Outer South
Conor Oberst & the Mystic Valley Band
14 Karma Points
Customer Reviews
No one blends references to the Old Testament, the New Testament and the contemporary world of substance abuse and high living quite like Oberst. This album contains some convincing rockers, "Slowly," in fact, being one of them, contrary to its name, and also "Roosevelt Room," which seethes with political indignation. Oberst is also notably seductive here with his vocals on "White Shoes" and "Nikorette" especially. "To All the Lights in the Window" is a Conor classic with his droll observation "That's the thing about charisma..." in reference to Jesus walking on water, "it makes everyone believe." Generous to a fault, Oberst has included songs by his bandmates, most notably the thoughtful "Bloodline" from Nick Freitas. Even at his most reflective, as on "Spoiled" where he's "watchin' all the hippies through the haze" or "Cabbage Town" where he admonishes someone (himself?) that blotter acid is something you can do "just not all of the time" Oberst seems a little removed from the angst of yesteryear. That's probably a good thing for him, and not such a bad thing for us either.
Conor Oberst is something short of an Indie God. And like many great artists nowadays, he can never stay in one project for long, for fear of his creativity becoming stale. The Mystic Valley Band could be his best incarnation yet, but shortly after the release of this album, the group announced their disbandment. But hey, at least we got this album out of the band, which is full of rock brilliance. Some of it's country, some of it's rock n' roll, but it's all a great listen.
Highlights Include:
Slowly (Oh So Slowly)
Ten Women
Nikorette
White Shoes
Roosevelt Room
What's most amazing about this album, and for any band in general, is that Oberst actually gives up singing and writing duties on close to half the album, preferring to sit back and just enjoy somebody else's work. This is not only the sign of a true artist, but the rest of his bandmates are also extremely talented. And probably no other track demonstrates this better than 'Air Mattress,' where the singer opines to his lover, "Can I sleep on an air mattress with you?" Simple, yet played so well.
But the bulk of the highlights and memorable moments come courtesy of Oberst himself. My personal favorites for Oberst were simply when the band was just rockin' out. These two main songs are as catchy as they are well-written, and I really have to commend the guitar work as well. But Oberst also excels at the slower stuff. Now, these songs could have easily been clichéd and sappy messes, but Oberst adds some true life to them, and makes them sound profound. I found 'White Shoes' a beautiful song, and 'Ten Women' a well-crafted ballad that's essentially Tiger Wood's theme song for the moment.
Overall, most of the songs are a solid bunch, and even the ones that don't hit their marks hit them in other ways the song may not have intended. It's a great alternative country or just a great rock record, but since Conor Oberst is involved, you know it's going to be borderline genius and it'll certainly be creative. So, RIP Mystic Valley Band. You were brilliant while you lasted.
I'm not a big fan of this style of music, so I'm surprised how much I like this album -- and surprised that it's not turning up on more "best of" lists for 2009. Why isn't this record getting more ink?
Unlike a lot of Bright Eyes' work, it is evident that the band actually had a hand in the creation of this album. The always brilliant Conor Oberst is actually not the most prominent feature of this record. It seems as though everyone involved really enjoyed making it, which makes it a joy to listen to. I must say though that some of the lyrics were a bit, for lack of a better term, pointless; but even the most useless lyrics were made bearable by the music. Where Conor Oberst's work is usually lyriclly driven, the dependance on music came as a bit of a surprise, but not necessarily an unpleasant one. Ultimately Outer South is a very easy to listen to record that, despite my initial objections to, I end up playing again and again.
but i chose this. i love bright eyes, and i love mvb and pretty much anything with oberst's name on it. i saw them play twice last year in florida and it was a really fun weekend. that was the live show. but with this album i found my favorite songs to be from the other artists (which isn't bad by any means it's just that Oberst's name is at the forefront). i especially enjoyed taylor hollingsworth's contributions despite what i've heard most people say. to each their own i guess. but when i judge, yea i'll judge sometimes, i do it based on the feelings i get while listening to the record and the idea of is this really an album i can set time aside for because it grabs me to listen to the whole way through... and the answer is this is not the case. i think each and every song is solid and well thought out. i still get around to listening to them all, just certain songs on certain days. i still reach back on my ipod for older Bright Eyes material though. when the lyrics meant something to everyone. not just those who are standing in the songwriter's shoes. and if this is a new direction oh well i guess. he's still growing into it. overall mvb is decent. no special place in the record collection. just in between all the other cds and lps. which also isn't necessarily a bad thing, i'll get to listen to it eventually.
