย war, death, classism and something else very badรwhat was it? Oh, right, religion. But give him credit, as he laments, โI was a hopeless romantic, now I’m just turning tricks.โ Even with his ranting and raving, when he’s not beating the dead war horse, his brilliance as a storyteller still shines through. โMake a Plan to Love Meโ is an almost Bonnie โPrinceโ Billy-style love song, augmented with a sweet, serene orchestra, something that we could stand to see more of. The bottom line: If you aren’t sold on Bright Eyes yet, this won’t change your mind. If, on the other hand, you’re already a fan, you’ll enjoy this.
This article appears in Apr 26 – May 2, 2007.