Down In The Weeds, Where The World Once Was - Bright Eyes: Review
is a legendary indie folk and emo folk band originating from Nebraska who released some of the most critically acclaimed indie records of the 2000's. After going on hiatus in 2011 the various members stayed busy in the music world but have re-united 9 years later to release a 10th Bright Eyes record.
Review By Lavender:
If you know me you probably know I have been a huge Bright Eyes fan for pretty much as long as I can remember. I've long called records like I'm Wide Awake It's Morning and Lifted personal favorites and I've enjoyed much of what frontman Conor Oberst has done since the band initially broke-up with his solo records and Better Oblivion Community Center solo project. I was very excited for this record especially given a few of the singles that I liked quite a bit and now that it's here I think the imperfections are largely outnumbered by great songwriting, impassioned performances and swelling instrumentals.
Even though I liked some singles here more than others they all have something to offer and a few of them sound better within the record than they did on their own. Persona Non Grata was the lead single and I've listened to it a lot in the months leading up to the record because I really enjoy it. I love that the track is packed with combative references that ultimately leads to a peaceful arrangement by the tracks end. Conor delivers strained drama soaked vocals in the songs final passage which is finished off by a sonic explosion that makes for folk revivalism at its most grand. Forced Convalescence is another big highlight that I have grown to love the more I hear it for the huge sonic progression the band brings to the track. The instrumental well is a deep one and the track flips between Bob Dylan and ELO numerous times throughout its progression. Conor's lyrics are as great as ever but what really does it for me on this track is the refrains which come in one catchy moment after another all across the song. Mariana Trench is a track I was surprised to enjoy as much on the record as I did as a single but it fits into the first half of the album well. It's the poppiest single with a strong hooky nature to it with a rise into an uptempo refrain that is memorable in a great way. Finally there's One and Done which confused me as a single because it features a lyrical approach far darker than anything of the other singles. It works better within the album even if I'm still not a huge fan of some of the slower refrains in the first half. The orchestral instrumentation helps a ton with making Conor's lyrics more impactful.
The highlights don't stop with the singles after a strange intro track we get Dance And Sing which continues to send chills down my spine almost every time I hear Conor singing over the simple but sonically rich instrumentals once again. The song is awesome I love the grand rise in instrumentation that rushes into the second half of the track which once again elevates Conor's performance for another great song. Just Once In The World is a bit of a catchier track with a pseudo hook between Conor's more prophetic verses. The backing vocals are gentle and effective alongside the lighter string instrumentation. Once again there is an instrumental swell that is really effective and the rise in energy carries into every part of the song making for a rousing final minute that I really enjoy.
Stairwell Song is a love song that is disguised as a sad song with a lot of lyrical nods to conventionally lonely or sad imagery. But honestly if you dig into the lyrics here this is actually something really beautiful particularly at the ending when Conor literally summons a cinematic ending for the pair through a grand instrumental. There are a pair of short tracks just over two minutes long and I like them both for very different reasons. Tilt-A-Whirl is a track all about Conor's family with specific references to family members that pack an emotional punch. The instrumental is pretty sweey not one f my favorite of the bunch but it gets the point across over two minutes and the focus is clearly on Conor's personal lyricism. The other track is Hot Car In The Sun a very sad and very stripped back piano ballad that takes on some incredibly serious subject matter. The song is short but stark and dejected in its portrayal of Conor's psyche and makes me worried about him despite the fact that I love the tune.
While the final stretch of songs isn't the records strongest I did really enjoy To Death's Heart a track that really does work in three parts with some more heavy lyrical content. I'm not sure the exact connection to the title but Conor is definitely wearing his heart on his sleeve through his lyrics and his impassioned performance. The song is a dark and swelling five minutes with a huge and versatile instrumental palette and rewarding progression which re-introduces old passages only to push them to more triumphant highs. While it isn't quite as dramatic a high the closing track Comet Song is also pretty memorable. It is most certainly a swelling finale working from some quiet piano moments to some of the records loudest moments. Some of the punch may have been taken out of it by even bigger crescendos on other tracks here but it is still grandiose enough to be an acceptable closer with a really awesome final verse and eerie fade out.
Pageturners Rag is a pretty interesting first song on the record as it is a live recording. It includes a literal spoken word introduction in Spanish followed by a strange sound collage. The track is weird but not completely out of line with previous Bright Eyes moments and I found it interesting even at almost four minutes long. I saw somebody describe Pan and Broom as indie Hotline Bling shortly after the record came out and honestly it lives up to that. It;s built around a groovy drum machine loop and not much else. There are some more great lyrics here and while I wouldn't consider the track a highlight it is a cool moment of experimentation that could have gone over much worse. The only track on the record I straight up didn't like was Calais To Dover. While there are some lyrical highlights it is the one moment on the record where I'm not buying into Conor's vocal performance at all. The rawness of his usual emotion isn't there and he sounds more like a comfortable adult contemporary singer than his normal self. The kind of fluffy instrumental doesn't help either as the track sounds like a 90's alt-rock radio song with a hammed up guitar riff.
I liked Down In The Weeds a lot. Conor is still in stride with lyrical content that continues to engage me and impassioned vocals but the instrumentals are just as good. With a lot of instrumental variety to offer the record blends genres together smoothly and effectively and reaches one meaningful crescendo after another. While it may not reach the emotional or songwriting highs of my Bright Eyes favorites it is still a very solid comeback record from a band who I often worried wouldn't be able to live up to the hype. 8/10
Album Cover Review by Tyler Judson:
I really like this illustration. I love the color contrast of the dark and the bright blue and red. This doesn't come off as a cover and could be just a print of any other form of art but I enjoy the simplicity. It's noticeable and doesn't need any words to fill the composition but I would have appreciated some marker for the group. The rough edges of the pieces also help bring this all together. 6.5/10
For more indie folk check out my review of The Microphones Microphones In 2020 here