Conor Oberst is something short of an Indie God. And like many great artists nowadays, he can never stay in one project for long, for fear of his creativity becoming stale. The Mystic Valley Band could be his best incarnation yet, but shortly after the release of this album, the group announced their disbandment. But hey, at least we got this album out of the band, which is full of rock brilliance. Some of it's country, some of it's rock n' roll, but it's all a great listen.
Highlights Include:
Slowly (Oh So Slowly)
Ten Women
Nikorette
White Shoes
Roosevelt Room
What's most amazing about this album, and for any band in general, is that Oberst actually gives up singing and writing duties on close to half the album, preferring to sit back and just enjoy somebody else's work. This is not only the sign of a true artist, but the rest of his bandmates are also extremely talented. And probably no other track demonstrates this better than 'Air Mattress,' where the singer opines to his lover, "Can I sleep on an air mattress with you?" Simple, yet played so well.
But the bulk of the highlights and memorable moments come courtesy of Oberst himself. My personal favorites for Oberst were simply when the band was just rockin' out. These two main songs are as catchy as they are well-written, and I really have to commend the guitar work as well. But Oberst also excels at the slower stuff. Now, these songs could have easily been clichéd and sappy messes, but Oberst adds some true life to them, and makes them sound profound. I found 'White Shoes' a beautiful song, and 'Ten Women' a well-crafted ballad that's essentially Tiger Wood's theme song for the moment.
Overall, most of the songs are a solid bunch, and even the ones that don't hit their marks hit them in other ways the song may not have intended. It's a great alternative country or just a great rock record, but since Conor Oberst is involved, you know it's going to be borderline genius and it'll certainly be creative. So, RIP Mystic Valley Band. You were brilliant while you lasted.
I'm not a big fan of this style of music, so I'm surprised how much I like this album -- and surprised that it's not turning up on more "best of" lists for 2009. Why isn't this record getting more ink?
Unlike a lot of Bright Eyes' work, it is evident that the band actually had a hand in the creation of this album. The always brilliant Conor Oberst is actually not the most prominent feature of this record. It seems as though everyone involved really enjoyed making it, which makes it a joy to listen to. I must say though that some of the lyrics were a bit, for lack of a better term, pointless; but even the most useless lyrics were made bearable by the music. Where Conor Oberst's work is usually lyriclly driven, the dependance on music came as a bit of a surprise, but not necessarily an unpleasant one. Ultimately Outer South is a very easy to listen to record that, despite my initial objections to, I end up playing again and again.
but i chose this. i love bright eyes, and i love mvb and pretty much anything with oberst's name on it. i saw them play twice last year in florida and it was a really fun weekend. that was the live show. but with this album i found my favorite songs to be from the other artists (which isn't bad by any means it's just that Oberst's name is at the forefront). i especially enjoyed taylor hollingsworth's contributions despite what i've heard most people say. to each their own i guess. but when i judge, yea i'll judge sometimes, i do it based on the feelings i get while listening to the record and the idea of is this really an album i can set time aside for because it grabs me to listen to the whole way through... and the answer is this is not the case. i think each and every song is solid and well thought out. i still get around to listening to them all, just certain songs on certain days. i still reach back on my ipod for older Bright Eyes material though. when the lyrics meant something to everyone. not just those who are standing in the songwriter's shoes. and if this is a new direction oh well i guess. he's still growing into it. overall mvb is decent. no special place in the record collection. just in between all the other cds and lps. which also isn't necessarily a bad thing, i'll get to listen to it eventually.