A great big melting pot of Bright Eyes
4 Out of 5 Stars
Conor Oberst once made the ambitious mis-step or releasing two Bright Eyes albums at once; he issued the classic "I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning" and the cringe worthy electronica of "Digital Ash in A Digital Urn" on the same day. One was a beautiful, thoughtful descendant of Bob Dylan, the other was an amateurish Kraftwerk homage. "The People's Key" sounds like he learned from that moment and pulled the best of each onto one album. "The People's Key" uses a full band to highlight Oberst's gifts of melody, penchant for strange narratives/spirituality and his curiosity for electronic instruments and forges them into a dynamic album with many highlights.
Like Iron and Wine's "Kiss Each Other Clean" (issued roughly the same time), "The People's Key" shows Oberst fleshing out the edges of his comfort zone with richer arrangements and fuller singing. Purists might not take to it easily, but there is a direct line from Oberst's time in Monster's Of Folk (who did a raucous concert performance), his more personal songs on the solo album and the opening narrative of "Cassadaga." Also, like Dylan, there are moments of inexplicable lyrical oddities that are as filled with beauty as they are strange. Who else could rhyme the title of the song "Haile Selassie" with the line about his audio equipment ("one drop and a bubbling Leslie, calling me home like Haile Selassie").
Oberst is a restless artist, as anyone who has followed his eclectic career can tell you. The wild mood swings on "The People's Key" are testament to that factor, yet it is strong enough an album to hold together. I'll probably always be wedded to the style of the man who wrote and sang "I'm Wide Awake," but even the annoying "shamanic vocals" credited to one Denny Brewer (without which I might have given this 5 stars) can distract from the richness of "The People's Key."
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